How’s your memory? Mine—not so great. It’s easy to remember big events in our lives such as: starting a new job, celebrating a birthday milestone, or a memorable vacation with family or friends. However, when it comes to the everyday, ordinary matters, most of us quickly forget the details.
Sometimes it’s in the minutiae of the day-to-day when God desires to get our attention!
Take the matter of knowing God’s direction for our lives. Just as King David penned in Psalm 143:8: “Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life,” we want to clearly see the Lord’s direction so we can follow His lead. But sometimes it’s difficult to know if the path we’re going down is from God or from our own selfish desires and plans.
Take note!
Last winter I participated in a Christian book study called Experiencing God. Its author, Henry Blackaby, mentions the importance of “spiritual concentration.” This means we are to pray about matters close to heart, and then immediately concentrate (or take note) of how God begins guiding us and answering our prayers in the days following.
Blackaby says God often tries to give us direction in life—or answers to our prayers—through circumstances that follow closely after our prayer conversations with Him. So, it’s good to write down our observations to help clarify (and remember) how the Lord is working through and around us to reveal His plans.
Since my memory is often lacking, this sounded like great advice! I certainly didn’t want to miss what God may be trying to reveal to me in the days ahead.
I found an unused journal on the bookshelves in my home office. It became the perfect storage unit for taking note of how God would speak to me.
You can do this as well! Just grab something to log your notes—a journal, or even a spiral notebook, along with a pen. The next step comes in knowing how to be on watch for God’s revelations to you.
Take Note of What?
You may wonder: How does God speak to us anyway? Well, God can use any method He chooses. After all—He’s God! But, Blackaby mentions four ways the Lord normally communicates with individuals, such as through:
- Scripture — Have you sensed God bringing certain topics to your attention while studying your Bible? The Lord may be trying to direct you in this way. Jot down these recurring themes/scriptures in your journal notebook.
- Prayer — Have you recognized God leading your thoughts toward something in specific as you pray? God may be speaking to you, so start writing down these frequent thoughts as potential answers to your prayers.
- Circumstances —Have you noticed what may be direction from God through ordinary situations, or even those that seem unusual? The Lord may be using situations in your surroundings to lead you toward a new direction.
- Local church — How has God been speaking to you through teaching at your church? Possibly through the sermons? Worship music? Or small group studies? God may be using the words and teaching of other believers to speak directly to you.
Taking note of God’s involvement is simply a matter of logging situations—the ordinary as well as what may seem unusual, as Blackaby suggests. And guess what—it works!
Already, I have been able to see the connecting thread of God working in various situations of my own life simply by reviewing my string of journal entries. I post prayer requests, questions, concerns, circumstances, conversations with others, as well as my own thoughts—followed by ways God reveals answers and direction. Answers may not always come by the next day, but they come often enough to strengthen my trust in God’s providential leading.
I encourage you to try this activity as well. There’s no doubt you’ll have several surprises come to light just as I have. It’s both exciting and comforting to rest in the knowledge that God is at work around us.