Years ago at a Time Out for Women I learned the importance of why we need to make our bed. I was a young mom with babies at home. I could barely get out of bed in the morning let alone take the time to make my bed. Why did it matter that I made my bed?
This presenter explained that while she was making her bed she took the time pondered on what she wanted to pray about. That took me back. I had never thought about what I was going to pray about unless I was deeply troubled, but even then I always just got down on my knees and worked it out with the Lord. But here was a lady, who pondered daily on what she wanted to discuss with the Lord. It was a beautiful thought and I saw the need for it in my life.
I wasn't always perfect at pondering, but I did become much better at making the bed :) When I remembered, I would use that time to focus on who I could pray for, what did the Lord need from me that day, and other questions. When I did take the time to ponder before my prayers I always had more meaningful conversations with the Lord and I would walk away uplifted and strengthened.
Now fast forward to 4 yrs ago when I suffered a brain injury. Pondering was out of the question. Half the time I couldn't pray because I couldn't put sentences together. I had to trust that the Lord was listening to my heart. It's took me a good 3 yrs to heal. For the most part my brain is better, but I still have days where I feel like I'm back in that confused and not processing state.
During those three years my prayers suffered. Don't get me wrong, I still had some amazing experiences with the Lord during my prayers, but my day to day prayers suffered. I had gotten out of my deep, daily relationship with the Lord and it turned into a habitual time on my knees pretty much repeating the same words. I hadn't even realized this till just the other day.
If you have the Don't Miss This journal, by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler, you've seen and heard about a prayer journal. They were truly inspired this year to add it to the journal. At the first of January I was introduced to writing down my prayers to the Lord. I blew it off and thought it was kind of weird. Why would I write down my prayers if I was just going to say it to the Lord? I had done the prayer journal to a degree on my mission. Being in a foreign country I couldn't always remember the names of the people that we were teaching. To help, I would write down each of their names so when I prayed I could make sure and pray for each and every one of them. But to write down my needs, I just didn't think it was necessary. And boy was I wrong!
Friday night I came home in turmoil from a long day of gymnastics meets. I was exhausted physically and mentally. My spirit was exhausted as well from trying to decide what to do about a situation that I knew needed to be fixed with some of my coaches. I couldn't sleep that night. I thought of all the possibilities and outcomes of the choices I was going to have to make. Nothing felt right, but yet I knew something had to change.
Saturday I woke up in my fatigue state from all the stress. I pondered more on the situation and what I needed to do. As I was pondering, I had the thought to use my prayer journal and so I gave it a go. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Nothing else was helping me. I wrote down everything I had been pondering and stressing over. It all came in question form. I closed my journal with no answer, but there was a relief that I hadn't found before writing. Within 15 minutes of finishing writing my prayer out to the Lord, my phone went off and I received the answer I needed from one of the coaches. During my time of writing, she was receiving the answers she needed to soften her heart so we could all move forward and work together.
I was stunned!! It came so quick and in a simple way, but yet, in that moment I knew that my daily relationship with the Lord could improve. I knew that I needed to begin writing my prayers out to him when I can't make sense during the pondering. Together, pondering and writing can become a powerful tool to express to the Lord all that is in my heart.
I believe that I can become a better instrument in his hands as I develop a better daily relationship with Him. And I know without a doubt that my relationship can and will change if I put forth the effort to do my part.
What are your tools for preparing yourself for daily prayer with the Lord?
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