Retreat Plan
This half-day retreat consists of four sections: Reflecting, Listening, Responding, and Resting. In each section, you will do a short transition activity and choose one main activity. Make sure that you include sufficient opportunities for breaks and rest. You do not need to finish all 4 sections in the allotted time – feel free to adjust the plan according to your needs.
If you have never done any of our retreats before, you may find it helpful to read the post Key Attitudes before you start.
Reflecting
The goal of this first section is to slow down and get in touch with how you are really doing. What is on your mind and heart? What is going on in your life? As you process on how you are doing and your life situation, bring these honestly to God and entrust them to him.
Transition Activity
Opening Prayer– Pray through one of the following:
“Spiritus Sanctus”
“A Prayer of Trust and Surrender”
Main Activity (choose 1)
My Life Backpack – This is a more in-depth reflection activity that helps you think through what is currently going on in your life and how you feel about it. The strength of this activity is in helping you visualize your life through the metaphor of a backpack.
Personal Reflection Questions – This activity consists of a few questions that help you think through what is at the forefront of your mind and heart right now, and bring these to God in prayer. Because it is a less detailed reflection, you may find that you can repeat this activity more often from one spiritual retreat to the next.
Listening
After a time of reflection, our next emphasis is to dwell deeply on the Word of God – one of our biggest needs is for him to speak into our lives as we bring them honestly before him.
Transition Activity
Ideas for Rest (optional) – Take a short break before starting the next main activity. As the previous section was very focused on journaling and reflection, you may find it helpful to get outside or do something a little more active.
Main Activity (choose 1)
Sitting with the Word – This activity works well for almost any short passage of Scripture. Take your time and don’t rush as you work through the steps of this Scripture meditation.
Walking with the Word – This is my personal favorite of the meditation activities and works well for passages that you can meditate on line-by-line or phrase-by-phrase. As it is active by nature, you may find it a fruitful way to add some variety to your time of retreat, while still engaging deeply with God.
Journaling with the Word – For those who appreciate interacting with God’s Word in a more visual or concrete way, this activity can be very helpful. The journaling in this activity is not focused on analyzing the text, but a written prayer – interacting with how God and his Word connects with your mind, heart, and life.
Possible Scriptures for Meditation:
- Isaiah 30:15-18 – In returning to me and resting in me you will be saved
- Micah 6:6-8 – What does the Lord require of you?
- Luke 12: 22-31 – Do not be anxious about your life
- 1 Peter 1:3-9 – A living hope
- Psalm 62:5-8 – For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence
- Jeremiah 17:5-8 – Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord
- Mark 4:35-41 – Jesus stilling the storm
Responding
What is your heart response as you think about your life situation and dwell on God’s Word? Use one of the activities in this section to respond to God in prayer.
Transition Activity
Ideas for Rest (optional) – Take a short break before starting the next main activity.
Main Activity (choose 1)
Prayers in Scripture or Praying the Psalms – Both of these activities use the prayers of God’s people in Scripture as a template for expressing our own hearts back to God in prayer. Either activity can be done seated or walking; it can be an internal prayer, out-loud prayer, or journaled prayer. If you do not normally pray out loud or journal your prayers, we encourage you to try one of these possibilities, as they can be very helpful.
Creative Response – This activity provides several options for responding to God in prayer creativity or artistically. Responding and praying in these ways often helps us engage our minds and hearts with God more fully. Don’t worry, several different options are given in this activity that are suitable for anyone – independent of artistic ability.
Resting
With your remaining time, rest in God and continue engaging with him in whatever ways seem most helpful to you. Several possibilities are given below. Feel free to do as many or as few of them as you would like.
Main Activities (choose any)
Go for a walk – You can spend this time looking at the beautiful things God has made, talking to God about what’s on your heart and mind, or simply resting your heart in Jesus, knowing that he goes with you as you walk.
Praise – Sing a few songs to express something that is on your heart and mind.
Read a devotional chapter – Several possibilities are provided below, or choose a chapter from a book that helps you look to the greatness, goodness, and beauty of God.
- Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund – Chapter 17, “His Ways Are Not Our Ways”
- The Life of Trust by George Müller – May 7, 1841, on meditating on the Word of God
- “The Exchanged Life” – a letter by Hudson Taylor to his sister
- Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray – Chapter 2, “You Will Find Rest for Your Souls”
Being Present – This activity is a simple exercise in slowing down and practicing being present with the God who is always with us, and being present with what is going on around us.
Prayers of the Saints – Use the prayers of those who have gone before us to help prompt and inspire prayer.
Be Still and Know – Rest in the power and love of God through a short time of stillness and silence.
Journal – Write about your experience of getting alone with God. Is there something specific that you want to hold onto? Is there something that you want to say to your Father?
Rest – Find a comfortable place to sit and rest.
Closing Activity
Close your time with God in prayer and a moment of restful stillness.