Editor’s note: As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, let’s take a moment to recognize the unique gifts and abilities God has given each of us, including the women in your life and the women He used to make big changes and break barriers. He was speaking then and continues to speak today. This excerpt is a from a larger prayer journal called With the King, which provides various insights into prayer:
My 12-year-old daughter once asked, “Mom, how does God speak to you?” I thought for a moment, trying to explain in a way she would understand. Then I said that God has made us all unique with different gifts and abilities. What I have learned over the years is that He will meet you exactly where you are and speak to you in a unique way. It’s similar to our learning styles. God could use auditory, visual, written, or kinesthetic ways to speak. For example, God has given me words, pictures, dreams, and even spoken to me through His creation in nature. It may be different from moment-to-moment or in various seasons of life. However, I have found this to be true: hearing from God will always align to Scripture and God’s character.
My daughter is artistic so naturally she was intrigued about God speaking in pictures. She wanted to know more, but it was still such a foreign concept that was hard for her to grasp. I needed to show her in practice.
I ordered us both journaling Bibles and we took a trip to Hobby Lobby to get art supplies. This quickly became an experience that God used to bring us closer to Him but also strengthen our relationship as mother and daughter. I used it to teach her the framework I had been working through in my own quiet time.
- Open the prayer. Seek God, open your spirit and ask Him to speak through His Word.
- Get into the Word. It could be the devotional for the day, your Bible study, or the act of seeking Scripture for guidance or direction.
- Meditate. Simply be present and silently reflect on what God is saying to you through the Scripture. Close your eyes, what images and pictures come to you? What colors are you seeing? Let the Scripture come alive in your head.
- Draw it. Within your journaling Bible, draw out the images that God is using to speak to you. We use all different mediums of art supplies: watercolor pencils, markers, stamp pads, and word art.
- Close in prayer. When then use this image and Scripture as the center of our prayer and meditation for the day or week. Often it becomes a theme that God beautifully weaves into our week.
I am so thankful to serve a God who speaks to each of us individually right where we are. Through this process, God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:13 is fulfilled: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Praise be to God.
