Prayer: Week #2

Last week I talked with you about how you can talk to God anytime, anywhere. Not just in church or before a meal, but in the shower, in the car, on your walk, while you're cooking dinner, and even when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. I hope you've been experimenting and finding what helps YOU connect with Him!

This week, I want to talk with you about what to pray.

I get it if you've ever sat down to pray and thought, "Okay... now what do I say?" I've heard from so many of you who feel that way. And I'll be honest with you, for a long time I wondered, why should I tell God what I want when He already knows what's best?

So here's what I want you to know: you can talk to God about everything. Really. Everything.

Give Him All of It

I love 1 Peter 5:7: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."

Did you catch that? ALL your worries and cares, not just the ones that sound spiritual enough.

So if you're worried about your health, talk to God about it. If your knees ache, if you're not sleeping well, if you're nervous about that doctor's appointment, or if you're frustrated that your body doesn't feel like it used to, tell Him. If you care about it, He cares about it, because He cares about YOU.

You Can't Hide Anything From Him Anyway

We all do it, but isn't it kind of silly to think we can hide anything from God? He already knows our thoughts!

Psalm 139:1-4 says, "O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD."

He knows what you're going to say before you even say it!

So those thoughts you're embarrassed about? He already knows. The thoughts you've been trying to change? He knows those too. You're not going to shock Him. So stop hiding and just talk to Him about them. It can be as simple as, "Lord, You know I keep going back to this thought, and I don't want to anymore. Please help me see this the way You see it."

Pray for the People You Love & for the People You Struggle With

Praying for others is super important. My prayers almost always include something about one (or all) of my kids. If I'm being honest, my two boys used to fight all the time. Almost every day I would pray that God would help them to become friends before my older son left for college. If I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep, I usually prayed about this.

When Neal was 16 and Quinn was 14, they both discovered a love of climbing. They joined a climbing gym and went several times a week. When you're climbing partners, you really can't be fighting. I think God used this love of climbing to begin to fix their relationship. They're now 30 and 28 years old and are absolutely best friends. (So grateful and I know God heard my prayers!!)

I pray for people I care about who are going through struggles. When I say to someone, "I'll pray for you" I really do try to remember to keep them in my prayers. I've had times when God will bring someone to my heart, but I don't really know why. I still pray for them and say, "God, You know what they need, and if there is anything I should say or do for that person, please let me know."

I also pray for those people who I have a challenging relationship with. I pray that I will not lose my cool and that I could love them even when I'm super irritated with them. The Bible tells us to pray for our enemies. This is such great advice because it's hard to hate someone you're praying for.

Bring Him the Hard Stuff in Your Heart, Too

Hear me on this one. If you're struggling with unforgiveness, judgment, negative self-talk, or comparison, talk to God about it.

These are the things we tend to stuff down and hope nobody notices. But they steal so much of our joy and peace. Maybe there's someone you just can't seem to forgive. Maybe you catch yourself judging others more than you'd like to admit. Maybe you scroll through social media and walk away feeling like everyone else's body, home, or life is better than yours.

Tell Him. Be honest. "God, I'm still hurt, and I don't know how to forgive them. I can't do this on my own. Please help me let it go."

We are often hardest on ourselves. Ask God to show you the beauty He's put in you so you can see yourself with the same eyes that He sees you. Ask Him to help you to stop the negative self chatter. He loves you and wants you to love yourself too. 

The ABCs of Prayer

Now I want to share something that has really helped me. I call it the ABCs.

A: Ask God for Help

God wants you to ask Him for help! James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

Ask for his help with anything you're struggling with, and ask Him to help you make changes that actually last. "Lord, I keep starting and stopping. I need Your help to stick with this. Show me one step I can take today."

B: Believe

When you pray, believe that He really is listening, that He cares about you, that He loves you, and that He wants to help you.

Now let me ask you something, and I want you to be really honest with yourself. Do you really believe when you pray it makes a difference? Or do you just pray so you can say you did it?

James 1:6 says, "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

Remember, prayer isn't something to check off your list. You're talking to your Heavenly Father, who bends down to listen to YOU.

C: Check Your Motives

God cares about our "why." James 4:3 says, "And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure."

So every now and then, I want you to stop and ask yourself, why am I asking for this? And if you realize your motives aren't quite in line with God's will (we've all been there!), don't beat yourself up. Talk to Him about that, too. Ask Him to help you change them. "God, I think my heart's in the wrong place on this one. Please change my 'why' so it lines up with what You want for me."

Long Prayers and Quick Prayers

I'll be honest with you, my prayers don't all look the same. Sometimes I'm sitting in my favorite spot, and it's a longer prayer. I take my time, pour out my heart, and sit quietly with Him. Other times, it's a quick prayer right in the moment. And God hears both!

We see both in the life of Nehemiah. When he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates had been burned, he said, "When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 1:4).

But later, Nehemiah was standing in front of the king, and the king asked him what he wanted. He didn't have days to pray about it. Look what he did: "The king asked, 'Well, how can I help you?' With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, 'If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried'" (Nehemiah 2:4-5).

You can do the same thing. Have those longer times with God when you can slow down. And send up those quick prayers all day long: before a hard conversation, when you're standing in the kitchen tempted to grab something you know won't make you feel good, or when you really don't feel like doing your workout. "Lord, help me." That's a real prayer. One of the quick prayers I often go to is just, "God what do you want me to know right now and what do you want me to do?"

So this week, whatever is on your heart, big or small, messy or embarrassing, for you or for someone you love or struggle with, talk to God about it. He already knows, He cares about you, and He can't wait to hear from you.