Let's Talk PRAYER - 5/18/21
“Because He bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath.” - Psalm 116:2
I love to pray, and my prayer life totally changes me inside if I let it. Prayer is like nutrition for the soul, and it’s the best medicine we need for most anything we face, before, during and after our battles and recovery. Prayer changes things, and mostly prayer changes us, so let it.
I’ve been prayed for by so many wonderful peoplethrough the years, and I constantly try to pray forward, and if you’re reading this, consider yourself prayed for.
I’ve seen so many prayers answered, and how do you get what you want if you don’t ask for it? Often, God is just waiting for us to ask, for us to seek Him, and need Him. We want Him to fix our problems, but we’re slow to hand them over, mostly because we think we know what’s best for us. Believe me, I’ve been there, years of there, and while I’m not necessarily proud of these times, it’s these times that helped mold me into who I am now. I tried to steer my boat, clear the path before me, plan how my life would look, for me and my family, and so on, and so on. But, one thing you have to remember, our “yes” is sometimes His “no,” and His YES is perfect, but His NO is too. Be willing to accept His answer, and you’ll realize that sometimes our biggest blessings are truly our unanswered prayers.
God hears the simplest of prayers, so don’t be afraid to pray like a child, after all, we are His children. I pray some of the most childlike prayers and He knows that, and probably by now, expects it from me, and that’s ok.
Sometimes, during recovery, and maybe more often than not, we feel “alone” and I want you to know He never leaves you, and prayer is a way that you can connect with Him, you can know Him more intimately, and He can fill that emptiness, like nothing else can.
“I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me.” - Psalm 120:1
If praying seems hard for you, which is totally normal, so don’t beat yourself up with words that are belittling, don’t think “praying”—think “talking,” it’s that easy. Don’t try to overcomplicate it by trying to make it too “religious,” just be yourself. It’s like me writing this to you, I feel as if we’re just talking and I intend for it to feel that way. God’s on your side, He’s your teammate, He’s in your recovery with you and for you. You may feel “flawed” but you are worthy to seek His Throne, I promise. Posture yourself to be in His presence and in a state of communion with Him. Pray without words, if needed, knees on floor, hips settled, head bowed into your hands, heart on your knees with the only sound being your heartbeat and breath. Sometimes we don’t need to speak, we just need to pause and listen. Practice pausing.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” - Romans 8:26 (emotional sighs, too deep for words)
God receives our tears as words, when words won’t come, and they’re the only offering we have to give. Sometimes we’re so depleted by the depth of our problems, just drawing a breath takes energy and it’s totally exhausting. The bridge between panic and peace truly is prayer, so let Him meet you just where you are, and let Him be that connection. God doesn’t ask us to change to approach Him, He does the changing when He approaches us.
Our words pierce Him, and He receives what we pray, so…pray. Pray early. Let prayer direct your day before it directs you. Pray and bring your worries to God, and have faith to leave them there. Even after recovery, talk to God, seek Him during, and thank Him after. Make prayer a part of each day, from here on out.
He longs to speak to us but we have to make room to receive the word He’s giving us. Sometimes we carry our broken pieces to God, and days or even weeks later, we find a shard that we left behind. Just like when a glass is broken and we think we have all the pieces picked up, and later find out we didn’t, and it results in hurt, both with the broken pieces, and the glass. What broken pieces do you still need to give to Him? Trust Him and lay them down; give them to Him in prayer. He wants to provide for you, hear from you, and communicate with you; the Father longs to speak to His children.
The secret places in your heart, He knows them, so don’t allow the noises of worry and fret to get so loud in your head that you can’t hear His voice.
Lord, I pray You lead me to the pain and help me help You mend the broken. God, we can’t change what You put at our feet, but we can let it make us instead of break us. Hard will always come, and I pray You strengthen us by what You allow us to endure.
Pray. Wait. Trust.
He knows your voice, so trust His.
Victory is yours!
Shelley Taylor
(originally posted in Fellowship of the Parks NFW - Celebrate Recovery blog)