“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”—Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

If I am being honest, some of my conversations with God are more of me trying to convince Him what needs to happen. Rather than share my burden, I tell God why I think my prayer needs to be answered the way I think it should. Giving God options and asking Him to choose isn’t how He operates. Even though I always end these prayers with,  but Your will be done, am I really okay with His will? In this frame of mind, all I can think about are the results that I desire. 

I should be spending just as much time listening as I am speaking. Talking to God also requires me to be still so I can hear Him. In order to have a good relationship with someone, you can’t be the only one talking. You must listen too. You won’t have many friends if every time you got together you talked about you the whole time. Thankfully God isn’t like that. No matter, how one-sided my conversations are, He never leaves my side.

My prayers shouldn’t try to change God’s mind but to receive it. As I pray and listen, He is able to impress His mind on me. The purpose of prayer is to change my heart not to try and get God to change His will. Rather than go to God with the same prayer day after day, what would happen if I got into the habit of changing that prayer into one that thanks Him. Lord, You know this is heavy on my heart. Thank You that You hear my prayers. God knows my requests so I don’t have to keep reminding Him or telling Him how to handle it. 

In my Bible reading plan, as I read about the Israelites wandering in the desert, I thought,  How could they doubt God’s faithfulness and provisions? He parted the Red sea, gave them manna and quail in the desert and led them by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night? However, I am no different. When I pray telling God what I want to happen, I am also doubting His perfect will and how He has supernaturally provided for me in my life too. 

This week we can practice praying in gratitude for the prayers we know God hears and thanking Him for working when we can’t see it.

Father God, 

Forgive me when all I do is ask and tell You what I need. Thank You for being patient with me in my prayer time. Help me to operate in Your will and not what I think needs to happen. I ask for a shift in my perspective to see things through Your lens and not my limited perspective. I give You praise knowing You are behind the scenes working on my behalf. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.

 February Verse

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:16

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