Mary Jahnke
Admitting this makes me cringe: too often, I gallop through my Bible reading as if it’s another thing to mark off my to-do list. It’s better than not reading the Bible at all, but I’m missing out on so much as I rush by. To help with that, I tried Sara Hagerty’s Adoration Workflow in Logos 10.
The passage I chose? Luke 2:1–14.
The result? The good kind of tears. I’ll share one reason why, but first let’s take a look at the workflow.
If you already have Logos 10 Starter or above, go ahead and open it in the web app or desktop app. To do that, navigate to the Guides menu, then scroll down to select Sara Hagerty’s Adoration Workflow.
You’ll see this description:
This workflow is more devotional than studious in nature—it guides you through the practice of adoration—talking to God through his Word.
We designed this to be used in short snippets, stolen away with the Father (think: five minutes here, three minutes there), but also for extended stretches of respite and retreat with him.
Each step is intended to enable you to explore God’s character and consider it through your own current moment, as an honest revealer of your heart. This may feel awkward and untimely—this type of conversation with God can be at first. But if you can stay in it through the awkwardness and sense of inconvenience, adoration can become the catalyst to greater intimacy and connectedness with God.
From there, enter a Bible reference in the search bar and select a result from the list.
The workflow will then take you through six steps. I’ll include each step and its instructions below, but it’s even better if you follow along in Logos and note your thoughts in the provided boxes. Since your workflows are always saved, you can share them or come back in future years to contemplate your thoughts.
Tip: You’ll likely want to turn off Factbook visual filter underlines while you complete this workflow so you can focus on adoration. It only takes a second, and you can turn them back on just as quickly.
1. Read the passage
For this exercise, we recommend focusing on a verse or two instead of a longer passage. Enter it above and read the passage slowly.
2. Look at God
Identify one to two key themes the passage tells you about God’s character or nature. Type those characteristics out in your own words or say them aloud. Sit for a minute with this idea of who God is or what you notice about his nature.
3. Examine your heart
Allow your mind to perceive how your heart responds to this characteristic. Notice where you are in your day or your life as it relates to this characteristic of God. Let this time with the passage be interactive—his Word and your current moment. In doing so, type or name the emotions that you’re feeling. (Be honest with yourself and before God. The raw emotions that surface are the ones he wants to hold and to help.)
4. Talk to God
Approach God as a child, honestly and (as best as you can) without shame. (He saw this moment and what you are feeling before you did.) Tell him what you’ve read about his character and how you feel about it. Don’t hold back. It may be helpful to consider the following: Have you experienced this side of God? If so, how? If you haven’t experienced this characteristic of God (or aren’t experiencing it now), how does that make you feel? Allow your heart to come into contact with your God and his Word. This nexus is where his Word can reach us. Add your observations below.
5. Re-evaluate your heart
Continue to pay attention and gather data from what you observe about your heart in light of this passage. Give yourself permission to come to terms with what God’s Word has unearthed inside of you and be honest about what you’re feeling. In adoration, there is no shame in feeling the emotions God created and can powerfully change. Rather, adoration is where your raw heart meets his Word and has a chance to be moved. Take the time to write down what is being put on your heart.
6. Adore God through the passage with an attentive heart
Using the passage you read, adore God for who he is while also acknowledging your heart: “God, even though I feel ___ , I adore you for being ___ .” Sometimes it’s helpful to do this slowly, aware of the feelings you are bringing into this moment with God. Should you choose to linger by looking at the whole passage: as you read, pray through the verse emphasized in the first instance in the passage where you see a side of God’s character and his nature.
Read the passage again, but emphasize the second word of the passage that displays an element of his nature. Do this until you’ve read the passage with an emphasis on each word of the passage that illustrates a side of him—all the while acknowledging that your heart may not feel or experience these sides of him, despite their truth. This is a toggling of sorts between his Word and where you are at this moment. See this as an opportunity to let your heart know what is true while not cutting off your emotions. Linger in his presence, telling him who he is from a section of the passage (a word or phase) or its entirety, adoring him for it, and allowing him time and space to minister to the vulnerable places of your heart.
***
You can repeat this workflow as many times as you like with any passage you’d like, or rotate it with other workflows in Logos. (Even the free version has workflows options.) Here are just a few new to Logos 10:
- Haddon Robinson’s Ten Stages for Preparing Expository Sermons Workflow in Logos 10 Gold and above or the Full Feature Upgrade
- Brian Rosner’s Regular Reading Routine Workflow in Logos 10 Silver packages or Silver Feature Upgrade
- Ralph West’s Weaving the Textual Web Workflow in Logos 10 Silver or Silver Feature Upgrade
If you haven’t gotten Logos 10 yet, you can answer a few questions to see which option would be best for you.
***
Remember I said I’d mention one thing that brought me to grateful tears while completing this workflow? I won’t leave you hanging. Here it is: “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not.’” I’ve read that so many times and sometimes have stopped to reflect, but it stood out afresh, big and bold.
Even though this is an angel speaking and not God himself, it made me think about how God doesn’t want us to live in fear—about all the passages where a variation of “Fear not” appears throughout the Bible.
This is one of my favorites:
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.—Isaiah 41:10
Other gods of literature and imagination either couldn’t care less that people are afraid, or they want people to be afraid. They revel in the power, the feeling of superiority. But our God is like no other god. He loves us unceasingly and has no need to feel powerful because he IS power. This is the God who died for us.
O come, let us adore him.
Mark Ward
Mitch Chase
Elyse Fitzpatrick
Blake Adams