[Transcript of “A 5 minute cuppa” published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube[1], March 2021]
Hi everyone, welcome to ‘a five minute cuppa’. This is the place that you can come any time of day just for five minutes, to relax, put your feet up, have a cuppa and listen to a few words to help you grow in your relationship with God.
In the last five minute cuppa we were thinking about how we develop two-way communication with our heavenly Father in our secret place; how we can talk to him, ask Him questions and then leave space to see what He has to say to us. I wonder how you’re getting on with that two-way conversation.
I’m sure some of you have been excited to find that you’ve heard His still small voice speaking through words images and scriptures in in a way that makes you realize how deeply he knows you and the situations you face. Equally, I’m sure others of you are struggling to hear Him; you feel your mind wandering when you try to spend time with Him alone and it feels like your prayers are just words that don’t really go anywhere. If that’s you don’t worry. I’ve been there and many others before you. It’s okay, there will be a way through for you and it might not be some super spiritual solution you were lacking. Remember that you can and have heard God speaking to you. If the Holy Spirit hadn’t have drawn you to Jesus you wouldn’t be in any kind of relationship with Him now and and wouldn’t be listening to this reflection even.
Sometimes though, to move on you just need to find some very practical ways forward that you just practice until they become second nature, almost like breathing. Today in our five-minute cuppa and next week I’m just going to share a couple of practical things that have really helped me develop that ongoing two-way communication with Jesus.
For a few years now I’ve been using a prayer diary; just a book with blank pages that I keep by my bed or prayer chair and where I record my thoughts and questions and the responses from God. As you get older, if you’re anything like me, you probably forget half the things that are said to you or that you’ve experienced, even those things that have affected you deeply at the time. One of the advantages of keeping a prayer journal is that you can look back at the communication you have had with God and remember what He has done and how He’s been working through your timeline; the times He has shown His light in dark places, where He’s answered prayers, how He answered prayers, the promises He has given you, the people who have walked alongside you and fed Godly wisdom into your life.
If you’re not used to journaling then I would encourage you to give it a go. If you’re not a great writer that’s okay. I don’t just write in my journal, sometimes I draw pictures or images, sometimes just the things that the Holy Spirit has spoken to me about in a book that I’ve read, sometimes just the name of a speaker or a website or podcast that I’ve come across where I’ve felt my spirit and and God’s spirit meet in agreement.
Something I did really early in my prayer journaling life is to draw prayer mind maps. You might like to have a go if you’re the kind of person who struggles to focus. Prayer mind maps help you to think about and pray into a situation that is on your mind and heart. In the middle of the page write the name of the person or the situation in a cloud bubble then moving out from the bubble draw a series of arrows leading to images or words or phrases that God gives you as you think about that person. Thinking is just a form of prayer. You might write down in one place what you are seeing in that situation or why you are worried, in another place you might ask God to shine His light on the situation and show you what’s really going on and in another place how God sees the situation and what He wants to do. Mind maps help you to pause and listen to God rather than launching straight into what you think is the solution. They help as a reminder to keep praying into the situation or the life of the person, they also act as a real encouragement as over time you see God’s strong all-knowing hand at work in situations all around you.
If you haven’t used a prayer journal before or for a while, why not buy one on your trip to the shop this week and and have a go at prayer mind mapping. Next week our practical communication tip will will take us a bit further and deeper as we think about what we can do with the information that God speaks to us about. I hope you can join me then for another five minute cup
[1] YouTube link: Write It Down
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