So, I have been thinking over yesterday’s post on Jesus praying in a certain place and how over time my certain place has changed location.
When I was a young mother, I knew little about prayer. It wasn’t until I began to see God taking care of unspoken desires of my heart that I learned that I could put my needs before him and expect him to take care of it. So, as a new mom, I really had no certain place. I really had no place at all.
Over time, I found a few ways to fit in prayer as well as reading time. I figured if I needed both every day, so did my children. So, if I was reading my Bible, I read it out loud to them. That way we all benefited. I didn’t worry about how much we read. Just that we would try to read on a regular basis. It certainly wasn’t every day, but I did have better success if I included them.
I found the same to be true about prayer. As I understood more about it and that God was happy to hear from me, I began to put our families’ needs before him. In very simple forms. Before a meal or before bed, I would ask for something very tangible, like…
God, you promised to provide for us and we need $50 to pay the electric bill. We don’t have it so, can you do the impossible and help us with this bill?
Later, when the $50 showed up in a completely unexpected way, I told my children about it and that’ s how the praise dance started in our family. I would tell them that we had a bill that we had no money to pay it with and I asked God to take care of it and He did! If it was cash, we would show it to them and they would see that God answers in a tangible way. Then we would say …..So, let’s celebrate how great God takes care of us!
We would then run around the house and shout and sing and thank and praise God. We would spin and jump and dance around with each other.
Our children learned they could trust God to take care of them, no matter what need popped up. And they knew that God was fun and interested in our lives.
So, in the beginning my certain place was not very fancy or focused or ‘professional’. But it got the job done.
Let’s not forget that scripture gives us a glimpse into the life of a FULL GROWN MAN!! He wasn’t in charge of the meals and laundry, he didn’t have a nine to five job, and he didn’t have any little kids interrupting his prayer time. Don’t make the mistake that God expects the same from us as He did from Jesus Christ. But neither does God give us a pass for every excuse we have. Take some time and think about a simple way to incorporate more focused prayer into your routine. Maybe pray for only one person throughout the day. Maybe just one ministry. Maybe just one personal need.
Maybe you could make a little prayer corner where the family can all gather together to pray. The dinner table might be the simplest way to do it.
I think, sometimes, that we let our list get too long and it tends to shut us down. Only God can take on ALL the needs of the world. We can’t. So keep it simple, attainable, unstressful and easy to notice when He answers a prayer the way you were hoping.
Then, get up and dance, and celebrate your loving and attentive God!!