Dear Heavenly Father,
My mind is swirling
with all the things I need to do today. I have a hard decision make and I just
don't know what to do. I feel helpless and confused. I'm worried about the
consequences to my decision. I worry about the impact my decision will have not
only on myself but on others as well. I fear making the wrong decision.
The Bible tells me that if I seek after wisdom
you will provide it. So I am seeking you, my fountain of wisdom. You've written
everything you want me to know in the pages of your Word. I pray that as I
read it that you will shape my desires. I pray that it would impress on me what
matters most to You. I pray that as I consider the decision before me, that I
would remember what Your word teaches about your control over all things.
You know
this problem before me. You know how it will turn out. You know the end from
the beginning. Nothing happens apart from Your plan. Not only are You
sovereign, but you are good. All your plans are holy, righteous, and good. I
can trust that you know what is best for me. When I move forward with this decision,
I know that You will use it for my good and Your glory.
Forgive me
for getting caught up in wanting to know the future, and how everything turns
out. Forgive me for treating You like a "magic gumball machine."
Forgive me for fearing the future and for waiting around in the hopes that the
answer will be written on the wall. Help me to trust in who you are. Help me to
know that if you gave up Your own Son to save me from sin; that You will be
with me in all the challenges and decisions of my life? There is nothing and no
one that can separate me from You; I have nothing to fear.
You are my
Rock, my Savior, and my Deliverer. Be with me as I move forward in this time of
confusion and difficulty. Above all, may Your will be done on earth, and in my
life, In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
For
those who are new to their faith, prayer can seem overwhelming. How do I talk
to God, and what does that mean? Are there things I’m supposed to say? Are
there things I’m not allowed to say? Is there a set prayer, or do I just make
one up?
Even
for those who have been in a relationship with the Lord for many years, prayer
can still seem challenging for a whole host of reasons. It can get stale, feel
useless, or just seem to lose its power. So what do we do when we need new words
to pray? How we can we revitalize our prayer lives? Here are some ideas:
·
Pray as you think on one word: If the idea of prayer
is overwhelming, choose just one word to focus on. Maybe it’s “peace” or
“grace” or “strength.” Think about what that word means, remember verses or
songs you have heard that include that word, think about what that word means
for you in your faith, and ask God to show you new things about that word.
Prayer doesn’t need to be lengthy or complicated. It can be as simple as just
focusing on one word and praying something like, “Lord, I need peace. I want peace. Show me what peace
looks like. May I experience more of Your peace this week.”
·
Pray in questions: The questions about
faith or who God is or why things have happened in our lives seem overwhelming.
It can be hard to get past them to feel like we can actually pray, but why not
pray those questions and take them to God? You don’t have to have any answers,
and you might not even feel like your questions are immediately answered, but
just honestly come before the Lord and list all of your doubts, worries, fears,
uncertainty to him in prayer.
·
Pray the Lord’s Prayer: Matthew
6:9-15
gives us a prayer straight from the mouth of Jesus. Read through these words
and repeat them to yourself line by line. Read it in several translations
(check out biblegateway.com), and compare the different ways they word this
prayer. Write it out, reflect on it, and learn to memorize the famous words of
this prayer.
·
Pray the words of hymns or contemporary
modern music: So many hymns come from scripture, and
the poetic way that hymns present themes of our faith is a beautiful way to
pray.
·
Pray through journaling: This is something
I’ve found personally to be extremely helpful journaling my prayers, as random
or rambling as they may be, helps me focus on what I’m saying and process
through my emotions. An added bonus of journaling prayer is being able to look
back over them and see how the Lord has answered and moved in your life.
·
Pray through passages of scripture: The book of Psalms is
an excellent place to start. There are psalms for when our souls feel troubled
(Psalm
6),
for when we are filled with joy (Psalm
30),
for when we are praising His deeds (Psalm
66),
for when we desire revival (Psalm
85),
for when we need help (Psalm
109),
and for all other emotions we experience as well.
·
Pray through the names of Jesus: There are so many
names for the Lord all throughout scripture, and when we don’t have words to
pray, just speaking them can be a comfort to our souls. Abba
Father
(Galatians
4:6);
Prince and Savior (Acts
5:31);
Chosen One (Isaiah
42:1);
King of kings and Lord of lords (1
Timothy 6:15);
Immanuel (Matthew
1:23);
Stronghold, Refuge, Savior (2
Samuel 22:3);
and the list continues. Say these names in prayer and think about what they
mean for your life.
·
Pray using the ACTS acrostic:
A stands for adoration
or worship.
C stands for confession.
T stands for thanksgiving.
S stands for supplication.
This is a helpful way of orienting ourselves in prayer and giving ourselves a simple blueprint to follow.
C stands for confession.
T stands for thanksgiving.
S stands for supplication.
This is a helpful way of orienting ourselves in prayer and giving ourselves a simple blueprint to follow.
“Prayer pulls the rope below, and
the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for
they pray so languidly; others give but an occasional pluck at the rope; but he
who wins with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls
continuously, with all his might.” (Charles Spurgeon)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“8 Things to Pray When You
Don't Know What to Say” by BibleStudyTools.com
·
“A Prayer for When You Don't Know What to Do” by Christina Fox
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