thoughts on prayer...

One of my goals for this year is to be more intentional with my prayer time.  I bought a Prayer Journal by Val Marie Paper which I love, and I had envisioned myself sitting down with a cup of coffee every Saturday morning and pouring my heart out to God in prayer.  I pray every single day, mind you, but during the week that looks like driving to work with the radio off and speaking aloud to God in the quietness of my car.  I wanted my weekends to be different and more focused on Him - not driving, not the clock - just Him.  I have not been as faithful to this time as I would like.  I push it off - one cup of coffee while doing laundry, a second cup while making the grocery list - and before you know it, half the day has gone by and I still haven't prayed.

So I asked myself why is this happening?  Why am I rushing around the house trying to cross off items on my to-do list and not attending to the most important thing - my relationship with God?  It came to me all at once, my very flawed thinking:  I think there is a part of me that feels like prayer is passive.   I have dreams that I want to succeed and tasks that I want to accomplish, and being still in prayer seems counter-intuitive to making things happen.  I have been trying to do, do, do and go, go, go.  But you know what?  If I don't bring it all to Him in prayer, every wish and desire - big or small - than what am I really accomplishing?   John 15:5 says " I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."  Prayer IS action - it is coming before the throne of Jesus and laying it all down at His feet.  The messy and the broken, the hopes and the dreams.  By coming into His presence and seeking out what He has purposed for my life -  that is when action really takes place.  It is where He opens my eyes and opens doors. It is where He prepares my heart, and prepares a way for my dreams to take place.  Seeking Him and His kingdom FIRST and then asking Him to show me what He wants me to do next. THAT is action my friends, and that is the only way we will bear much fruit, or any fruit at all for that matter.  Thank you Jesus that you care about our desires and our dreams, and thank you for inviting us to come to you with all of them, no matter how small.