The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34:18)
Prayer from a Weary Soul
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Tag Archives: Prayer
Unceasing Prayer
This past Sunday, before the start of praise, I was thinking about prayer. More specifically, I was thinking about how to “pray without ceasing.” I was asking myself what that looks like, what that means.
I’m not totally sure what spurred the thought, but man, God ain’t playing no games.
Intentional Prayer
Very, very recently, I’ve been getting a a slightly better picture of what it looks like to pray intentionally. I find God challenging me – hard – to talk less, pray more.
It’s really easy for me to get in my own head. My head is easily overruled by my rampant emotions.
A few weeks ago, I was experiencing persistent restlessness that made it difficult for me to sleep. The desires that surfaced threw my thoughts and emotions into a big mess. It really shouldn’t even be a big deal… but I seriously felt like a total lunatic.
Call Me Desperate
… cause I am. Sort of. Learning to be, at least.
Desperate for what – for love? Sure.
Just Ask
I am working on fighting this fear (?) I have when I am praying. I find it difficult to pray for certain things because I feel like it’s unlikely that God will make it happen. Of course, it’s not God’s job to make things happen just because I ask for it. God isn’t my genie. I serve God, not the other way around.
But, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t allowed to pray for certain hopes and desires in our heart, right? Just as I have asked my parents for things, so we as God’s children can also approach God. Doesn’t the bible encourage us to ask God (Matthew 7:7-11)?
Painful Prayers
Some prayers are scary to pray. Why? Because I know that His answers can be painful ones.
Prayers for humility.
Well I’m certainly not going to be very humbled if I get everything I want and excel at all that I do, now am I? It’s often by throwing my own arrogance, selfishness, and folly back at me that God pops my big head. Is this the only way? Naw. God has definitely humbled me with the sweetest of surprises as well. Encouragement cards. Underclassmen greeting me so cheerfully, always running up to me and giving me hugs. E-mails from my best friend about what God has been teaching her recently. Catch-up conversations with friends. Extremely thoughtful gifts.Those are all also huge ways that I am humbled. But as pleasant as these things are, even then, there’s a bit of pain. I’m reminded that I am inadequate and it is only through God that all this accomplished. There have been times where I harbored some .. not so nice feelings or thoughts but then people would shower me with so much love that I cried at how ugly my own heart could become. Whether His answer is an overtly unpleasant or a pleasant event or process, I am realizing that this is a difficult prayer to pray. I am finally starting to understand that I don’t just wake up less cocky. Sometimes, I have to be broken. Sometimes, I have to be shown my ugliness through the beauty of others. And often times, it also hurts a little.
Step One
I have been going on and on about a pretty big need at church and I have been praying about it (here and there). But I was reading Francis Chan’s Forgotten God last week. He repeatedly talks about the power of prayer (through the Holy Spirit) and shares about a woman involved in.. some kind of amazingly awesome ministry of sorts. She had no set resources but would simply pray on her knees every night until God provided.
Okay, obviously that doesn’t mean that God gives us everything that we pray for, no matter how earnestly. No matter how good our intentions may be, God has His plans. Just because we think that something will be good doesn’t mean that it’s what God has planned. Silence can also be an answer.
A collection 