Reader,

Last week, I wrote about the soul, describing it as the part "where you commune deeply with God, and he teaches you about who he is and who you are."

Every single person has this part inside them. But just because we have that part does not mean we're enjoying deep communion. When you're not connected with your soul, the path of your life becomes clouded. Real meaning and purpose elude you.

So, how do you cultivate that connection?

Jesus promised that if we draw near to him, he will speak to us (John 10:27; James 4:8). It is in your soul that God meets with you about the things you are experiencing.

Nourishing and integrating your soul involves making room for God to speak and to make himself known to you. It's one of the reasons we offer our HOLY40 program every year during Lent. The demands of day-to-day life often take up that space. Seasons of fasting offer us the chance to shed those distractions and make room to listen for God's voice.

When we were taught to pray, most of those lessons focused on what we should say. Those lessons are important. There's a reason Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer, and we do well to imitate it when we bring our requests to God.

But prayer isn't just about speaking. As the poet W. H. Auden once wrote: "The essential aspect of prayer is not what we say, but what we hear."

If we truly want God's will done on earth as it is in heaven, we must listen and discern what that looks like. That's easier said than done. How often do we enter prayer thinking we know exactly what God wills? It's why Auden suggested that "the voice that speaks to us in prayer always says something new and unexpected, and very possibly unwelcome."

This can look like God showing you how he will use your circumstances to shape you. Or he might reveal something about his character through your experiences. Whatever the case, when you engage in this type of prayer, you are making space in your soul for God’s voice.

And when God captures your attention, his voice can transform your experiences, making your life rich with vision, meaning, and purpose.

You are loved.

I'm for you.

You've got this.

Jake