Praying More Purposefully {Recap}

I now have the perfect prayer life! NOT. This month I had challenged myself to intentionally focus on prayer and what it means in my relationship with God.  I can pretty much sum up this month with one verse.

In my mind I already had planned out that I was going to be praying with people everyday and when I heard a prayer request I was going to stop whatever I was doing and pray right there. Well, God had different plans.

Prayer is widely talked about throughout the Bible, but God kept turning me back to a certain passage even though I have heard it a dozen times. In Matthew, chapter 6, verses 5-8, God’s Word says this:

“5And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

         The Lord took hold of my heart and showed me my selfishness. I was trying to make sure everyone could see I was a “good Christian” before I examined my own heart. One night as I was reading these verses, for what felt like the 500^th time, God revealed to me what He had been wanting me to see for a long time. I needed to talk to Him. I needed Him to pray purposefully to Him instead of for others to see. I needed to be quiet, be alone, and listen. 

I am so thankful for my God who shows me my flaws and gives me the wisdom to fix them.

Praying More Purposefully

Disclaimer- At the beginning of each month my post will be directed towards my focus for that month. Then, at the end of each month I will summarize what God has shown me. Any posts in between will most likely be about my traveling and the like.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4: 6-7

 

         Growing up in church, I have been surrounded by prayer. At church we pray. Before we eat a meal we pray. In Sunday school, we ask for prayer requests and we pray about them. At the age of 12, I said the infamous sinner’s prayer. I have my quiet time each day and I pray to God. As I have sought to deepen my faith more and more, I have begun to question my own prayer life. How much of what I pray is habitual rather than intentional? Am I praying because that’s the routine of how I was raised or am I truly asking the Lord to bless my food?

         Over the past year this has been something that God has been showing me. How many times does a brother or sister come to us asking for prayer, we say “I’ll pray for you,” and within the next 24 hours we forget about it? Ashamedly, I have done this more than a dozen times. What if we no longer put off prayer? What if we truly lived out 1 Thessalonians 5:17? What if we stopped whatever we were doing to pray for that brother or sister right then? This is what I am challenging myself to this month. Not to just stop January 31^st, but to change my fickle habits into what God calls me to do in the first place.

         So often I only deem certain times of the day, like waking up or going to bed, time to pray when my whole day is full of moments I could be speaking to my Savior. Recently, Coleen York, editor and founder of the blog, SheHas Worth, posted about prayer and said this:

“Prayer does not have to be an intricate, formal speech. Prayer is the unashamed, unabashed sharing of your heart with the One who loves you more than anyone else ever could. And we can do it anytime, all the time, about all things”

{read the rest of her post here}.

         So this January, I will be intentionally praying. Purposely I will be seeking out ways to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Continually, I will be in communication with my Heavenly Father because I want to be with all my heart.

Blessings,

Chelsea