“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

(Ephesians 3:17-19, ESV)

I remember sitting in his hospital room, alarms beeping every so often, nurses popping in and out, and the sun shining through the windows. It was all so still, yet it felt unsteady. His tiny almost 2-pound body connected to so many things, yet he looked so peaceful considering all the pain his body was enduring. At this point, we were only a few weeks into this very long NICU stay, and right then it hit me, even if this is going to be the rollercoaster of the ride that they all are telling us it's going to be, we had to stay rooted, grounded in Christ — He was going to be the only one that would carry us through this.

What started out as words on a page, quickly grew to pages and pages. A sense of oneness with Christ was being brought to life. I noticed it was the place I began to start and end my days. At first, I found myself just writing out all the details of our days together, the good news, the bad, the hard things they had to tell us about his health and diagnosis. I knew God could handle it and I felt as though He was right there next to me as I poured it all out to Him. He was there processing it with me so that I could press into it all the more steadily.

I had to write it out. These words turned into prayers. He showed me that as I constantly used my faith, He faithfully resided in me. Writing out my prayers gave me a tangible and visual reminder that He is always present, that I can fully live in His presence, and that He would always be my source to receive.

The more we practice something, the more we live in the rhythm of whatever habit we initiate, the closer alignment it gets to becoming a part of who we are. So there I was, empowered to experience the magnitude of His love for myself, my husband and my son who was fighting for His life.

When we write it out, we get into the motions of writing to God: to pour out, process and press into. We build an intimate relationship with our Savior, and in that, we experience who He is. He reminds us that when He might feel far away, He has in fact never left our side. Writing out our prayers gives Jesus the constant space in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, that are His to inhabit.

Writing out our prayers builds upon the foundation of our relationship with Christ, creating a deeper relationship with Him. He is who we run to, who we pour our thoughts on, sitting in His presence, and resting in the freedom and peace He faithfully gives us. His grace fully embraces us, and as we get honest with Him, it is clear that we can see and feel that our trust needs to be rooted in Him alone. He is the only one that can truly make us feel alive no matter where we are in life or what season we are in. We need a place where we can be raw and open with Him. He sees us in all places in our lives and knows our thoughts — therefore, we can quiet our minds and still our bodies as we sit in His truth. We have to fully root ourselves in what He says about us, the lives we are living, His purpose for us — trusting that He has covered us in His promises and His grace. He has created this life, the breath in our lungs, to be a reflection of Him. He never leaves us to wander in the pastures by ourselves. He will never let these roots grow in such a way that He can't use them. The roots we are creating as we connect with Him through writing out our prayers solidify a purpose for the branches and the leaves that grow, wither and regrow. When we see our lives in this light, we can see Christ. Let these prayers be a witness to the glory that God has in your life.

I want to encourage you, grab a journal and a pen — write it out. Pour it out to Him, process it with Him and press into it together. He sees you, He hears you, He is your source, He makes the way.

Write It Out