Windows of the Soul
Prayerful Arrival and Servant Response

3. Prayerful Arrival

Following our journey, now is the time to engage with Step 3 of the pilgrimage, the Prayerful Arrival.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, Romans 12.2

This is the time when your reflections during the journey become formulated into definite thoughts and prayers. Draw conclusions from your experiences and reflections, forming new ideas or modifying existing concepts. Then take all this to God in prayer as you dwell and rest in his presence.

Review the pilgrim journey

  • Speak to God about your recent journey, exploring with Him the insights, emotions and encounters that you had along the way.

  • Give thanks for the moments that went well and for gifts and blessings received.

  • Recognise and acknowledge frustrations and difficulties.

Repenting - recognise the thoughts that may have led you astray

  • Ask for forgiveness and healing, for any mistakes or failures

  • Ask for healing of any harm that might have been done by accident

  • Ask for wisdom to discern how you might better handle such moments in the future

Responding to the Holy Spirit

  • On the basis of what has come to your mind so far, ask for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom on how you should pray as you move forward.

Requesting in prayer

  • Following on from your reflections, make your petitions known to God about the areas where things could potentially change.

Resting in God

  • Sanctuary - Dwell and rest in the presence of God

  • Reflection - Meditate on what it means to be completely open to God

  • Adoration - Give God your devotion and reverence

4. Servant Response

Love one another, John 13.34

Prompted by your reflections and conclusions from your journey, reflect on the practical application of what you have learnt from your pilgrimage through the Scriptures.

Commit to appropriate areas of service in God’s Kingdom.

For any pilgrimage, this stage of return is vital. To a large extent your journey has been about receiving, for example, the experiences you have had together with the insights God may have been given. Now is the opportunity to see what you can give back.

You have been breathing in, now is the time to breathe out.

Resolve to have a servant heart

Pray for the spiritual strength to live your life in a way that is worthy of the distinctive calling upon it.

  • Decide how you will respond to the insights received during your pilgrimage. Perhaps a challenge to a new area of service, or perhaps a change of practice arising from some new understanding of Scripture.

  • Review your resources, gifting and other responsibilities.

  • Discern if there is something specific to do.

  • Plan to put into practice any new area of service to which you think God is calling you.

  • Be prepared to reconfigure your life in line with some new spiritual insight that you have received.

It may be useful to discuss your promptings with other people. This can be particularly helpful to test the legitimacy of what you have been hearing.

Be prepared to hear the call to further journeys, and remember, don't worry if it takes a while to get any sense of where you might be led to next. The important thing is to follow God’s timetable.

Lord God, I pray that you will give me the wisdom and courage to enter into all that has been shown to me.

I pray for blessing, through the transformation that meditation on your Word has awakened.

Shine your light in me, through me and over me.

May I make a difference in this world, for your glory and purposes.

Set your way before me.

May I reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your presence and healing.