PRAYING BOLDLY

When something happens that is out of the normal routine I will perk up my ears. Why did that just happen? Am I supposed to be doing something different? That very thing happened to me this past week, not just once, but twice.

Every morning after I get my cup of coffee and feed the dogs I settle down and read my morning devotion from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. By the time I finish with the day’s devotion and read all the corresponding bible verses, it is time to take the dogs out to potty. I will grab my phone and go and sit in one of the rocking chairs to watch them roam around in the yard. I normally check my emails and then read one of the Proverbs:31 ministries devotional that has been emailed to me. When I read a devotional that I really like I will save it so that I can go back and look at it again.

This morning I took out my phone and hit the email button. It came up on an old devotional from back in February that I had saved. I thought, “how strange” so I re-read the devotional and closed it out and then continued to read the rest of my emails. I went back in the house and gave the dogs their treats and gave Beckley his morning shot. Then I sat down to work on the computer for a few minutes before I started getting ready for work. My phone dinged to let me know I had a notification so I picked it up and opened it. When I clicked on my email the same devotional came up again!!! I had closed it out earlier and had read other emails. This devotional was probably 50 or more emails down the line so there was NO reason for this to ever open up again. It could only have been God trying to tell me something.

Praying Boldly. That was what the devotion was on. I admit that I struggle in this area and since the Lord keeps bringing this up to me, I figured that he was telling me to work on this. The first thing I thought was, why do I have trouble praying boldly?

Rejection.

I hate being told no. I assume everybody is the same way. What if I ask for healing and the answer is no? What if I ask for a job and the answer is no? What if I ask for a baby and the answer is no? When I am told “NO” I think that you don’t like me. If I don’t ask then I can’t be told no, problem solved. NOT! What if I ask but I ask timidly? Maybe I will just ask by saying, “If it is your will.” Of course, it is only if it is His will, but by adding that little caveat I save my feelings.

Pestering.

Am I pestering the Lord? Doesn’t he have enough requests on his plate without me adding mine to the pile? I’ll just ask for the really “important” things, like healing my friend. I’ll not bother him with petty things that I would like. I will just work hard and try to do it on my own.

Bossy.

Heal this, bring that, give me, give others, etc. I do “ask” but there are times when I feel like my asking is almost demanding. I might ask my children to clean their rooms but I really am telling them to clean their rooms. Is this the same attitude that I am taking in my prayers?

The bottom line is this, the Lord is not going to reject “me,” I am not pestering “Him,” and asking is not “bossing.” The Lord “wants” to give to us but He also “wants” us to ask. When He says no we just have to remember that it does not mean that He doesn’t love us, it means He has something different in mind. His ways are so much bigger and better than mine could ever be and I need to remember that I am not seeing the entire picture.

I am now practicing praying boldly. I am asking with no fear of rejection because I know that He is not rejecting ME. He just has a different agenda that I don’t know about. Today, take the next 15 minutes and pray boldly for whatever is in your heart. Let the Lord hear you ask so that He can answer.

Have a Blessed Sunday!!!