DON'T LET GOD OFF THE HOOK

“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NLT


For me, prayer is an uphill battle. I struggle with ADD and prayer, to say the least, is a struggle......especially quiet prayers. When reading, my mind catches a thought, and though my eyes still follow the page, my mind isn't processing the words it pulls from the page. Something as simple as this devotional can take 30 minutes to read if I truly try to digest all of its meaning. Prayer is similar. I begin praying, and then a thought crosses my mind and SQUIRREL! I have learned to use worship music in many of my prayer times to help keep me focused. It seems like the extra data that I have to process actually helps me stay on track. As far as saying safe prayers, I believe we are all accustomed to falling into that particular trap. It's easy to pray for something and then let God of the hook by ending it with "nevertheless Lord, not my will, but Thine be done." What does brave and full of faith look like when we have generally made up our mind about what God is wanting to do? Maybe it's more important we pray what we feel the Spirit is asking us to pray and believe. "Oh ye of little faith ". The model for prayer that we were given by Jesus is just that, a model. I don't think it is meant to be recited at sporting events because everyone knows it. At that point, it is just rote memory and has little meaning. Don't get me wrong, I believe we should be praying at sporting events, schools, hospitals, work, church, and any other moment we are led. The Bible says that we should continually be in prayer. I have adopted the practice over the years to pray when I feel the Lord desires it. I've prayed alone, with others, and at strange times. It always amazes me to see the look on peoples’ faces when I am at work and I ask if I can pray with them on the spot. I've done it with customers and employees alike. Maybe it isn't so much about making prayer a habit, but praying when we know the Spirit is moving. All He wants is for us to join Him where He is working.

Are your prayers filled with words of faith or are they a laundry list of things you feel God needs to know about? Do you predetermine what you think God's answer will be and pray accordingly or do you expect Him to do the miraculous in spite of what the physical world looks like?