What would it look like if our prayers didn't focus on our material wants, but instead focused on serving God better. How would our world (and I mean our small part of the world) change? What if we dared to believe God and take Him at His word? What if our prayers were less about gaining satisfaction for ourselves, but more focused on growing in Him?
I ask these questions because they were brought to mind while I was praying one day recently. It was a gentle nudge by the Holy Spirit, but a glaring review of my prayer life played in my mind. What have I been praying for? I don't necessarily pray for "things" like cars, house stuff, clothes and such, but my prayers weren't really fruitful either. It didn't seem like I was reaching the heart of God in my prayer time. Let me preface this by saying that I believe God hears all prayers, even if it is just "God help me." This is not to belittle those times when we just don't know what to pray. Here is the promise about that.
Instead, in those times when you are pressing in to God, reaching out to him in heartfelt prayer, let's focus our eyes on His divine will for us. What if we switched our prayers from being self-focused to being God-focused? What does this look like for us? One thing I know for sure is that it looks like thankfulness. In all things, we give thanks. In. ALL. things. If we can change our prayers from "will you give me" to one of praise and thanksgiving, or to asking Him to change us to be more like Him, we will revolutionize our life and world.
Revival can't happen without people willing to be revived. The word revival means "renewed attention to or interest in something, a new presentation of something old, restoration of force, validity or effect." We talk a lot about revival in the church, but unless we understand what that means, we will never realize the full extent of it, and live it out. People in revival are movers and shakers. They are people out feeding the homeless in the hot Texas sun. They are reaching people in their native languages on rainy days in the trailer park. They don't do this stuff and see it as a hardship, they do it because they have been revived themselves.
We might get a thrill or sense of excitement after leaving a conference or meeting, but that is not where true revival begins. True revival begins when we seek after God with our whole heart and begin to pray new prayers in our fellowship with Him. Our prayers change from a self-centered place to a God-centered place. I think of the person whose heart has been revived in a real physical sense of the word. They were dead on the table, and the doctors revived them. Friend, God wants to do that in YOU! You may feel spiritually dead on the table, but he's ready to revive you!
Isaiah 57:15 - "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
So, let's change our perspective, and change our world! Let's change our prayers to ask God what He would show us and do through us instead of asking Him to give us more stuff.
Father, we come boldly before your throne of grace. We thank you for the work you are doing in us! Thank you for changing us by your Spirit from glory to glory. Let the words our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, Lord. Create in us a clean heart, and renew the right spirit in us, let us be a light in a dark world. Enlighten our eyes to understand what you've called us to do in this world. Help us to walk more fully in your word and in your will, and help us to understand the direction you would have us go. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Instead, in those times when you are pressing in to God, reaching out to him in heartfelt prayer, let's focus our eyes on His divine will for us. What if we switched our prayers from being self-focused to being God-focused? What does this look like for us? One thing I know for sure is that it looks like thankfulness. In all things, we give thanks. In. ALL. things. If we can change our prayers from "will you give me" to one of praise and thanksgiving, or to asking Him to change us to be more like Him, we will revolutionize our life and world.
Revival can't happen without people willing to be revived. The word revival means "renewed attention to or interest in something, a new presentation of something old, restoration of force, validity or effect." We talk a lot about revival in the church, but unless we understand what that means, we will never realize the full extent of it, and live it out. People in revival are movers and shakers. They are people out feeding the homeless in the hot Texas sun. They are reaching people in their native languages on rainy days in the trailer park. They don't do this stuff and see it as a hardship, they do it because they have been revived themselves.
We might get a thrill or sense of excitement after leaving a conference or meeting, but that is not where true revival begins. True revival begins when we seek after God with our whole heart and begin to pray new prayers in our fellowship with Him. Our prayers change from a self-centered place to a God-centered place. I think of the person whose heart has been revived in a real physical sense of the word. They were dead on the table, and the doctors revived them. Friend, God wants to do that in YOU! You may feel spiritually dead on the table, but he's ready to revive you!
Isaiah 57:15 - "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite."
Acts 3:19-21 "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago."
So, let's change our perspective, and change our world! Let's change our prayers to ask God what He would show us and do through us instead of asking Him to give us more stuff.
Father, we come boldly before your throne of grace. We thank you for the work you are doing in us! Thank you for changing us by your Spirit from glory to glory. Let the words our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, Lord. Create in us a clean heart, and renew the right spirit in us, let us be a light in a dark world. Enlighten our eyes to understand what you've called us to do in this world. Help us to walk more fully in your word and in your will, and help us to understand the direction you would have us go. In Jesus Name, Amen!
