I used to feel silly praying.
{clears throat}
Dear God, it’s me. So yesterday I had a few things that were heavy on my heart…
Do you ever feel silly praying?
If Zack + I are praying together in the evening, we pray out loud as a couple. But when it’s just me + the LORD talking, it sounds a bit different. I pray quietly in my heart. It seems more intimate that way, like I can really take my time + clear every last ounce of weight on my shoulders.
…but you already knew that. You ask us to come to You with open hands, to give you the yucky stuff, to make room in our lives to receive your blessings. So this heavy on my heart thing, I felt like I was alone in the situation and it was hard. I mean, I know you were with me, but physically on Earth, I felt alone. Do you think I handled it the right way?
Sometimes when I pray I spend more time giving thanks.
Other times when I pray I ask God for things. Umm, like very specific things.
I used to feel like it was weird to ask for something specific {will God think that’s rude?}, but after I spent some time reflecting on this + seeking counsel from others I realized that doing so is such a good way for us to know if God is answering our prayers.
Does what I’ve sent to God through prayer seem to get easier? Harder? No change? Do I feel contentment?
And then there’s the question, am I being quiet enough during my prayer time to really hear God?
{pauses to let the weight of my feelings fall off my shoulders} You LORD, more than anyone else, knew I was going to feel this way. And I also know You know how this heavy on my heart thing will dissipate. And LORD, that is such a relief. I sit here before you and give you my hard heart things.
Prayer is an opportunity to come before the LORD with a humbled heart.
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted,” Luke 18:14b NIV
And a humbled heart is birthed by spending time in prayer.
“Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. A heart at peace gives life to the body, but even rots the bones,” Proverbs 14: 29-30 NIV
Thank you LORD, ohhhhh thank you thank you, for this life you have given me. Thank you for giving me a heart that cares. Thank you for opening it up to love others fierce. And thank you for patience. But may I request something from you? Please send an extra shot of patience if you have a spare laying around. I think I’ll be needing it.
Tagging along to Raechel’s post on Thursday, I really don’t think God sits in Heaven with a checklist of how we pray, how often we pray, or how long our prayers are. I think we are the ones who add a checklist to our lives, and specifically to our prayer lives. {Goodness, I love a solid checklist, I’ll admit it.}
God wants us to speak to Him, to be in communion with Him, to call on Him as a friend.
And He also wants us to spend time enjoying the quietness of life, so that we can discern when our prayers are being answered.
Also God? Thank you for letting me be me.
Amen.
What does your prayer life look like? Is there something with prayer you struggle with? Do you feel like you are in a good place, when you come before the LORD to pray? Share with us below!
I feel that I dont have a peaceful place to be able to talk to God because I am forever distracted by my children. When I do want me time someone is always crying or arguing.. I mean the list goes on. I can be at work and I can never get a peace of mind. The only time I may have is in the car when i am at peace for prayer and to reflect on me.
So incredibly glad I found this site..I have felt for the longest time there was a void in my life. yet I coud not figure out what it was…I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful daughters, a new house….what could I possibly be missing?? I felt that God had been trying to "work" on me and I continued to push him aside for my busy life, what others may think, because I was ignorant to his Word…Not anymore, I am ready and willing to commit and learn…I am so excited for this new journey I am beginning and so glad I have found all you wonderful ladies!!
I journal my prayers – it keeps me focused in a way that just praying in my head or out loud can't do. Plus, I always feel so weird when I pray out loud and I'm the only one around! Lately I've seen my prayers becoming more blatantly honest in my journal – spare, "this is the way it is and yeah I know I'm wrong but what do I do?" type of things. I think this is a good thing.
The quietness of life…I do need to spend more time there. Thank you for this, and thank you for facilitating this awesome site and following to read truth. It's an answer to prayer in itself.
I love reading everyone’s comments and sharing. Don’t come up here enough although am participating in the plan. I love all the suggestions and that pray acronym. I have trouvle getting alone and quiet with God as well. I also sometimes feel awkward and unsure what to say to God ssometimes. My mind tendsn to go blank. Going to try that pray acrohnym and other suggestions.
I just have to say that I can't tell you all how blessed I feel having found this forum. I am loving having a group that I can check back in with & read over their thoughts after reading through the same Bible Study. I'm at a point in my life where I just really really needed this & I can't get over the confirmations the Lord has provided to me through the last few days. Especially today's. Things get tough in the business of our lives, but when we take the time to realize we can just "chat" with God at any time, which is usually what I end up doing throughout my entire day, it's such a comfort. Not to say i don't set aside my time to Praise, Repent, Ask, Seek (that was the acronym I learned & like to loosely go by), but just knowing the Holy Spirit is right there any time I am ready to accept & talk & be guided, is amazing.
We are leaving in a few weeks for a cruise in Alaska. I am so filled with excitement to see and feel the wonder and awe of God's creation. The problem is…I feel a need to find the same awe in the world around me, it is all God's creation. I feel plauged by this, why is it that I can find that kind of peace while watching the waves at the ocean, listening to the wind in the trees while on mountain tops, watching blooming flowers in the open desert, and the twinkling of the night sky, but I cant find it in the every day blessings of my intimate little world.
As I learn more every day about prayer I am continously humbled by how truly blessed I am to have a God who loves me so very much, that wants me to have a relationship with him, who has given me the people and things that make my life, mine (even the trail of Ants accross my table…) I pray that we all can find the courage, to commune with our Maker, as we are, where we are at, with humble hearts full of praise!