My Prayer for Myself

My season of recovery from my neck surgery gave me time for introspection and a deep dive into what God needs to change in me. This is my daily prayer for myself.

       That I will truly experience God as a good, good father. 

       That I  will not hate my body or it’s desires. But instead give thanks to God for the way I am created and all that entails. His design of me was intentional and good.

       That I will be able to really trust God and others. Life events have made that an ongoing struggle.

       That I will really believe that God will never love me anymore or any less than he did when he created me. So I don’t need to perform to be accepted and loved. 

       That I will be able to show loving kindness, that would be deeply felt in the heart, undeserved, unexpected and gratefully received by myself to my current and younger self.

       That I will understand that God is not disappointed in me, but disappointed for me. 

It is human nature that we find it easier to pray for others than ourselves. When we pray for ourselves we are face to face with our own frailities. We do not want to get our hopes up and be disappointed if God does not answer the way we want him too. 

But how can we truly pray with intensity and faith for others if we have not experienced it for ourselves? 

For a moment, just pretend that God was listening to your heart’s hurts and desires. There was no judgement. No recriminations. Just acceptance. What would you ask him to change? What would your prayer for yourself be?

Praying For Rain

My first experience with seeing a large group of people praying for a common issue was in a country church at about 6 years old. They were all farmers and they had been in a drought with no rain. They were in danger of losing their crops and source of income for the year.

We knew these people well. My dad was their bivocational pastor. Every week one of the families would have us over for lunch and sometimes dinner. I wanted it to rain for them.

Weeks went by with no rain. But they prayed continually and with such passion. They had such faith and confidence that God would answer and provide. They were thanking him for answering their prayer with not a cloud in the sky.

Here is the verse they were continually referencing. 2 Chronicles 7: 14 KJV

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

I was worried. I cared. These were really good people. I wanted it to rain. I began to worry.

Then it began to sprinkle. Then a light downpour. Then heavier steady rain that saved the crops and my friends livelihood.

God had answered in a big way. Right on time.
And I rejoiced with them and I danced in the rain.

This first experience with a group of people praying for people I knew had a lasting impression on me. It taught me the value of praying as a group for each other. 

Able

If God is able to exceed my thoughts or expectations, then what I think and expect are infinitely important.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”.

When I  ask for something from God I am revealing my expectations.

When I  ask for a glass of water I  expect my thirst to be quinched.

The act of asking implies expectation on my part.

When I  pray I am asking God to intervene on my behalf and there is an expectation on my part that He will answer.

But often my requests are limited by my expectations. What do I  think that God is able to do?

If i do not think that God can do it, then I  will not bother to ask.

Obviously, I would not ask God to do something inconsistent with his character and holiness and expect a positive response.

Sometimes, my awareness of my inherent sinfulness and unworthiness causes me to not make a request to God.

I know that God knows my heart. I need to trust that He will act in my best interests. When I pray selfishly this provides an opportunity for dialogue with him and growth.

I need to pray big audacious prayers because I have a big audacious God.

I serve a God,  who is willing and able to work in and through me to accomplish his redemptive purposes in the world.

Yet, I  limit his activity in my lives by my  low expectations.

James 4:2b says, “You do not have because you do not ask God.”

What exactly is God able to do through me? Anything and everything to accomplish his will.

Prayer is a mystery

Prayer, in many ways, is a mystery.

Why would God, the creator of the universe, want to speak with us in the first place?

There is nothing we could say that would surprise him.

He knows what we need before we can even ask for it.

We certainly could not share a technical skill that He has not mastered.

Nor could we share insight into the human psyche or condition that He does not know.

His awesome power and thoughts are beyond our comprehension.

Yet He longs to interact with us.

Unfortunately,  we have a tendency to treat prayer as a one way conversation.

But prayer is not just our petitions and requests to God. It is an ongoing dialogue with our creator.

God can, and will, speak to us. Sometimes, it is through His word (The Bible), or others (Godly counsel), or the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

My prayer today is that I will be attentive when He speaks.

Pray – Do it right now

A few years ago I made a commitment to not promise to pray for people later but to do it right then.  It changed my life for the better. 

In the past I would promise to pray and often forget to do it. Then I would feel guilty.

When people promised to pray for me later – I would cynically expect them to fail just like I did. 

With this new commitment to pray instantly I found a pattern that worked for me. 

