What to pray for?
wants vs. needs…
'One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ” ' Luke 11:1-4
while i’m generally not at a loss for words when asked to speak, praying is quite different. struggled at times to know what to say and ask. early in my walk, and likely before, it was more selfish requests than spending time to hear from The Lord.
sounded like - God, please do this or that for me; if you would only do this then i would do that for you; i really need or want this badly and i promise that i would change; or it was something very similar to these.
i treated God as if He was a ‘magic genie’ whom i could willfully call on to provide my every whim and desires because i deserved it. it was not a 2-way conversation, it only was me speaking and not remotely listening.
verse 3 - “give us this day our daily bread” is very powerful as it is a reminder for me to appreciate what i do have. to not get distracted by my wants vs the needs that are being provided for. as i shared yesterday, The Lord has always taken care of my family and i despite me not being deserving for the selfish pursuits and being irresponsible with what i had. with this, it is for me not to forget where everything comes from to begin with.
verse 4 - this part is not always easy because my focus may be on who offended me rather than looking to see what i’ve done to hurt others. to forgive as we were forgiven - you can’t have one without the other.
taking inventory of what God has done and provided for my family and i. not allowing the devil to get in my head about things i’ve lost and what others have.
when i have done something wrong (sinned), to confess it immediately, asking Jesus for forgiveness and whomever i have hurt, then do my best to learn from that mistake. from there, to truly grow is to help others so that they don’t do the same.
Father God, thank you for being our provider. you have always been there for my family and i. teach me to be fine with what i have instead of what i don’t. i don’t deserve the grace and love you have shown me. thank you Lord for your mercy and grace, the forgiveness of my sins - teach me to extend the same to others and to not allow my pride to apologize for whatever transgressions i’ve made. in Jesus’ Holy and Precious name i pray, amen!