Thought to Pray and Ponder Ephesians 1:7-11

Thought to Pray and Ponder  Ephesians 1:7-11

Ephesians 1:7-11 / New Living Translation (NLT)
7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.  
-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.  

Thought to Pray and Ponder: Ephesians 1:7-14 EXB

Thought to Pray and Ponder: Ephesians 1:7-14 EXB

Ephesians 1:7-14 / Expanded Bible (EXB)
7 In ·Christ [him] we ·are set free [have been redeemed/purchased] by ·the blood of his death [his blood; blood signifies his sacrificial death], and so we have forgiveness of sins. ·How rich is [or This redemption reveals the wealth of;  …according to the riches of] God’s grace, 8 which he has ·given to us so fully and freely [lavished on us]. With ·full [all] wisdom and understanding [this phrase may go with the previous sentence], 9 God let us know ·his secret purpose [or the mystery of his will; a “mystery” in Scripture is something God had not previously disclosed]. This was what ·God wanted [pleased him], and he ·planned to do it [or set it forth; publicly revealed it] through Christ. 10 His goal was to carry out his plan, ·when the right time came [or at the time of fulfillment; in the fullness of the times], that all things in heaven and on earth would be ·joined together [unified; or summed up; or renewed] in Christ as the head.
11 In Christ we ·were chosen to be God’s people [have received/were given our part of an inheritance], ·because from the very beginning God had decided this [L having been predestined] in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who ·makes everything agree [or accomplishes everything in accord] with what he decides and wants. 12 We are the first people who hoped in ·Christ [the Messiah], and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God’s glory. 13 So it is with you. When you heard the ·true teaching [message/word of truth]—the ·Good News about [Gospel of] your salvation—you believed in Christ. ·And in Christ, God put his special mark of ownership on you by giving you […having been sealed with] the Holy Spirit that he had promised. 14 That Holy Spirit is the ·guarantee [down payment; deposit] ·that we will receive what God promised for his people [L of our inheritance]until ·God gives full freedom to those who are his [or we acquire possession of it; L the redemption of the possession; v. 7]—to bring praise to God’s glory.  

--  EXB: Scripture taken from The Expanded Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.   

(Image Credit: Stacy Duplease)

Thought to Pray and Ponder: Psalm 36:5-6

Thought to Pray and Ponder

Psalm 36:5-6 / The Message (MSG)

5-6 God’s love is meteoric,
    his loyalty astronomic,
His purpose titanic,
    his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
    nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
    slips through the cracks.  

--  MSG: Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. 

Ephesians 1:7-14 MSG

Ephesians 1:7-14 MSG

While I have decided to go paperless, this is one of those biblical passages (Ephesians 1:7-14) I have decided to print out and carry around with me everywhere I go for a while. I want to read it at every opportunity, pray over it, journal about it, think on it, and do all of this so much I end up memorizing it by accident. 

Ephesians 1:7-14 / The Message (MSG)

7-10 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
11-12 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
13-14 It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.  

--  MSG: Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. 

(Image Credit: Stacy Duplease. Mount Evans, Colorado) 

Day 27: Colossians 3 and Worldly Versus Godly Living, Part 6

SOC: STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WRITING AND COLOSSIANS 3:23-25

Re-read Colossians 3:23-25 once again. These verses talk about our relationships with others.

Now, do a SOC about Colossians 3:23-25. Take ten minutes to do so.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

What do you need to stop in your life, regarding Colossians 3 and your prayer journaling?

What do you need to do more of in your life, according to Colossians 3?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

COLOSSIANS 3:23 NLT

We have discussed this font in the past, but it’s important enough to make sure we cement it in our hearts and minds.

²³ Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS ABOUT COLOSSIANS 3:23

1 What does this mean?

2 How do you fail to live this verse in your life? Be thorough and specific.

3 How do you live this verse in your life? Be thorough and specific.

4 How will you start to apply this to everything you do?

MEMORY VERSES

Don’t forget your yearly Bible verse or your memory verses. Pray them back to God at this time, whether by memory or by looking at them. They are: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; 1 Samuel 2:1; Colossians 3:23-24; Ephesians 5:1-2; Colossians 3:10.

Day 26: Colossians 3 and Worldly Versus Godly Living, Part 5

SOC: STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WRITING AND COLOSSIANS 3:12-22

Re-read Colossians 3:12-22 once again. These verses talk about our relationships with others.

Now, do a SOC about Colossians 3:12-22. Take ten minutes to do so.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

What do you need to stop in your life, regarding Colossians 3 and your prayer journaling?