I always asked permission if I could pray for them. 

I found that most people are happy for you to pray for them.  Whether they believe in God,  or an impersonal force, or nothing at all they appreciate your concern for them. 

I found that brevity, sincerity and simplicity are all that is needed. This is not the time to get caught up on your prayers or to teach theology by the way you pray. 

I asked to update me on what progress they made.  I wanted to be able to continue to effectively pray and rejoice in God’s response to their need. 

Their faith and mine were increased as God answered our prayers. 

I found that this model of praying was swiftly copied by others as they prayed for others the same way. 

Looking for Work?

I have been praying with a number of people in the last 180 days who are looking for work.

I have recommended a few resources to these job seekers  that have been extremely helpful and practical.

Micheal Hyatt has a free Life Plan that I highly recommend. It will help the job seeker clarify what it is they want to do with their life. Here is the link to it: Creating Your Personal Life Plan. He is worth following on a regular basis for his expertise in social media and setting goals.

A wonderful book to walk someone through a job search is 48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal: Dan Miller, Dave Ramsey: 9781433669330: Amazon.com: Books.  Dan Miller, the author, has an awesome networked community. Many libraries have his book for free.

Being out of work is discouraging. It is easy to lose hope. My favorite book of 2014 is: The Hope Quotient: Measure It. Raise It. You’ll Never Be the Same.: Ray Johnston, Dave Hoffman: 9781491522783: Amazon.com: Books.

 

 

7 Practical Steps to Praying For Others

1. Make an introduction.  Give them your name.  Get theirs and use it often in the next few minutes. 

2. Remind them you will keep the conversation confidential – unless they threaten to harm themselves or others.

3. Listen actively.  Restate what you believe to be the issue.

4. Pray simply,  earnestly, with faith and brevity.

5. Thank them for the opportunity to be present and active where God is at work.

6. Let them know you will continue to pray for them.

7. Ask them to update you with how God answers their request. (This is often awesome and thrilling!)

Fear of Praying For Others

For years I worried about praying for others, especially in a public setting.

I was afraid I would say the wrong thing or give horrible advice.

My focus was on myself.

I was painfully aware of my limitations and sinfulness.

Yet, as the years have gone by I have begun to look forward to the opportunity to pray for others.

God did not change, but I did.

I began to recognize that it was not about me or my competency.

It was about an individual who reached out in faith longing to connect with God.

And God is faithful to meet us when we earnestly seek him.

I have learned that God is able to accomplish His will and purposes, even when I mess up.

I had a friend who preached the wrong persons funeral. Yet, when he finished the family told him what comfort he had brought to them. Even though he used the wrong person’s name.

My wife often reminds me that if God can speak through a donkey, he can certainly speak through me (and you).

Praying in Anger

The best moment in my life was being angry at God in prayer.

It was one of the worst days I had ever experienced.

I got home from work and went immediately for a brisk 4 mile walk.

I was so angry I could barely breathe,  much less talk to my family.

I tried to pray but I was at a loss for words.

I wanted to be respectful and reverential to the one who had saved me.

But it just wasn’t happening.

With every false start at prayer I was becoming more upset.  My anger finally erupted.

I began to tell God how unfair he had been to me.  How I could do a better job at running the world.

And I believed every word that was coming out of my mouth.

I waited for a lightning bolt to strike me.
But instead I felt an overwhelming sense of His love and presence.

It finally dawned on me that I had only verbalized what God already knew.

The only person I was fooling with my pious prayers was myself.

God had always loved me.  His love would not change.

I began to repent of my attitude and experience his grace.

But something inside of me changed that day.

I learned that it is okay to be honest with God and myself.

That He is big enough to handle my anger and my questions.

My God is big enough to handle my accusing,  ungrateful heart and still love me.

But if I had not prayed in anger,  I would never  have experienced the depth of his love for me.

A Quitter’s Prayer

FATHER GOD,

Today,

I Quit
waiting for permission or approval to do the work of ministry.  Because you have called all of your children to be a part of your work.

I Quit
worrying about who will get the credit.  Because it is you alone who deserves the praise.

I Quit
hoping that someone else will see the need and act. Because I am your hands and feet in this world I must act.

I Quit
focusing on my ability.  Because you are able to use me to accomplish your purposes in this world.

Amen.