Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Praying Your Way To Peace...

"Those who choose murmuring as their lifestyle will spend their lifetime in the wilderness." ~ Excerpt from Lord, Change My Attitude by James MacDonald

There are so many times in life that I find myself complaining about something. I'm getting a little better with it, but nonetheless, I still complain more than I should. In the bible, as the Israelites traveled from captivity in Egypt to the Promised Land, they complained often despite of all the ways God had already made for them. In response to this, the Lord's anger "was aroused, and the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the camp" (Numbers 11:1 NKJV). Often, I wonder why it's so easy to forget about God's goodness and waste so much time complaining--especially when we know how much God despises it...

Today while praying, my endless list of petitions was interrupted with the question, "why don't you shift the focus to what God has already done?" Hence, the inspiration for this blog. I don't mind sharing this with you because I refuse to believe Satan's lie that I am alone in this state of habitual complaining. Hopefully my transparency will help you strengthen your prayer life and help you see life from a more positive angle as I am striving to. So in the midst of my prayer time, I said this instead...

"Lord, everything may not be perfect in my life, but I thank you that I have never missed a meal, never gone to bed without heat or electricity, never received a phone call from any bill collector, never been jobless, never been sick and unable to get treated...I may not come from a huge family, but I have been blessed with a handful of family members and a host of friends who I love and know I can depend on. I may be praying for more, but I actually have everything I need in this very moment and I am grateful..."

After doing that, I can honestly say that I felt a whole lot better about my situation, because my praise reminds me of who God is to me. You may add your own list of blessings to this prayer, but the result should be similar. Because the Lord inhabits (dwells in/is drawn to) the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), that is my best way to get His attention. When I choose to dwell on what's not right, then that only makes me feel worse and my faith diminishes. On the contrary, prayer quiets my thoughts and feelings and gets me in a posture to hear and receive His guidance.

I want to encourage you that whenever you become tempted to wallow in dissatisfaction, force yourself to pray your way into peace.

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