Reason #831
At any single point in the day today, I would have gladly taken a nap. I have a serious case of the sleepies, and it has been a challenge to stay awake. I don't know why, either. All I know is that, on days like today, I wish nap time was incorporated into the lunch hour.
I woke up with an anxious heart this morning. A few big scenarios were filling my mind, and I began to worry. I thought about how my day could possibly go in a million different directions. I thought about how, if any of these things were to happen, my life would be altered forever. And I thought about how devastated I would be should they come true. It's quite funny how the brain can so easily scare the wits out of you. Our imaginations need no help, or at least mine doesn't, when it comes to running wild.
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
I have been challenged to start viewing prayer differently. I've been reading a book over prayer, and it has really encouraged me to be bold and authentic in my prayers. To not try and figure out if I should or shouldn't pray about a specific thing or to give in to skepticism. Because the truth is, sometimes we fall victim to thinking that maybe it won't matter if we do or don't pray. God's going to do what God's going to do and so do our simple prayers really make a difference? It's an easy thought to give into. It's easy to think, "God probably doesn't really care all that much about this anyway. I am probably just being selfish and wasting His time." But if it's important to you, if it's on your heart and it matters to you, God wants to know it. Even if it does seem small, insignificant, unimportant, or silly. God didn't create us to live in anxiety and fear. And so when we pray about it, whatever it is, we can rest assured that even though we may not know how or when He will answer it, we'll find peace to hold us over.
I think we should take God upon His word. Trust that He really means we can ask anything of Him, present any request to Him, and He will hear us. Somewhere along the way, we've grown to believe that we can't really do that and we've become inclined to think that even if we ask, we won't get an answer. But is it really asking if you aren't expecting? If you aren't really looking for an answer, or even believing He will answer, then you aren't really asking. Because asking reflects faith. Faith that you realize you are completely out of control and you not only want His help, you need His help. Asking opens you up to receive but it's hard to receive when you doubt the delivery. And so, being a girl who has learned that God really does answer our prayers, I have been challenged to pray, expect, and intentionally look for God's answer. To actively ask, actively seek, and actively receive.
Well, my prayers were answered today. Of course, the day might have very well turned out the same way had I not prayed. But I choose to believe differently. I choose to praise God for being faithful to answer. Because what if I hadn't prayed over these concerning situations? Would they have turned out differently? Would my life have been permanently altered? Only God knows. But I do know that the moment I got it off my chest and laid it at His feet, I felt at peace.
"...mothers in the days of high infant mortality used to pray desperately that their children would not die in infancy. Modern medical techniques have put an end to those prayers in the West. Maybe. Or maybe modern medical techniques were developed in the West because young mothers in the West were praying for the lives of their children." - A Praying Life by Paul E Miller
We may never know, but what do we have to lose? Don't be anxious, don't be scared, don't be skeptical, and don't hold back. Just pray about it and God will surely take care of your requests.
#831 - Because when it comes to prayer, we have nothing to lose.
"Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" - Psalm 66:20
I woke up with an anxious heart this morning. A few big scenarios were filling my mind, and I began to worry. I thought about how my day could possibly go in a million different directions. I thought about how, if any of these things were to happen, my life would be altered forever. And I thought about how devastated I would be should they come true. It's quite funny how the brain can so easily scare the wits out of you. Our imaginations need no help, or at least mine doesn't, when it comes to running wild.
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
I have been challenged to start viewing prayer differently. I've been reading a book over prayer, and it has really encouraged me to be bold and authentic in my prayers. To not try and figure out if I should or shouldn't pray about a specific thing or to give in to skepticism. Because the truth is, sometimes we fall victim to thinking that maybe it won't matter if we do or don't pray. God's going to do what God's going to do and so do our simple prayers really make a difference? It's an easy thought to give into. It's easy to think, "God probably doesn't really care all that much about this anyway. I am probably just being selfish and wasting His time." But if it's important to you, if it's on your heart and it matters to you, God wants to know it. Even if it does seem small, insignificant, unimportant, or silly. God didn't create us to live in anxiety and fear. And so when we pray about it, whatever it is, we can rest assured that even though we may not know how or when He will answer it, we'll find peace to hold us over.
I think we should take God upon His word. Trust that He really means we can ask anything of Him, present any request to Him, and He will hear us. Somewhere along the way, we've grown to believe that we can't really do that and we've become inclined to think that even if we ask, we won't get an answer. But is it really asking if you aren't expecting? If you aren't really looking for an answer, or even believing He will answer, then you aren't really asking. Because asking reflects faith. Faith that you realize you are completely out of control and you not only want His help, you need His help. Asking opens you up to receive but it's hard to receive when you doubt the delivery. And so, being a girl who has learned that God really does answer our prayers, I have been challenged to pray, expect, and intentionally look for God's answer. To actively ask, actively seek, and actively receive.
Well, my prayers were answered today. Of course, the day might have very well turned out the same way had I not prayed. But I choose to believe differently. I choose to praise God for being faithful to answer. Because what if I hadn't prayed over these concerning situations? Would they have turned out differently? Would my life have been permanently altered? Only God knows. But I do know that the moment I got it off my chest and laid it at His feet, I felt at peace.
"...mothers in the days of high infant mortality used to pray desperately that their children would not die in infancy. Modern medical techniques have put an end to those prayers in the West. Maybe. Or maybe modern medical techniques were developed in the West because young mothers in the West were praying for the lives of their children." - A Praying Life by Paul E Miller
We may never know, but what do we have to lose? Don't be anxious, don't be scared, don't be skeptical, and don't hold back. Just pray about it and God will surely take care of your requests.
#831 - Because when it comes to prayer, we have nothing to lose.
"Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" - Psalm 66:20