Practical Help

by Debbi Weeks

First, birthday blessings to my wonderful sister, Tammi. I praise God for her influence in my life and I praise Him for speaking to her heart at that Billy Graham Crusade back in 1971 - because without her going forward to trust Christ, I probably still wouldn’t know Him. I love you, Tammi!

I’ve grown a lot since that July night back in 1971. God has been faithful to grow me up in Him – and praise Him, He’s still faithful and I’m still growing! Two of the spiritual disciplines that have been so important in my spiritual growth are prayer and meditating on/memorizing God’s Word. But, being dull of mind, I’m a big forgetter – I practically have to have a note to remind myself to go to the bathroom (okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point)!

In order to curb my forgetfulness, I’ve developed two ways of incorporating these disciplines into my day that work for me and I want to share them with you to encourage you to be praying and meditating. When it comes to prayer, I start out by typing out a prayer reminder sheet and then I put it in a strategic place. My scripture meditation is similar as I post verses that God has laid on my heart, all around my house and in my car. I need to always have the prayer reminder or the verse(s) in front of me if I’m even going to remember to pray or focus in on the verse, and my shower/bathroom time is some of the beginning part of my day, so it’s there I want to be reminded first.

Okay, I’m going for really practical here today. I regularly (my goal for this year is to have regularly be more often, like maybe once a month or so – I tend to be lazy and go off of a really old list!) make up a list of people I need/want to be praying for – and sometimes I include specific requests along with their name, i.e. President Bush – wisdom, integrity and listening to the Lord, were the things the Holy Spirit led me to be praying for him recently.

I print my list out on the computer and put it in a plastic sleeve (you can buy them at Staples) and then use packing tape to adhere it to the tile in the shower – it stays for a really long time (if the water isn’t directed right at it! J).

So this is what my shower prayer list looks like:

As I’m showering, I look at the list and pray for the different people God has laid on my heart. Then I move on to styling my hair, brushing my teeth and putting on my make-up. This is what my bathroom mirror looks like (obviously, I’m not going to be shown in House Beautiful magazine, but maybe someday God will call my heart beautiful!):

I post Scripture on my bathroom mirror for me to look at and focus in on as I continue to get ready in the morning.

Here’s my suggestion for the weekly Scripture meditation (see Saturday’s Sojourner Post), type out the verse(s) (you could just print them out, but typing them helps in thinking through the words – writing them out by hand can be even more effective sometimes!). I print out a bunch of copies. Usually I do them all in the same version, whichever one speaks to my heart when I first read it, but if you’re just meditating on it (versus memorizing it) you may want to have several different versions around. I put them up on my bathroom mirror, on the dash of my car, on my nightstand, on my desk, at the kitchen sink and any other place I frequent throughout my day. As I repeatedly read God’s Words, they begin to sink in – He is faithful to use them to change me.

Isaiah 55:10-11 (The Message)

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
 and stay on the ground to water the earth. 
They cause the grain to grow, 
producing seed for the farmer
 and bread for the hungry. 
 It is the same with my word. 
 I send it out, and it always produces fruit. 
It will accomplish all I want it to, 
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

I’ve heard it said, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” So, I’ve incorporated these little things into my life to help me with prayer and Scripture meditation. Perhaps they’ll be of help to you as you strive to grow in Christ in 2009.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (Amplified)

“Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].”

Father God, thank You for your faithfulness in bringing us to maturity.

Please forgive me for neglecting to pray perseveringly.

Thank You for giving me practical ideas for remembering who and what to pray for and for meditating on Your Word.

Please allow us to draw close to You in 2009.

In Christ’s Name, Amen.