Change me Lord

If God is all knowing and sees what lies ahead and the choices we will make than why pray; can we change God's mind?   When we have been praying for a long time about a particular situation and/or relationship without seeing results we might begin to ask the same question. Sometimes the things we are praying for might not be healthy for us and we need to trust that God's no or silence is in itself our answer. Or, maybe God has answered and we failed to recognize it?

I believe that prayer is the pathway to all change as we learn to see ourselves, others and our world through God's eyes. Prayer is not a means to an end, but it is making time for God to love us and His love changes our hearts. When we grow in relationship with God through prayer we come to recognize His voice and trust in his will.

Our time with God in prayer provides an opportunity for us to get in touch with our own feelings and emotions that may be preventing us from seeing correctly the relationships and situations we are praying about. Prayer provides the power to face fear and to overcome our weaknesses and insecurities. When we pray God's  grace fills us with light so that we can see with His eyes how to pray for others, as well as for our own intentions.

Prayer changes hearts!  We love what He loves, we desire what He desires and we long to please Him in all that we say and do.

Therefore, I pray 'Change me Lord'!

Pray....oritize your Day

I facilitate a monthly moms' group where mothers come together to pray, share and encourage each other. The women share their concerns, joys, sorrows and ideas on how to pray with and for their children. At one particular gathering I came to coin a new word; pray...oritize!  The theme of the evening was how to prioritize the day in order to deal with the many activities and demands of family life. The consensus among the women was  'to do lists' and 'calendars' did not help to reduce daily anxiety and stress.  

Planning your day reduces stress and helps you respond, rather than react to daily situations and surprises.  Learning how to prioritize matters of importance will help you focus and reduce the  'what do I do next'  thoughts!  But, before we begin to prioritize the day we need to 'pray...oritize' it! When we put God first and take the time to pray we are able to set realistic goals for ourselves and our families. 

If we pray...oritize our day we allow God to lead us and direct our steps according to His will and plan. For He sees ahead and understand what is best for us and our families. When we pray we grow to trust and love the God who created our day. Prayer nourishes our spirits as food nourishes our bodies. When we rank prayer as the first priority of the day (even if for only 5 minutes) we will not be disappointed. God will provide all that we need to meet the challenges and the peace to accept what we can do and to let go of what we can't.   

Daily prayer is as vital to living life well as food is to maintaining a healthy body.  Many of us might say, "I have no time to pray" and I would agree that for many this is true. But, we can make choices and we can choose to take time daily for prayer and when you do the whole family benefits.   In my own personal experience I have discovered the problem was not enough time in a day, rather it was about my priorities.

You might be surprised how much you can accomplish in a day when you take the time to pray...oritize !   

Lord, teach us to pray

When I first began to assimilate prayer into my daily life I went to the nearest bookstore to purchase a book on ‘how to pray’. I wanted to know exactly how to pray and how to pray correctly!  The bookshelves were filled with books written by people sharing their experiences and knowledge on ‘best pray practices! There were so many different ideas, styles and methods I wondered…. could praying be so complicated how will I ever know which one is best?  

Years have passed since my experience in the bookstore and I have learned to exercise some of the styles and methods of prayer that has helped to enhance my success at praying. In addition, I have come to realize that prayer is not a complex set of rules that must be followed precisely.  Rather, it is a simple conversation with my God whom I have come to know and love through our time together.

Prayer is not a means to an end, but it is an encounter between two people who love one another. Think for a moment how this definition of prayer might change the way you pray? We approach prayer as we are not as we hope to be. We need to spend time with someone in order for the relationship to grow. So too, as we take time out of our busy days for pray we will get to know the God who desires nothing more than to be with us! 

Lord, teach us to pray! We begin prayer by acknowledging that God is God and we are not. It is His kingdom that we serve and not the world’s and it is His will that must be done and not ours. He will supply all our needs and will forgive us our sins as we forgive others who have offended us. When we are weak He will make us strong and He will strengthen us through the power of His Holy Spirit. 

In the end, I have discovered there are no right or wrong ways to pray. Thomas Keating reminds us, “The only way you can fail at prayer is not to show up”! Therefore, ask the Holy Spirit to increase in you a desire to pray and make an effort each day to show up and spend some time with God to listen, respond and grow in your love for HIM!

Lord, teach us to pray!