Therefore, I urge you…in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 Prayer is an act of entrusting … [Read more...] about Entrusting All to God as Prayer
Acknowledging our Need of God’s Provision as Prayer
Give us this day our daily bread. Luke 11:3 Prayer is acknowledging our need of God’s help. We tend to dislike our needs. We tend to want to meet our needs by ourselves. We may even feel ashamed of our needs. As a result, we are often afraid to rely on anyone else to help us, even God. But as we move away from self-reliance and begin to rely more and more on God, we begin to see how great our … [Read more...] about Acknowledging our Need of God’s Provision as Prayer
Giving up Self-Reliance as Prayer
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 Prayer, by its nature, moves us away from our reliance on ourselves and towards reliance on God. This text from Proverbs instructs us in this basic wisdom. “Trust in the Lord,” it says. Rely on God, lean on God, turn to God for wisdom, … [Read more...] about Giving up Self-Reliance as Prayer
Encountering the Love of God in Jesus
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:9 We have all watched loving adults bend low or kneel down, making themselves small so they can be face-to-face with a child. Parents do this instinctively out of a desire to connect and be present to the child. Out of loving desire to relate to small ones, big people make themselves temporarily small. Our Creator … [Read more...] about Encountering the Love of God in Jesus
Knowing Intimacy with God as Prayer
My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo. the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land…My beloved is mine and I am his. Song of Solomon 2:10-12,16 Prayer is intimacy with God. Our Maker, our God, seeks intimacy with us. Intimacy grows … [Read more...] about Knowing Intimacy with God as Prayer
Christ Dwelling in Our Hearts as Prayer
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through the Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. Ephesians … [Read more...] about Christ Dwelling in Our Hearts as Prayer
Being Blessed by God as Prayer
And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16 Sometimes prayer is receiving God’s blessing. Sometimes prayer is allowing Jesus to gently place his hands on us and speak words of blessing over us. To bless someone is to envision a positive future for them. It is to speak of the promise of God’s care and provision throughout their lives. We often envision … [Read more...] about Being Blessed by God as Prayer
Being Held as Prayer
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:9-10 Prayer is knowing that wherever we go, wherever we are, we are held securely by God. We might pray this way by reflecting on images of being held by Love. We might sit quietly for a few minutes and feel ourselves held securely in God’s … [Read more...] about Being Held as Prayer
Hearing God’s Love Songs as Prayer
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Prayer is taking in God’s delight in us. Prayer is being quieted by God’s love. Prayer is listening to God sing songs of joy over us. Whether our parents delighted over us or not, whether our parents quieted us with love or … [Read more...] about Hearing God’s Love Songs as Prayer
Living in the Present as Prayer
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?…Therefore do not worry about tomorrow… Matthew 6:26. 27.34 Many of us find that it is all too easy to get lost in the maze of our minds. We do this without even realizing it. We may … [Read more...] about Living in the Present as Prayer