Writing as a Way of praying
Letters to the Editor
I am hoping to run some workshops at my local church on spiritual journaling or creative writing (not for publishing). Do you have any material that might help me? At the moment, I am thinking about; writing to enhance Bible study, writing as a way of praying and writing as a sacrifice of praise. Thanks, Liz H.
Many thanks for this Liz. First of all, I’m going to go out on a limb and give you my highly personal suggestions. This is because I have yet to find a one-rule-fits-all suggestion. The most important thing to realise is that there are no right or wrong ways to do this as spiritual journaling is by its nature very personal.
Writing as a way to enhance Bible study
There are many ways to go about this. Personally, I use a daily Bible devotional and as I meditate on the word of the day, I write in my journal about how the devotional relates to my particular situation and what I believe the Word is saying to me. I write without fear, without inhibition and always with expectation, knowing that as I am writing, I am also learning. Sometimes, I don't use the devotional, choosing instead to reflect on (sometimes random!) Bible verses or chapters. Again, I reflect by writing my thoughts on whatever I've read.
Practical steps on writing as a way to enhance Bible study:
- Get a notebook to record your thoughts on the Bible chapters and verses you're reading;
- Have you thought about using daily devotionals or Bible reading plans?
- Do you have a daily devotional time? Having a structured Bible reading time might help. The best time is what works best for you;
- Questions to ask yourself before writing; what is God saying through this reading?
- At the end of your journaling, be still for at least 5 minutes to reflect on all you’ve written and then write 5 short sentences summarising what you’ve learnt;
- Remember, your writing is a tool to enhance your Bible study. It is meant to enable you to reflect, learn and grow in your knowledge of God and your relationship with Him.
Writing as a way of praying and a sacrifice of praise
I pray-write. My journal is packed with pages and pages of prayers, tears, whines and moans of everything and nothing. Many pages have started with; Dear Lord, I don't how to pray but I'm going to write what's going on in my head because it's the only thing I know to do. Sometimes, I send Him text messages. Crazy, I know but it makes me feel better. In case you're wondering, God's mobile number is 463. Look at your mobile keypad and laugh to yourself.
Some people prayer-write letters to God. Others prayer-write poetry or prose. Once again, there are no right or wrong ways to go about this. Prayer is a two-way conversation between you and God. Prayer-writing is exactly the same. The only difference is that you’re writing what you cannot articulate verbally. It's still a dialogue. You write and God reads it.
Examples of prayer-writers; the Psalmists.
Practical steps to prayer-writing:
- Get a notebook
- Start writing and don’t stop until you’ve finished writing what you cannot articulate verbally.
Do you prayer-write? Have you got other ideas? Share your experiences in the forum! See below.
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