What do you need to do more of in your life, according to Colossians 3?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

MEMORY VERSES

Don’t forget your yearly Bible verse or your memory verses. Pray them back to God at this time, whether by memory or by looking at them. They are: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; 1 Samuel 2:1; Colossians 3:23-24; Ephesians 5:1-2; Colossians 3:10. 

Day 25: Colossians 3 and Worldly Versus Godly Living, Part 4

Good day to you, my friend. Welcome to the second day of breaking Colossians 3 down verse by verse. Today, let’s focus on Colossians 3:5-11.

Why don’t you read through those verses in your favorite version of the Bible? Then, do what it says after this sentence.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

1 What causes you to stumble in your faith?

2 What sins have you committed in the last week?

3 What temptations have you had in the next week, but didn’t follow-through, so they didn’t become sin in your life?

4 What sin(s) have you committed lately that is one you continually repeat?

SOC: STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WRITING AND COLOSSIANS 3:5-11

Re-read Colossians 3:5-11 once again.

Now, do a SOC about Colossians 3:5-11. Take ten minutes to do so.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

What do you need to stop in your life, regarding Colossians 3 and your prayer journaling?

What do you need to do more of in your life, according to Colossians 3?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

MEMORY VERSES

Don’t forget your yearly Bible verse or your memory verses. Pray them back to God at this time, whether by memory or by looking at them. They are: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; 1 Samuel 2:1; Colossians 3:23-24; Ephesians 5:1-2.

Now, let’s add this verse to our memory verses: Colossians 3:10. 

Day 24: Colossians 3 and Worldly Versus Godly Living, Part 3

On Days 22 to 23, we read all the way through the text of Colossians 3 and looked at the text as a whole. Today, we’re going to start to break it down verse by verse, bit by bit. Does this sound good to you?

WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?

Prayer Journaling and Contemplation Question: What do you think about and focus on?

If you put Philippians 4:4-8 down, good for you. You should.

If you said God, prayer, His Word, that’s also good.

Colossians 3:-12 also answers this question.

So does reciting memory verses.

However, let’s be honest. Where do our minds wander to before we think of these verses and these things to do to keep our mind on what we should and who we should? Answer that question now in your prayer journal. Jot down a quick answer.

SOC: STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WRITING AND WHERE OUR THOUGHTS WANDER

Now, let’s go for a longer exercise here and try to go deep. Let’s try a Stream of Consciousness writing, which I call SOC for short:

Where does your mind wander? Take ten minutes more to answer that question. Set a timer and have it go off when ten minutes are up. Write a list, or in whatever format you would like. Keep writing. Don’t stop. Keep writing. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind. Be thorough. If you can’t think of something to write, then write the question: Where does my mind wander? Make sure to not stop writing for more than two seconds. Keep writing. As silly as your answer might be, get it down on the page.

SOC: STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WRITING AND COLOSSIANS 3:2

Now, do a SOC about Colossians 3:2. Take ten minutes to do so.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

What do you need to stop in your life, regarding Colossians 3 and your prayer journaling?

What do you need to do more of in your life, according to Colossians 3?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

MEMORY VERSES

Don’t forget your yearly Bible verse or your memory verses. Pray them back to God at this time, whether by memory or by looking at them. They are: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; 1 Samuel 2:1; Colossians 3:23-24; Ephesians 5:1-2. 

Day 23: Colossians 3 and Worldly Versus Godly Living, Part 2

Yesterday, we started to look at Colossians 3 and how it helps us live, and how not to, in the next year. Today, is part two of reading this chapter and opening ourselves up to God and what He has to say through this chapter.

So, go ahead and re-read this at this time:

Colossians 3 NLT

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

MEMORY VERSES

Don’t forget your yearly Bible verse or your memory verses. Pray them back to God at this time, whether by memory or by looking at them. They are: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; 1 Samuel 2:1; Colossians 3:23-24; Ephesians 5:1-2. 

Day 22: Colossians 3 and Worldly Versus Godly Living, Part 1

How is it best to live this next year? That’s the question we are addressing in this 40 Day Devotional Bible Study. How do we color each moment of our lives (think of the parable in Day 1)?

One way is to address how we live the things of this world, our temptations, and our sins.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

1 How do you live of this world and not of godly things?

2 What are your temptations?

3 What is the thorn in your flesh? Or thorns? (You know… The things you keep repeating over and over and don’t meant to do so, but it happens, so you have to try again.)

