Examine Your Soul
Tuesdays are an important day of fasting and prayer. We invite every disciple-making and microchurch leader to intentionally take time this day of the week to abstain from normal habits and behaviors (fasting in some specific way) and move more intentionally to prayer.
Often, our prayer guides are highly directed. We suggest you read a certain passage of Scripture, contemplate or consider a certain idea, and then pray toward that idea. In this way, we’re taking our collective voice and focusing it like a laser beam.
Today, we’d like to offer you an exercise to examine your soul and express your heart to Jesus creatively. Take a couple of minutes now and sit in silence. Ask Jesus to help you become vulnerable before him so you can fully share your heart with him. When you have done so, proceed to the next question.
If you’re a creative person, this might be fun for you. If you’re more analytical, do your best to lean into a creative posture.
If you were to be honest with yourself and with Jesus about the current condition of your own soul, what is one word that would describe you? Try to narrow this down to one descriptive word encompassing how you feel about your soul and write that into a short sentence.
This word might be a season. You might say, “My soul is in springtime.” Or you might say, “My soul is in winter.” This word might be a color. “My soul feels red.” Or you might say, “My soul feels green.” It might be something like, “My soul feels like a raucous party.” Or you might say, “My soul is serene.”
Now that you have your sentence, take a few moments to write down as many ideas about why that word best de- scribes you. Are there circumstances that have led you to this feeling? Are there things outside of your control that led to that descriptive phrase? Are there barriers in your spiritual journey? Are you discovering freedom from some- thing? Write as much as the Spirit would reveal to you.
Take a few minutes to read these short passages from Psalms:
“My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods; with joyful lips, my mouth will praise You.”
Psalm 63:5“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.”
Psalm 119:28“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music.”
Psalm 57:7
Consider, in different seasons, David would describe his heart or soul differently. From an awareness of his state of being, he communicated with His Father. From an understanding of what was going on around him, David communicated the state of his heart and soul. You might take a few moments now to read the surrounding verses. For instance, in Psalm 57, David describes how his enemies were trying to hurt him. He was able to declare, even in the midst of trial, “My heart is steadfast.”
Take some time now to look back at the word that describes your soul. Spend some time considering the circumstances. How would you begin to write some words from a prayerful posture in response?
Is there something you need Jesus to do for you? Is there a blessing for which you are longing? Are you crying out for God to awaken your soul because you are in a season of weariness or drought? If you need some inspiration, again, look to David’s words in the Psalms.
Use your prayer time to write your own Psalm to the Lord. Before you finish, ask the Holy Spirit to highlight someone whom you should share this with today.