I don’t know about you, but I would be lost during my day if I didn’t have prayer. I usually begin praying before I ever get out of bed in the morning and I’m usually talking to my Father at night as I close my eyes to sleep.
I pray about almost everything. I pray as I work; I pray while I drive (that can sometimes be dangerous!); I always pray before I eat and often while I eat. I spend much of my day in continual conversation with my Jesus.
You may think I share this with you to sound spiritual; but that isn’t the case. I realize that even if I’m praying 24/7...the content of my prayers might not be pleasing to Him. This occurred to me when I came across this quote from Corrie Ten Boom, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” To be honest, I had to read it several times before its meaning really sunk through my thick head.
What I took from this quote is this: are my prayers throughout the day allowing me to know Him better and in turn, have a better sense of what He wants me to do with my life...OR are they just desperate prayers thrown up to get what I want in my time of need? A spare tire is usually used in a time of crisis to get you through a tough spot, and I have to ask myself if the majority of my prayers are just that. “Lord, please help me get this task done quickly and easily.” “Lord, please protect my children as they go throughout their day.” “Lord, help my husband to be what he needs to be to make me happy.” Now there is nothing wrong with praying for your day or your children or even your spouse. But if we spend our day just asking the Lord to do what we think He should do, we aren’t getting to know Him, we are just using the “spare tire” to get us where we want to be.
I know I’m not just supposed to read the Bible to learn more facts, but to also intentionally spend time getting to know the Author in a more personal and intimate way. My focus should be on loving Him more, because if that is what I am doing, I won’t be nearly as concerned about what He can do for me. I will be more interested in what I can do to show Him my love. I will be more apt to allow Him to steer me wherever He sees fit, because my deep adoration for Him will help me to trust Him completely.
Is this easy for me? No, it is not. I’m a very driven person who often thinks I know what is best for me, my family, my friends and anyone else with whom I come in contact But in doing that, I’m putting my focus on me and what I know...instead of focusing on the One who knows everything. When I state it that way, I realize how crazy I am for depending on my knowledge instead of His. I need to concentrate in the days ahead on praying more for glimpses of Him throughout my day and less about the things I want to control. I also need to ask Him to allow me to see Him more fully so that I will become more pliable in His hands. Because where He steers...is where I want to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment