[Don’t miss the free cheat sheets and journaling guides at the end!]

Sit With God Sunday…. A weekly series for letting God read to us as we sit with Him.

He’s Right There…

One of my favorite places to sit and visit with God is on my patio. Most mornings I sit at a table with a chair for me and an empty chair across from me. I like the visual of Him sitting there, ready to read to me.
One evening, I moved the empty chair closer so I could prop my feet on it while reading. In my hurry to get inside as a storm approached, I didn’t move the chair back where it belonged. The next morning, I took my seat and started my quiet time as usual. I closed my eyes to begin a two minute time out to center myself with Him. At one point, while looking down in prayer, I briefly opened my eyes and was startled by how close the other chair was. His chair wasn’t across the table but right there in front of me.

In that moment I was intensely aware of how intimately close God is. Not a conversation across the table but knee-to-knee, face-to-face.

Our relationship with God is like that.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

James 4:8 ESV

When we need to lean in with confession and repentance, God’s chair isn’t an arm’s length away – He’s right there, knee-to-knee, face-to-face…embracing us with His forgiveness, grace and mercy.

When we need to lean in and feel His comforting presence during a hard season in life – He’s right there, knee-to-knee, face-to-face…embracing us with His unfailing love.

When we need to lean in and receive both physical and emotional healing – He’s right there, knee-to-knee, face-to-face…touching us with His healing presence.

When we need to lean in and to hear answers and guidance – He’s right there, knee-to-knee, face-to-face…speaking His wisdom to us.

LEAN IN

What’s God wanting to read to you today? Are you close enough to hear Him and feel His presence?

• What situations or circumstances are you working through that might need a little extra time with God today?
• What plans are you making that need His guidance?
• What’s something you feel needs to be fixed or resolved and God seems to be ignoring? How can you see God working for His glory in that situation?
• What chaos or emotional anxiety could use a little more of His soul nourishing conversations?

Today’s featured scripture has instruction with a promise….

INSTRUCTION: Draw near to God.

PROMISE: He will draw near to you.

Sometimes, when things are hard, or we’re seeking help, or just need a little extra TLC, we can slip into victim mode. We adopt a helpless mindset that says we can do nothing to resolve our situation or make it better. In that victim mindset, we sit and wait for someone to come and make things better for us. Or, we sit and wait for things to change.

God’s instruction calls us to adopt HIS victor mindset. In Him our victories are won. But we can’t just sit there. He instructs us to draw near to Him.

• He doesn’t say – do xyz and when you’re done I’ll come finish the task. He says, come here, come close. Let’s talk.
• He doesn’t say – come after Me, chase Me down; if you need Me you’ll have to catch Me. He says, come here, come close. Let’s talk.

And as we get up from our circumstances or pity party and walk to sit with Him, He draws near to us at the same time. Together, we sit…

• He reads His word to us
• We respond in prayerful conversations
• His wisdom, peace, healing, guidance, instruction, comfort… whatever we need is given to us in those conversations.

Letting God Read to Me…

Let God read the featured verse to you this week while you sit with Him and chat.

I’m sharing a glimpse of the conversation I had with God when I let Him read this verse to me, but don’t stop at just eaves dropping on our conversation… be sure to follow the conversation guide below and have your own ‘pat on the chair’, ‘read to me’ conversations with God this week.

For me, letting God read James 4:8 to me looks like this…

^{Try putting your name into the blanks as a conversation starter!}

[_] Come closer.

me/us: Father, I’m so weary – overwhelmed. I just want to sit here until things get easier.

[_] Come closer.

me/us: I hurt too much. I can’t move it hurts so much. I just want to stay here until I feel better.

[_] Come closer.

me/us: I can’t. I just give up. It’s just too hard.

[_] Come closer. I love you. I love you so much I’m not willing to let you lose faith or settle for defeat. Come on…get up. Come closer. Let’s sit together – I’ll meet you there. I’ll read My word to you and we’ll talk about it.

me/us: Here I am Lord.

Try it!

Put your name in the scriptures and read them aloud. Feel the warmth of His invitation, calling you to sit with Him and engage in intimate fellowship. Let His words wash over you, speaking directly to your heart and soul.

And remember, the joy is not just in reaching the end of the story but in the beautiful journey of conversations with Him along the way. So let’s not hurry! Instead, be ready to engage in nurturing conversations with Him as we let Him read His Word to us, personally and intimately.

Every Sunday I’ll share a verse and a conversation/journaling guide designed to help move from reading scripture to ourselves and more into letting Him read it to us.

Sit with Him Sunday

This week, sit with Him and enjoy a conversation over James 4:8

Day one:

Write the Word

• Explore different translations of the featured verse.
• Write several translations of the verse that speak to you.
• Meditate on the written scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to bring your attention to what He wants to talk about.
• Circle words that stand out to you, call to you, or speak to something you want to hear more about from God.

Day two:

Explore the Word

• Using a bible resource, like biblehub.com, explore the words and phrases that you highlighted yesterday.
• Look up definitions of key words.
• Look up key or highlighted words in the original language.
• Explore original language meanings
• Write out related verses from other chapters in the Bible.
• Make note of context or setting

Day Three

Learn From and Apply the Word

• Meditate on the verse(s) and ask God to nourish you with His thoughts, insights and wisdom.  Answer each question as it applies.

1. What does this word tell you about God?

2. What does this Word tell you about how you’re created, how God sees you, or what God wants you to know about who you are in Christ?

3. How is this Word speaking into your current situation?

4. What questions does this word stir up? Journal any new thoughts or insights revealed to you as you talk with God.

Day Four

Conversations in His Word

• Write it as from you to God using personal pronouns.
• Write it as from God to you using your name. This is God reading it to you.
• Write it as a back-and-forth conversation between you and God.
  • This is simply going back and forth using the 2 conversation styles above – inserting your name to hear God read it to you / inserting pronouns to respond to what God just read to you.

Just as you would with any other conversation between loved ones, ask questions, share concerns or fears,  and let the His word guide the answers.

Day Five

Continue the Conversation

Today, review any journaling you did for the last 4 days. Read the verse aloud again as God reading it to you.

• Sit with it.
• Listen to hear anything else God stirs up for today’s conversation.
• Journal and/or speak a prayer of gratitude for His word and the conversations you’ve had.

Printable Guided Conversations Journaling Pages

Let me help with this week’s conversations!

I’d love to email you a printable document to help guide you through 5 days of conversations this week. Complete this short form and I’ll send it to your email.

Sometimes we struggle to get into conversation habits because we lack a routine.

Click the image to grab it!