Devotional #1: Prayer
Hey, guys. I know I haven't posted a lot recently. Things have been busy, and honestly this blog has been the last thing on my mind. But, I have been having some ideas recently. For devotionals, actually. I'm going to do three devotionals- one on prayer, one on failure, and one on happiness.
In my youth group this last Sunday, we talked about prayer- and whether or not we truly believe in it. When you talk to God, it's hard to know what he's saying back. There's no messages getting written on mirrors or angels appearing to tell you God's will. Sometimes it can feel like God is too busy to answer back, or doesn't care.
You may not have heard of George Mueller. e was an Evangelical Christian who provided food for about 300 orphans in his care. Often before a meal, he would have no idea where the meal would be coming from. He even said that if he missed a meal, he would not continue the work- yet each time, the food would arrive through some unexpected means.
It can still be difficult to believe in the power of prayer- especially since praying can be so hard. It's easy to only pray when you need help, or when something amazing happened for you to give thanks for. After all, God is with you all the time, so he doesn't need updates on your life, right?
At the end of church, our pastor challenged us all to spend ten minutes a day this week just spending time with God, praying. Though I didn't end up spending the ten minutes yesterday due to a variety of things, I did get around to it on Monday, and I do feel like I learned something.
I gathered some gel pens, a journal and a timer, knowing that I have issues just praying quietly to myself- it helps me to write things down. Then, I started the ten minute timer and started writing.
At first, it was awkward and clunky. Everything was formal and stiff- paragraphs of thank-yous and pleases, but I still felt that it was helpful. As I wrote things out, I could feel my worries being lifted off my shoulders. I ended up writing even after the timer stopped, asking for help in many areas- and thanking God for many things.
At the very end, I found myself stopping the list of "thank you"s and "please do this"s in favor of just talking. Instead of requesting, it's much easier to just talk to God. God loves to hear from you, and it's important to spend time with him- not just asking him for help or thanking him for something he did in your life in short, formal terms, but explaining in detail the issues in your life, like you would to a friend or confidant.
I encourage you guys to try this exercise as well, and tell me what you think- of this devotional, and trying out ten minutes of prayer a day.
In my youth group this last Sunday, we talked about prayer- and whether or not we truly believe in it. When you talk to God, it's hard to know what he's saying back. There's no messages getting written on mirrors or angels appearing to tell you God's will. Sometimes it can feel like God is too busy to answer back, or doesn't care.
You may not have heard of George Mueller. e was an Evangelical Christian who provided food for about 300 orphans in his care. Often before a meal, he would have no idea where the meal would be coming from. He even said that if he missed a meal, he would not continue the work- yet each time, the food would arrive through some unexpected means.
It can still be difficult to believe in the power of prayer- especially since praying can be so hard. It's easy to only pray when you need help, or when something amazing happened for you to give thanks for. After all, God is with you all the time, so he doesn't need updates on your life, right?
At the end of church, our pastor challenged us all to spend ten minutes a day this week just spending time with God, praying. Though I didn't end up spending the ten minutes yesterday due to a variety of things, I did get around to it on Monday, and I do feel like I learned something.
I gathered some gel pens, a journal and a timer, knowing that I have issues just praying quietly to myself- it helps me to write things down. Then, I started the ten minute timer and started writing.
At first, it was awkward and clunky. Everything was formal and stiff- paragraphs of thank-yous and pleases, but I still felt that it was helpful. As I wrote things out, I could feel my worries being lifted off my shoulders. I ended up writing even after the timer stopped, asking for help in many areas- and thanking God for many things.
At the very end, I found myself stopping the list of "thank you"s and "please do this"s in favor of just talking. Instead of requesting, it's much easier to just talk to God. God loves to hear from you, and it's important to spend time with him- not just asking him for help or thanking him for something he did in your life in short, formal terms, but explaining in detail the issues in your life, like you would to a friend or confidant.
I encourage you guys to try this exercise as well, and tell me what you think- of this devotional, and trying out ten minutes of prayer a day.
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