When I was growing up I had a friend who would talk a lot. We used to say that he only talked when he was inhaling and when he was exahaling. I am sad to say that sometimes my prayers can sound a lot like my friend.
It is easy to make a list of people to pray for and things to pray about. When I pray, I just dive right in. Sometimes the things on my prayer list compel me to make sure God is aware of what I want. And I do all I can to make sure I don’t miss an item on my list. Today, that is how my prayer time began.
“God, would you let me see others like you see them. Would you show your love to others through me. Would you heal my friend. Would you give supernatural opportunities to my kids today. Would you…” (deep breath)
That is when it happened. God told me, “Stop!”
This short breath was just long enough for me to hear the Spirit of God telling me to stop, and remember what I have been focusing on this year:
Seek First the Kingdom
God brought me directly to Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6, which I have already written about this year (I doubt this will be the last). Let’s recap the prayer Jesus teaches:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be holy.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
I needed to stop and remeember a simple lesson from Jesus.
Before asking anything in prayer, turn your focus to God and remember that God is holy. Then, let your first ask to God be, “Your Kingdom come, and Your will be done!”
So today, and this week, I encourage you to slow down in your prayer time.
Below are three steps to take when you have a long prayer list:
First – Take advice from Jesus!
- Start with God (not yourself)
- Place your focus on the Kingdom of God (not this earth)
- Accept God’s will (not your own)
- Lean on God’s provision (not your own)
- Accept God’s forgiveness (and forgive others)
- Ask for God’s leading and deliverance (and align your desires with that)
Second – Pray with other people!
An important, and often overlooked word in Jesus’ prayer is “us”. You may have noticed it is underlined in the passage above. It makes me think this prayer is designed to be prayed with other people. This prayer really covers every area of our lives. Everyone in the group can agree with it.
Clearly, some prayers are meant to be private. Some items are really between you and God. The point is, whenever possible, pray with other people. We all need it.
Finally – Take time to listen!
It is so easy to pray our list and run along with our day. Believe it or not, God has things for you too. You might be surprised what God is trying to say to you!
Listen, you’ll see.
Love and Blessin’s,
