Last time, you read a chapter from my book Love Letters to God, which had the same title. Perhaps you wrote your first love letter to the Lover of your soul. I want to continue this train of thought, considering prayer-journaling as a deeply spiritual, honest, and intimate connection with God. God is always with you, as near as your heartbeat, as close as your breath. But because He is invisible, He can seem unapproachable. By putting pen to paper, in a metaphoric sense, you reach out and touch the heart of God. As author Michelle Lovric expressed, “In the absence of eyes to tell and feed upon, . . . words are all we have to say: ‘I love you this much!’” Words are important to God. He has written of His love for you in the Bible. And He has given you the gift of language with which to communicate the longings of your soul to Him. God treasures your soul because it is stamped through and through with His own divine image. He has embossed your heart with His acceptance, and now He invites you to imprint His heart with your own written words.
Throughout our journaling journey together, I’ll often use writing prompts to facilitate your writing and thinking. Why not grab your journal and explore on paper your responses to the following questions.
1. How do you, personally, define intimacy? Do you long to experience intimacy with others, or do you avoid it? Please explain.
2. Describe your relationship with God. Is it intimate or not? Do you long for intimacy with God or do you avoid it? Please explain.
3. What do you think that John Donne meant my his statement: “Letters mingle souls”? Why do you think he particularly mentions letters? Do you agree with his statement? Why or why not?
4. In my book, I observe, “True love expresses all emotions, and true love—God’s true love for you—accepts them.” Keeping this in mind, how might you “re-define” what we typically describe as a love letter?
5. Describe actual love letters or letters of admiration that you have written. Generally, what emotions or sentiments did you express? In what ways did you feel closer to the one to whom you wrote?
6. How did you feel when you bared your soul?…empowered?…vulnerable?…joyful?… intimidated? (Please note: When we write love letters to others, it is natural sometimes to feel vulnerable; there is always a possibility of rejection. It is possible to project that same sense of intimidation when writing a love letter to God. However, it is important to remember that God loves you unconditionally and will never reject you. He treasures all you say to Him).
7. Describe how it makes you feel to receive a love letter or letter of admiration. What kinds of emotions surface as you read it? How does it make you feel towards the person who wrote the letter?
8. What significance does a letter hold for you? What is the value of a letter, which preserves the sender’s sentiments so you can read them again at any time?
9. If you have never received such a letter, how does that make you feel? What sentiments do you long for someone to write to you?
10. In reality, we all have received a remarkable love letter from the Lover of our soul. Have you ever considered that the Bible is really God’s “love letter” to you? How could thinking of it in this way affect how you think about God? … about what you think He feels about you? What does it mean to you that a perfect God loves you unconditionally, despite your imperfection and sinfulness?
11. How do you react to thinking of God as the “Lover of your soul”? Do you welcome this description, or does it make you uneasy? Please explain.
12. Write a brief bullet-point “love-line” representing your relationship with God. Include dates, if you remember them. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
a. Describe the first time you actually understood how much God loved you. What emotions and realizations surfaced?
b. Write about the first time you knew you really loved God. What did it feel like to have a passion for Him? How did you spend time with Him? What things did you tell Him?
c. Describe important milestones in your relationship with God. What are the significant events and memories that have deepened your love for Him over the years? What were the times of difficulty or sorrow which drew you closer to Him?
After exploring these ideas in your journal, some time today, writer another love letter to God. I’m going to include an example to prompt your heart.
Dear God,
As I embark upon this intimate journey-of-my-heart, a journey that will touch your heart, I am excited and apprehensive all at once! It is exhilarating to realize that I can truly know You and communicate with You—You, the creator of the universe—in an intimate way. Lord, I admit to you that I don’t always know the way. I’m launching upon an adventure headed for the interior landscapes of my heart, places I may never have explored before—even places I may not want to go. But to think that You love me enough to journey with me is all that matters. With You as my traveling companion and my guide, my only ultimate destination can be joy! So let’s get started. I love You, Lord!
