Write It Down
By: Tania Harris
Why journaling your God conversations can change everything.
How do you maintain an ongoing conversation with God?
Let’s get practical for a moment. Hearing God’s voice is only part of the story. The real key is doing what the Spirit says– and that’s often the hard part.
Partly, it’s because we forget. Our God conversations become a fleeting moment in the day, and soon after, as the distractions and busyness of life crowd in, we’ve lost what the Spirit said.
Humanity has always been this way
I think that’s why God kept telling the prophets: write it down.
God said it to Moses. To Jeremiah. To Isaiah. To Habakkuk… “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” (Habakkuk 2:2)
Why would God say this?
So that we can run with what God said… so we can actually do it.
Words that don’t return empty
God’s words are sent to have an impact on our lives. They’re full of power and authority as well as God’s character qualities such as love, hope, peace. They’re also full of God’s creativity and the ability to bring themselves to pass.
The prophet Isaiah described it this way: God’s words don’t return empty. Like rain and snow falling from heaven, they water the earth and make it flourish before they go back up. God’s words work the same way – they accomplish what God desires and achieve the purpose for which they were sent. (from Isaiah 55:10-11)
So hearing God isn’t just about having a nice experience with the Holy Spirit. It’s about being transformed from the inside out so that we become more like Jesus and more like ourselves. We need to let the words of God actually do their work in our hearts. And that takes more than a passing thought.
Eat the scroll
I love the imagery God gives the prophet Ezekiel. God tells him to write his words on a scroll…and then “eat them.” (Ezekiel 3:3)
So that’s exactly what Ezekiel did. He ate the scroll, and it tasted sweet as honey in his mouth.
It’s a strange picture, isn’t it? Imagine eating a scroll and trying to digest it. But God’s point is simple: take in the words you’ve been given until they become part of you.
Read them. Think about them. Meditate on them. Chew them over until you’ve fully taken them in. Don’t forget them. Let them change you – and do what they say.
God’s words are powerful. They cut through our sin and selfishness. They quietly, powerfully form God’s purpose in us – but only if we let them stay long enough to work.
Why writing it down matters
This is why it’s so helpful to write your God conversations down.
For some of us, that’s journaling in a book. For others, it’s a note on our phone. If you’re more visually minded, you might draw what God is showing you. However you do it – even if it’s just one word or one thought – don’t lose what God has spoken. Write it down. Draw the vision. Read it back again. Day after day, sit with it, digest it, until it becomes part of who you are.
Article supplied with thanks to God Conversations.
About the Author: Tania Harris is a pastor, speaker, author and the founder of God Conversations.
Feature image: Canva