4 How have you sinned this week?

5 How have you sinned today?

Let’s take a look at Colossians 3. We will take a look at this chapter for the rest of this week. Let’s do a read-through today and prayer journal anything that comes to mind.

Colossians 3 HCSB

1 So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. 4 When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 14 Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

18 Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them.

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so they won’t become discouraged.

22 Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.

23 Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.

-- HCSB: Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

1 Prayer journal anything that comes to mind.

2 What are the key verses or the ones that jump out most at you? Identify all of them.

3 List why each of the verses you listed in #2 jumped out at you.

4 What is a verse from this chapter you want to focus on today—morning, noon, and night?

MEMORY VERSES

Don’t forget your yearly Bible verse or your memory verses. Pray them back to God at this time, whether by memory or by looking at them. They are: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; 1 Samuel 2:1; Colossians 3:23-24; Ephesians 5:1-2. 

Day 21: A Review Day

TIME

I will be honest and upfront here. A Review Day is best spent all day and night long. It’s best as a retreat where we can spend as much time as possible in the review, so we can savor it fully.

I’ll confess. I’ve been known to spend more than one day on a Review Day. In fact, more often than not, I devote several days (two days to seven days) in order to do the best review. If you are doing this on your own, you might consider doing the same. After all, no one ever said you have to finish this in 40 days. The only concrete must, and requirement for this Devotional Bible Study, is to do this study every single day for forty days at the minimum.

But, do what you can today and in the future. It’s okay to return to all of this after you finish Day 40 and do more of a review at that time and as time allows. Also, review this study, and your prayer journal of it, every year or more. Again, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

RE-READ DAY 1.

Re-read Day 1 and the parable. Prayer journal anything that comes to mind. Then, in your prayer journal, answer this: How am I coloring each moment and each day of my life? How have I colored each day over the last week? Then, write day 8, day 9, etc. and say how you’ve colored that day. Was it a dark one? An invisible one? Bright? Full of experiences and memories, so really bright and colorful, regardless of whether the moments were good ones or bad?

RE-READ REVIEW DAY 7’S REVIEW AND PRAYER JOURNALING

Then, re-read your Review Day Prayer Journaling, and I mean all of it, you did for your Day 7’s review.

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read day 7 review and prayer journaling both:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each word, sentence, paragraph, page, AND day that jumps out at you from your day 7 text and your prayer journaling from day 7.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

RE-READ REVIEW DAY 14’S REVIEW AND PRAYER JOURNALING

Then, re-read your Review Day Prayer Journaling, and I mean all of it, you did for Day 14’s review.

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read day 7 review and prayer journaling both:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each word, sentence, paragraph, page, AND day that jumps out at you from your day 7 text and your prayer journaling from day 7.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

RE-READ DAYS 15-20.

Re-read Days 15-20 and as you do, prayer journal about anything that jumps out at you, even in you prayer journaled about it before. What you write this time will be different than what you wrote last time, even if you write down something again. (The key is to notice those differences when you re-read your prayer journal.)

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read days 15-20:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each word, sentence, paragraph, page, AND day that jumps out at you from your daily readings.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

RE-READ YOUR PRAYER JOURNAL DAYS 15-20

Re-read everything in your prayer journal, including things you wrote today. And, as you do prayer journal about anything that jumps out at you. As you do, prayer journal all of the questions below for everything you write in your prayer journal:

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each word, sentence, paragraph, page, AND day that jumps out at you from your prayer journal.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

BIBLE VERSES

What are the top seven Bible verses that spoke to you the most this week? Write them, word for word, in your payer journal and answer the following:

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each of the seven verses.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

MEMORY VERSES

Practice your memory verses and prayer journal about them. What is God saying through them? What can you apply to your life and how? What are you saying to God?

SUMMARY

Now, write a summary for everything you’ve prayer journaled today. The longer a summary you write, the better. After all, once again, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.

PRAYER

Write out a prayer to God about the last six days, plus today. Make it a lengthy prayer. Pour out your heart to Him. Then, listen to Him for an hour or more after you finish saying your prayer.

Make sure to prayer journal all of this. Prayer journal your prayer and everything He says to you. 

Day 20: Selah

SELAH. PAUSE.

Selah. Pause.

Do not press forward for a moment.

Savor the moment instead.

Listen to God and stop speaking.

Pause. Rest.

Do this all day long. Focus on listening to God and being with God.

A good practice is to do this once a week. This is what a Sabbath is, after all. So, rest in Him and in the Word.