prayer

 

everyone has their own way of praying. I often ask myself, is there a right or wrong way to pray? I don't believe so. I think praying at all vs. not is better than nothing!

until a couple years ago, I never actually thought about HOW I prayed. I just patted myself on the back for praying at all. NOT the right attitude. so, during one of our Sunday school classes we had a long discussion about HOW to pray.

now, hear me out. I am not trying to change anyone's prayer routines (because I know it is a very personal subject), I just thought I would share my own thoughts and where it has brought me :)

I'm going to start by honestly admitting that majority of my prayers prior to this discussion consisted of "please let me get this" or "just get me through this"  or "if you just give me this, I promise to..." not too short of quick demands...from God. (as if He deserves that). After we discussed the method of praying, I was quite intimidated. however, this little reminder helped me not get overwhelmed about how much/how many people I had to pray for but instead, made my prayers more fulfilling overall.


...back to the Sunday school class.

they presented us with this method that I TRY to keep in mind when praying. it goes like this:

~CHAT~

C- Confess-confess your sins FIRST, so that your heart is clean and pure before you pray. VERY refreshing.
H- Honor- simply...Honor Him. Obey Him, trust Him, involve Him in every aspect of your life. From the little piddly things to the REALLY big ones. He wants to be a part of it all!
A- Ask- ahhh, i'm pretty good at this one! i tend to ask, ask, ask. (mainly petty things). BUT instead, Ask Him for the desires of your heart, and hopefully those desires align with His that He has for your life (I pray for this often...that my own desires are the same as His or pray for Him to change my heart so that they do align.)
T- Thank- thank Him for who He IS, not JUST what he has DONE for YOU. let's not make it all about US. much easier said than done, i realize, but it's worth a try!
side note: **GREAT advice from great-grandmother ('Mamaw')- SELF is a crummy subject!!**
agreed. now, that's a WHOLE another subject. but something to think about.

try this out during your own prayer time and see how it goes! when I am going through something difficult (or what I consider difficult) my mom always sweetly reminds me...Go to the THRONE, not the PHONE! calling all your closest friends/family during a time of trial is not always the best solution. try "chatting" (praying) with God instead and see how peaceful you feel as a result. wonderful advice mom :)

maybe this little reminder will help your "chats" with God become more meaningful! let me know how it goes, good luck!

Scripture of the day:

To stick to the promised theme, I believe praying gives us HOPE. one of my favorite scriptures:  'Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my HOPE comes from him.' Psalm 62:5 

AND...    

'Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my HOPE is in you all day long.' Psalm 25:4-5

what better way to gain HOPE than through prayer to God?? 

happy monday!