Yesterday we put a date on the calendar and marked out a place for our time of private worship. Today, we are going to start planning what you are going to do in your time of private worship.
Now, I don't want to describe exactly what you should do, that would ruin all the creative fun and personalization that you will need to bring into this time to make it work. Remember this is all about cultivating your inner life with God and allowing him to form you.
The first thing to do is to quiet your mind. This is usually easier said than done. You've crafted an environment of external silence, you need to work to bring internal silence to your thoughts. Your thoughts will likely stray to what you have to do, what happened during the day or some cool tweet you read that day. That's ok, just do your best to bring those thoughts back to God.
I find it helpful to take a few deep breaths and focus on my breathing for a couple of minutes.
Then focus on God's presence with you. Know he is with you, however you want to imagine that. Abide in him. Thank him for his presence with you in the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 42:1-2 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A MASKIL OF THE SONS OF KORAH. 1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?