Sometimes when I'm in a group and we pray, it seems like we're just bringing a shopping list of requests to our Father - things we want Him to do for us to make our lives and those we love better. "God, I know that You have blessed me with so many things, but could You take care of these other things too? Oh, that would be great!"
Personally, until very recently, I have been discouraged from personal prayer because I didn't want to come to God with just a shopping list of requests. I didn't know how to start. There are so many needs, how could I pray for them and keep God's name holy without treating Him like a cosmic vending machine? Since I had forgotten about the Lord's Model Prayer, I went for a time without much prayer at all. I wanted to pray. I knew that I needed to pray, that I should pray, but I just didn't.
So, how was this overcome? I'm still coming out of it. Having a grateful heart is definitely a great place to start. Acknowledging the character and attributes of our God while in prayer to Him helps direct us toward a humble, worshipful attitude. That's when it becomes easier to have an eternal perspective while taking requests to Him. Having reverence for God's holy presence takes the focus off of all the "make my life better" needs and then we can pray for what God told us to pray for: evangelism and conversion, wisdom and grace to endure our difficulties.
These have been my prayers of late, asking God for grace when I'm physically tired, when my children disobey, when my husband complains and when things don't go as I planned. And God has answered those prayers. When I had run out of patience, God gave me grace and strength to act with patience. When my husband complained, God gave me grace and I kept a positive attitude. When my plans must be changed or abandoned, God gave me grace to be flexible and submissive.
God really does answer prayer. Are we praying for what He wants or what we want?
2 comments:
Dear Mrs. Meggan,
Great post! You are very right. Prayers shouldn't just be requests for our own pleasure.It should be a balance of things. I usually use the suggestion of P.R.A.Y. PRAISE, REPENT,ASK, and YOURSELF. That video is funny.:D I am looking forward to tomorrow. ;)
Blessings,
~Leah
Thanks for sharing Meggan. I have struggled with the same thing. I picked up a sheet on prayer from the prayer room at church. It's a great model for prayer. Check it out.
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