Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Prayer and Journaling Pattern

Today I saw a pattern in Psalm 37, a pattern I can use in my prayers as I apply Scripture to my life.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act..
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him...
(Psalm 37:3-5, 7)

I see a prayer pattern here.

TRUST (Take him at his word)

DWELL (Acknowledge my reality)

DELIGHT (Find joy in him)

COMMIT (Give him the situation)

BE STILL (Rest)

Here is how I used this. Today I read Isaiah 50:10:

...Let him who walks in darkness
    and has no light
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on his God.

I applied this truth to the prayer pattern and my day today.

TRUST: Lord, I believe that you are the light and you desire to give me your truth.
DWELL: Lord, you know that I am not sure what you want me to write today, and I am very tired.
DELIGHT: I rejoice in your light! You have enlightened me so many times and I am grateful.
COMMIT: Here is my day. Take it and shape it as you will.
BE STILL: At this point I just put my head down in my Bible and remembered that Jesus loves me.