The Pastor’s Quiet Time (Part 3)

My wife and I usually take a book along to read on a flight. Before a trip to Orlando, I purchased Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald.

It was a great read and helped to pass the time on that 4-hour flight. In his book, MacDonald made a case for keeping a personal journal. He included some practical tips to get us started:

•  You don’t need to buy an expensive journal.
• Don’t quit if you miss entries for several days.
• Resume where you left off.
• Develop your own style in journaling.

As soon as I returned home, I hurried to the store and bought a stenographer’s spiral notebook; and I’ve been journaling ever since that trip. My journal is a combination of spiritual diary, thoughts from that day’s Bible reading, and a rotating prayer list. I have now filled 35 journals, and I’ve saved every one of them.

Last week I discovered one of the benefits of making the journal a part of your devotional experience. Before entering the day’s thoughts, I began reading over my entries from the first of the year. I read about the heavy issues my wife, Gloria, and I had been dealing with concerning our big family. I also read of transitioning to a new job and my questions about what that would be like.

As I continued to read, I saw that I had been insisting my heavenly Father open the doors I wanted. But a few pages later, just as the prophet Jeremiah did (Jeremiah 1:4-8), I surrendered my will to His. When I read later entries and saw how the hand of God had been working, I paused to give God a prayer of thanks. Both the family issues and the questions concerning my job were resolved in the providence of God. Review is rewarding! As we page through our journals, it becomes clear exactly how God has been at work in our lives.

Many of you may already be keeping a journal. Would you share your experience of how you’ve benefited from keeping a journal? If you haven’t started, consider the value of this daily exercise.