Pray Today

This post was written for Vibrance readers on our National Day of Prayer, 2007, in hopes these reminders and suggestions would add value to an already significant day.    Thankfully, we can pray each and every day.  Feel free to consider and use these thoughts all year long.

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— When You Pray Today —

Pray Gratefully

Blessings. Salvation. Answers to prayer. Provision for daily needs.  Special touches.  Significant influencers in our lives.  Jobs & finances. Travel.  Church. Family. The Written Word… those to get you started.   Your Heavenly Father loves to hear “Thank You” as much as you do.  Say it often.

 Pray Humbly

He’s God.  You are His child and He loves you, so ask anything, ask in respectful tones but always remember He is the Everlasting Father. Lord of All. Creator.  Author of Salvation.  Heaven’s architect and builder.  King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Remembering who God is will certainly affect your tone of voice.  It may affect your posture too. Don’t worry about what people around you may think.  He’s the important one.

Pray Sincerely

Don’t tell God the things you think He wants to hear; tell Him what’s on your heart -truly and genuinely- knowing He hears and understands.  David did, Jesus did, Nehemiah did, George Mueller and D.L. Moody did, nothing prevents you and me from doing likewise.

Don’t  Tell God How to Do His Job

We’re good at this, especially those of us who solve problems, come up with solutions, and get things done.  But God’s job description hasn’t been posted; He’s staying right where He is.   Tell Him what concerns you, ask for His provision and intervention, but stop short of telling Him what to do or how to do it.  God doesn’t need any advice, and He has resources available His children know nothing of. 

Pray in Jesus’ name.

There’s a pattern in New Testament prayers in  Scripture;  our prayers are directed to God the Father in the name (authority) of Jesus, the Son,  prompted by and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  When we simply don’t know the words to use, or life has us where we don’t know what to say or where to begin, the Holy Spirit interprets our groanings for us.  “What he’d say if he could find the words is…   What she can’t bring herself to tell You is…” 

Pray Continually

Move through the day with an awareness of God’s presence in your peripheral vision.  Turn to God often as the day progresses “Oh, and another thing – seeing that just reminded me…”   At the end of the day you will have walked with Him all day — and He with you.

There’s much more been written on the subject, but these are a few that may serve us well,  today in particular.