I have a habit of journaling my quiet time (the time I set aside to meet with God… refocus, get set for the day, read His Word, pray, reflect, repent… you know… things like that).  Part of that time is spent in making requests to God… the churchy term is prayer requests.

As I look over the things I’m asking God to do in and around my life I’m noticing something… a lot of “me”, “mine”, “me”, “me”, “me”.  I do mean a lot.

Now don’t misunderstand me.  I believe God when He said through Paul, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  This is a command.  This is true.  This is to be done.

I also believe prayer is powerful and its power is far greater than simply a means to present God with my list but that is often its limit.  It is often limited to Harley offering up his list to God.

I wonder…

Just perhaps…

What if prayer was more about what God wants from me than what I want from God?

What if prayer was more about what God wants out of me than what I want out of God?

… literally “out” of me… cut out… eliminated… omitted from my life…

and also

“out of me”… from me… good emerging from my life… new habits, behavior, a Jesus world view and Jesus-like-ness…

What if prayer was more about what God wants from me than what I want from God?

If prayers were this, I believe the power of prayer would transform me… more and more.

I think my prayer journal will begin to reveal some powerful change in the years to come.  I will still bring my needs and requests to God but perhaps the other parts of my prayers will grow more and more and God will use prayer as a mighty tool to move me… change me… rearrange me.  Maybe prayer will move me to His desired actions as much as I have (in the past) intended it to move God to my desired actions.

Just perhaps,

Harley