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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on October 1, 2009

I have a pretty good collection of quotes and ideas on my computer titled “thoughts on prayer”.  Most of these are not my thoughts or original ideas.  They come from many sources and some I’m not even sure where I got them but every once in a while I scroll through them as a reminder.  I’m going to share some of them in several posts with you.

Take your time reading these and really examine how you may better connect with God.

Don’t begin a prayer by thanking God for the beautiful day!  Most times this is said out of repetition anyway and we say it without being aware of what the day is like outside.  That, and God already knows that it’s a beautiful day.  I mean, He made it for goodness sake.  Don’t you have anything more meaningful or personal to thank the creator and savior of the world for?

The point of prayer is not to change God, but to change me.  It’s not to convince Him of what I need or petition Him until He comes over to my side; rather it is about aligning myself with Him and His will.  This is why prayer must be a two way street.  I must not do all the talking.  I should listen.  I should see prayer not just as a conversation, but as me just coming into the presence of God.  I do this to be changed.  Prayer should change me.

In my prayer I should seek to know what God knows.  I should seek to hear what He has to say and what He wants to do.  I should seek to know what God wants to do…..

1. In me
2. Around me
3. Through me
4. For me

The Bible says to pray about everything.  I heard growing up that there are some things that are so obviously right that you don’t need to pray about them.  That is not true.  Just because someone comes up to you in need and asks you for money, it does not mean giving them money is necessarily the right thing to do, even though it would be fulfilling a need and may seem to be very “Christ-like”.  Would Jesus really do it every time?  Did He?  That is why we should pray about even these things.

Even in my prayer, I need to remember that the Bible portrays God mainly in two roles, as Father, and as Master.  So He provides, but He also calls the shots.  We don’t tell Him what to do or what to give us, but rather He tells us and we have no choice but to obey.  That’s how we grow spiritually.

Seek for God to lead.  He is my shepherd, so what He does is lead.  I grow closer to Him and receive more from Him by following.  But I cannot follow if I do not know when and where He is leading.

Category: Prayer
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