[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.

It’s hard. I get it.

Wanna run away from it all?
Been there.
Praise God for walking me through to the other side.

Life can be hard. Really hard. There are moments when it feels like the weight of the world is pressing down on us, and all we want to do is run away from it all. We’ve all been there. But amidst the chaos and struggles, there’s God – our source of hope and rescue.

I’ve noticed a common tendency among us to blame God when things get tough. We question why He’s punishing us, yet conveniently forget to acknowledge Him when life is smooth sailing. Sure, we might throw up a quick prayer of thanks during the good times, but it often pales in comparison to the anger and confusion we feel during the hard times.

It’s easy to feel like we’re being punished, but I’ve come to realize that it’s the enemy’s ploy to turn us away from the only One who can truly help us navigate through life’s storms.

What if….
…instead of focusing solely on the hardships, we lifted our gaze to see Him amidst the turmoil?

What if…
…in the midst of our “why me” moments, we looked up and simply cried out “help me”?

What if…
…in the midst of struggle, we paused to praise Him for His past faithfulness and sought His promised faithfulness for the future?

In the midst of adversity, God beckons us to sit with Him—to let Him read to us—and then to engage in honest conversation about everything that weighs on our hearts.

When we stop focusing our eyes on the ‘hard’ and focus our eyes on Him, things change.

Look at Me

Have you ever seen a toddle go into full blown meltdown mode? Their emotions overwhelm them so much they can’t even get a breath they’re crying so hard. Sometimes they can’t even tell you why.

When I was raising my toddlers and these meltdown moments happened, I’d tell them to look at me, often with an emphasis of “look in my eyes”. In most cases, just the sound of my voice wasn’t enough to get their attention and I’d have to reach out and put their chubby little cheeks in my hands and say again, “look in my eyes”. Eventually, they’d calm down just enough to hear my voice. Then and only then could they hear me guiding them to breath in and blow it out. Once they were looking in my eyes, cheeks in the palm of my hands – they would start to match the rhythm of my breathing – in….out / in….out.

Just like a parent calming down a tantrum-throwing toddler, God gently urges us to look at Him. To fix our gaze on His unwavering love and grace. It’s in those moments of surrender, when we allow Him to cradle our weary souls in His hands, that we find solace. We match our breathing to the rhythm of His Spirit—in and out, in and out.

So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!”
But You, O LORD, are a shield around me;
You are my glory, the One who holds my head high.
I cried out to the LORD, and He answered me from His holy mountain.

Psalm 3:2-4

Psalm 3:2-4 reminds us that despite the naysayers, God is our shield and the lifter of our heads. When we cry out to Him, He answers from His holy mountain.

Choosing to run to Him in our moments of overwhelm allows Him to lift our heads, just like a mother gently lifting her child’s chin to meet her gaze and find comfort in her eyes.

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 Psalm 3:2-4 to me looks like this…

Try it!

So, how do we let God read to us in the midst of chaos?

I invite you to join me in a conversation with God this week. Let Him read Psalm 3:2-4 to you as you sit in His presence. Allow Him to speak to your heart and guide you through the storms of life.

Below is a simple guide to help you engage in your own “pat on the chair”, “read to me” conversations with God:

1. Find a quiet place where you can be alone with God.
2. Invite Him to speak to you as you meditate on Psalm 3:2-4.
3. Listen for His voice and allow His words to penetrate your soul.
4. Engage in a dialogue with God. Share your fears, doubts, and frustrations, and then listen for His response.
5. Surrender your burdens to Him and allow Him to lift your head and bring you peace.
6. Carry His words with you throughout the week, trusting in His faithfulness to see you through every trial.

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.

May this week be marked by moments of intimacy with God, where His presence brings calm amidst the chaos, and His words breathe life into your weary soul.

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.

This week, sit with Him and enjoy a conversation over Psalm 3:2-4

Sit with Him Sunday

This week, sit with Him and enjoy a conversation over Psalm 3:2-4

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!