It turns out, I have been doing it wrong all of these years #thatswhatshesaid. Not that, something even more intimate: prayer. I wish I could honestly say I prayed every day or that I spent 23 hours a day talking to God, but I don’t. However, when I have prayed about something important, it usually goes like this:
Me: Dear God, it’s me Margaret. Just kidding, but this might be a good time to remind you that it was YOU who gave me this sense of “humor.” Anyhoo God, I’ve been thinking about something important and I thought I should let you know the plans. I’ve really been thinking that I should ____ (insert whatever my latest hair-brained scheme is). This is really important to me so I need you to bless these plans. Don’t mess this up.
God: Why didn’t I smite you years ago? You are really fortunate that I am not done with you yet.
Me: Oh yeah God, you know I’ve never been brave enough to pray for patience, so I really need this done today!
Then I would go off feeling pretty good about myself considering I “prayed” about such an important decision. I remember a little over 20 years ago asking the guy who lead my Bible Study in Texas how I knew if something I was praying for was just something I wanted or if God was cool with what I wanted (I should really pray for shorter sentences). I thought he gave a good answer: “I’ve found that if God wants to bless something, he opens doors for it and things have a way of happening. If he doesn’t doors seem to close.” Hmmm… what do you think?
Did you answer before I move on? It’s kind of worked as guidance for me for the past two decades. I do think just like we would with our kids, our Father would close doors on paths we are considering that He knows aren’t good for us. However, what I am learning lately is that if I am not asking the right questions, the answers don’t really matter.
“God here is what I want…” or even something that seemed to send me into a mental tailspin over the past couple of years, “God, please reveal what your will is for MY life.” Basically I’m telling God it is all about me. It’s exactly how Jesus taught his followers to pray: “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, my kingdom come, my will be done…” Oh shoot!
I just started a study with a small group from our church. The book is called Experiencing God and it points out that I should be seeking God’s will and asking how I could be used in it. Not even God’s will for my life or what I should be doing in certain areas. What is God’s will? What is he trying to do and although he definitely doesn’t need me, can I be used to help accomplish it? Oh and God, how in the heck am I supposed to know your will? Since that is an on-going dilemma, I’ll save it for a future post!
