I once asked a woman, who attended my church, how things were going in her relationship with the Lord. Her reply was curt. “Well, we aren’t really on speaking terms.” Then she went on to tell me about all that the Lord had thrown at her—casting all blame on Him. And now she had absolutely nothing to say to Him.
While the Lord and I have had our share of tense moments and conversations, my tendency is quite the opposite. Rather than avoiding Him or giving Him the silent treatment, I let Him know how I feel. I don’t hold back anything. (And I’ve got a library of prayer journals to prove it!) I have learned the value of pouring out my heart to Him, as the psalmist encourages me to do in Psalm 62:8. Expressing myself honestly rather than letting it fester inside of me.
I believe that the Word of God challenges us to openly share our struggles. No motive, no heartache, no passion nor sentiment is hidden from Him. “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve” (Jer. 17:10).
Thankfully, years ago I discovered Brother Lawrence’s art of practicing God’s presence—learning to be aware of God’s presence every moment of every day. With this awareness comes the privilege of ongoing, unceasing communication (1 Thess. 5:16-18) with my Maker, the Lover of my soul, the Author of my life, the hearer of my heart (1 John 5:14-15).
Just like in any meaningful relationship, there is an ebb and flow to the conversations I share with the Lord. There are times when we simply enjoy each other’s company in comfortable silence. Other times, one of us will have more to say than the other (I won’t say who typically does most of the talking—lol.). The beautiful thing is that regardless of how or when or where I find myself praying, I find the freedom and blessing that comes with speaking openly and honestly with the Lord.
Below are some practical ways that the Lord and I have shared conversation. See if any of them resonate with you.
PRACTICAL WAYS TO POUR YOUR HEART OUT TO GOD
1. Prayer Journaling
Writing out my prayers on paper is an effective way of pouring out my heart to Him. There is something cathartic to literally recording my innermost thoughts in written form. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Journaling also serves as an excellent reference to my faith journey for years to come (Read Deut. 8). My prayer journals have taken various forms through the years: joy tracking, grief journals, and noting meaningful Scriptures (Prov. 7:3).
2. Specific Prayer Requests
Through the years, I have kept a record of specific requests in a separate notebook. I use one side of the page for my request with the date it is brought to my attention and the other side for when and how it was answered. To see the Lord’s answers in writing gives me a hope for the future and therefore, keep me trusting in Him (Lam. 3:22-23).
3. Prayer List
In Ephesians 6:18, Paul exhorts us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” At times, I have taken paper and folded it into eight sections. At the top of each section I write the day of the week and then compile a list beneath each day. For example, I pray for my husband on Sundays—not only as my pastor, but as my husband, head of our home, and father of my children—listing all the specific things concerning our marriage, our ministry, and our family. I devote one day each to my four children. I pray for their potential spouse, their relationship to the Lord, and anything specifically pertaining to each one. On one day of the week I pray for unsaved loved ones, friends, and neighbors. And one day I keep the focus on my personal relationship with the Lord, perhaps with a focus on the fruit of the Spirit or a character quality He’s developing (2 Pet. 1:3-7). If there is a day left over, I make it my “everyday list.”
4. Prayer and Fasting
When I want to step up my prayer life, I set a day or more apart to fast and pray. Typically, on these days I clean my house. It is a tangible reminder of cleaning my spiritual house (the temple of the Holy Spirit). My day begins with reading Ps. 139:23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” As I vacuum, I remind myself to stand firm on a sure foundation. As I clean bathrooms, I flush out anything in my life that has left an unwelcome residue. I pray through my kitchen with a heightened awareness of what kinds of things I’m feeding my family and guests. I pray through each of my children’s rooms, cleansing them from all unrighteous- ness. I dust anything that has settled on the furniture of my heart, perhaps without me even realizing it. And as I take the garbage out, I make sure to seal it in a dark bag so that I’m not tempted to bring anything back into my house that is unwanted.
5. Prayer Partner(s)
I am blessed to have a few carefully selected prayer partners. These women have faithfully held up my arms and kept me accountable on my faith journey (much like Hur and Aaron did for Moses in Exo. 17:12). As I’ve taken speaking platforms, fought on the frontlines of spiritual warfare in ministry, and gone through various life circumstances, they have prayed for and with me.
6. Praying God’s Word
Through the years, I have discovered the importance of using God’s Word to model and speak into my prayer life. This is where the absolute necessity of memorizing, meditating on, and applying God’s Word comes into play. Not only do I compose my own prayers based upon the principles and promises in God’s Word, but Scripture has a treasury of powerful prayers that can be used over and over again for ourselves and on behalf of others.
7. Prayer Focus
I have made it an annual habit to prayerfully select a verse at the beginning of every New Year to keep as the focus of my thoughts, attitude, and actions. One that came to mean more than I can express is Deut. 30:19-20 in the aftermath of my 19-year-old son’s lost battle to leukemia. It encourages me to, “...choose life…” Challenging, but most profound!
8. Prayer Walking
I absolutely cherish the moments the Lord and I share on walks together, especially in His Creation through the forest, on a nature trail, on a waterfront, or even in my own backyard. It is in the beauty of His creation while I’m delighting myself in Him that He transplants the desires of His heart into mine (Ps. 37:4).
God is not surprised by those things that we withhold from Him, including anger. I am convinced that when we are open and honest before Him, just as the psalmist is in the book of Psalms, it opens up a deeper, richer, and more fulfilling relationship with the Lord. Therefore, I would highly recommend that you “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Ps. 62:8).
