Remember to slow down.
Intentionally slow down each thing you do during your time of retreat. This can help you engage more deeply with God and be more in touch with how you are really doing — the thoughts in your mind and emotions of your heart.
Let this slower pace impact every aspect of your time with God: the speed you walk, read, eat, pray, etc. This pace acknowledges a core reality — in your time with Him, God does not desire for you to accomplish much, He desires you yourself. While Jesus was intentional in everything He did, we never see Him in a hurry. Let us follow the lead of our Savior.
Fully engage heart and mind with God.
The greatest commandment is to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength — God desires all of us. Yet, this takes intentionality and practice, and it is likely that one or two of these aspects come easier for you than the others.
As we meditate on Scripture or as we pray, are we engaging our whole self? Are we pondering His Word deeply with our minds, in touch with the responses of our hearts, living out life with God with all our strength, etc.? There is great hope in this because, as we bring all of ourselves to God, He brings His transforming power to work in every aspect of our lives to bring wholeness, healing, beauty, and fruit.
Come to God in faith and hope.
Trust the work of our good Father and commit all outcomes into His hands. This attitude flows from the conviction that God is good, that He knows exactly what we need, and that He is working powerfully in the lives of His children. We do not change ourselves by our own strength. We also don’t change ourselves by having the right methodology in our devotions. Meditation, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines are not just intellectual or emotional exercises.
Let us come, looking to God to work by the power of His Spirit indwelling His children. What we need is a work of grace, and it is a work that God promises to do and delights to do as His children drawn near in hopeful, trusting obedience.
Know yourself.
What helps you engage more deeply with God? Pursue those things you have found helpful before, while also being willing to try something new. The body of Christ has great diversity in its members. While there are general patterns of how God works in His children, we should not expect our relationship with our Father to look exactly like someone else’s. Knowing yourself is vital in this journey.
For a time of prayer, is it helpful for you to sit or walk? Write or speak out loud? Is it more helpful for you to be inside or outside? Alone or with others? Know yourself and engage in ways that are helpful to you, while still being willing, at times, to try something new.
Fix your eyes on Jesus.
It is possible in our times with God to become overly introspective and focused on ourselves, or overly focused on the world and our circumstances. While introspection is needed, and discerning our response to the world is important, most of all we need eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is our Savior and it is into His image that we are being molded. However often we look at ourselves and our circumstances, let us look more often and more deeply to Jesus. He will lead us well.
Unplug.
We live in a very distracting world, and it can be difficult for us to give ourselves wholly to one pursuit without interruption. In order to spend rich time with our Father, seek to make space and remove distractions. Set aside a period of time where you can lay everything else down. Turn off your phone, computer, or any other device that might distract (or better yet, leave them at home). I often get away from home so that I am not distracted by thoughts of all the household tasks that need to be done. Make space and unplug so that you can do one thing well — communing with your God, your good Father, your Savior.