Our days are typically filled with the demands of life crying for our attention. That's why we need to plan personal retreat time to be with the Lord — four, eight, or 12 hours with nothing on our agenda except to bask in his love, thank and worship him, listen to him, intercede for others, lay our life and activities before him, and let him direct us.

In James 4:8, we read, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." He is waiting for you to slow down enough to listen to him attentively, so that your life will remain aligned with his purposes.

During your spiritual retreat day, don't rush.The objective is to spend relaxed, uninterrupted time with God, not to go through a planned format. The suggestions below are mere guidelines. Invite the Holy Spirit to be your guide throughout this day.

Preparation

Thanksgiving

Begin with thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4 invtes us to "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise."

Take time to list what God has done for you. Be specific. Think through every area of your life and recall his goodness to you.

Confession

Ask God to search your heart: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139: 23-24).

Praise

Become still before the Lord: "He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'” (Psalm 46:10).

Intercession

Pray your way around the world with unhurried, detailed intercession for others. Ask God to reveal the world to you from his point of view as you read Psalm 33.

Personal Evaluation

"The greatest answer to prayer is that I am brought into a perfect understanding with God, and that alters my view of actual things." — Oswald Chambers

Concluding Your Day With God