I’ve been blessed to have the support of many prayer warriors as I coursed through life. But for me… I’m more of a prayer “worrier”, and a distracted one at that!
Despite the growing number of “fear not” and “take courage” Bible verses I’ve memorised over the years, I somehow always end up rehearsing worst-case scenarios in my mind.
No doubt, the past 18 months have given us a whole lot to worry about, and it really has kicked my anxiety into high gear.
So, what’s a “worrier” to do?
Pray, of course!
Well, at least that would be the logical solution. Except that our home is rarely ever quiet enough for me to have my regular pre-pandemic quiet time.
And when I do sit down to pray, I’m bombarded with a multitude of zigzagging thoughts – ranging from, “Did I add salt to the grocery list?” to “Have the kids logged in to their classes yet?”
Between the never-ending demands of home, work, and family, my mind hardly ever quietens down enough for me to whisper meaningful words to my Heavenly Father.
That’s the excuse I’ve been holding on to... but even I know how flimsy it sounds.
So, I’m starting from scratch again.
I’m trying to re-establish a habit of prayer that will hold, even when our home and my mind are crazy and loud.
These days here’s what prayer looks like for me…
It’s waiting till my boys start their online classes in the morning and then taking a few minutes to pray over my day.
It’s pleading with God to intervene when I receive yet another request for prayer – and doing it right away before I forget.
It’s the quiet rushing that floods my soul when I’m able to sneak onto the terrace and breathe in God’s grace along with some fresh air.
It’s a commitment to meet like-minded souls regularly (over a call or online) to praise God for His goodness and pray for common needs.
It’s the freedom I feel when I pick up my pen and scrawl out hastily written words in my journal, letting God know my increasingly complex thoughts and feelings.
It’s the plaintive groans I let up closer to bedtime when the exhaustion of the day has caught up with me and I need just a little more of God’s strength to get me through.
When I catch myself “thinking” about something rather than actively praying about it, I’ve learnt to pause and reorient my thoughts.
I’m learning that I can choose my attitude every time I start praying. I can freely approach God’s throne and make my worries and anxieties known, but also rest in the knowledge that God is able to handle whatever is causing me turmoil.
On those particular days when there seem to be a million things swirling in my head, I start making a prayer list.
As the days pass and I go back through the list, I’m often amazed at the number of prayers God has already answered. Even those that didn’t work out as I’d expected turned out to be ok after all.
Prayer hasn’t completely eliminated my worries. But when I find myself spinning out, I’m reminded that either I haven’t prayed about that particular situation or I’m not resting in the faith that God’s got it under control.
I love how Psalm 116:2 says,
“Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.”
The NLT version translates it, “Because He bends down to listen…”
Can you envision God bending down to listen to our prayers? That’s just who He is – ever-present and compassionate.
And when God is bending down to listen, what does He hear?
Never-ending complaints about how nothing ever seems to be going right, or whispers of gratitude for the things that have worked out so far?
I’m holding on to the picture of God bending down to listen to me, and by His grace, I hope to utter thoughts and prayers He’d be pleased with.
Photo by Amaury Gutierrez on Unsplash
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I absolutely love and appreciate how transparent you are. I could’ve written this myself. One of the things that struck me (even though I know the verse), is God “inclining” his ear, or bending down to listen. While not taking away from His holiness, you also personalize the relationship that we have with our Father. Thank you for these blogs.
Dear Sheena, thank you for this beautifully written thoughts. We thank God for our prayers are answered according to His will. As you say let us continue to be grateful to all that we have so that we become from "Prayer worrier to Prayer Warrior". God bless you.
Thank you, Sam Anna. So grateful for God's grace as we move from worrier to warrior!
Thank you, Karan. Glad you were able to relate with the post.
I absolutely love the way you have simplified and put across..
My learning was the word "inclined"
Your blog's have been a blessing to me.
Looking fwd for the upcoming ones.
Thank you, Mayana! It was an incredible lesson for me too.
Sheena, true God bends down to hear us- warms my heart... Imagine that... He bends down to hear us... Wow, not just once but every time we go to Him in prayer.
And because we pray we are changed. Thank God for His wisdom.
Loved reading your blog post.
Love
KGP
Thank you, Karen! "Because we pray we are changed" - absolutely love that!
[…] the month was prayer, I seriously wondered if I should write about something else. I'm more of a prayer “worrier” than a prayer warrior and I know I have a long way to go with respect to consistency in […]