When I was a young child I recall praying to God on a daily basis. It was more like just talking to Him. I thanked Him for candy, for my family, for our house, for my dog, for my cat, but NEVER for spiders.
I do remember my first religious prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” You know, that prayer never really gave me any comfort as a child. I even recall a few times I laid awake for hours to make sure that I didn’t die in my sleep. Lol. In my opinion that’s a terrible prayer.
As I got older my prayers became more selfish. “God, give me this” or “fix that,” or even “make my sisters be nice to me.” (It was never, “help me be nice to them.”)
In my teen years it seemed my basic need was “not to get caught” doing something so my prayers consisted of this main request. And this is also when life got busy. So I developed my own “shotgun” approach to prayer where I would fire off a barrage of requests to God while curling my hair with one hand and applying mascara with the other.
When I entered my twenties I was faced with real adult issues and situations. My prayers got serious. Marriage, motherhood, job, finances. And several addictions I didn’t discuss with the Lord very much except for a few, “forgive me’s” from time to time along with several resurrected, “don’t let me get caught,” requests.
Then in 1996 at the age of 33 I came to the end of myself and for the first time and with my whole heart I finally spoke a prayer in faith, “God change me.”
For the first time I was not praying for a better life/circumstances or even for someone else. I did not want to be me anymore. (John 12:25)
I had prayed at God for all of my life but I had never met God. I had times where I experienced His presence or comfort but again I knew that I had never met Jesus.
So I got down on my knees one night and said, “God I have heard about You my whole life but I don’t know You. I have prayed to You all of my life, but I have never met You. Jesus, I am not moving one step until I speak to You.”
This prayer was answered instantly. (Rev. 3:20)
Suddenly I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Then waves of God’s unconditional love, grace and mercy flowed through my entire soul and body.
Then a peace like I had never known came into my heart and I knew God.
I remember with tears streaming down my face and with my next breath I said, “God YOU ARE REAL! Jesus YOUR ALIVE.”
For the first time I knew God as my Heavenly Father, as if a veil had been lifted off of my face. I knew I had made peace with Him. I knew that my sins were forgiven- all of them. Not just because someone told me, now I knew this truth in my heart, at that moment. I met Love and I knew Jesus could save anyone.
But here is the strange part. That is where my faith stopped in a way. I still found myself asking Heavenly Father to do something in my life. And I was seeing some of my prayers being answered but I still struggled with many things.
Finally, ten years later, after getting sick and facing a diagnosis of MS, the Lord brought a Bible teaching into my path. Actually, several teachings, “Spirit, Soul and Body,” “You’ve Already Got It,” “God Wants You Well” and praise Jesus, “A Better Way To Pray.”
Long story short, with this correct teaching of the Word of God I was able to position myself to receive by faith what the Lord has already provided by grace in other areas, not only saved from hell.
Within a relatively short time I was healed of MS, delivered from a drug addiction and 32 cigarette addiction.
My prayer life had changed from “God do something” to “Thank you Lord for what You have already done.”
And by faith I began reaching out and receiving this “abundant life” that Jesus spoke about in John 10:10.
Now, most of our time is spent enjoying each other’s company. John 17:3 “For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
I haven’t arrived but I’ve left and I want to encourage you to take a look at your prayer life. What kind of results are you getting? Are you frustrated? Do you feel defeated? Or that your prayers are falling on deaf ears? Maybe it’s because you are asking the Lord to do something He has already done.
Don’t settle for less than God’s best. Why would we do that? Jesus paid for it. I want it all, I don’t want to waste one drop of His grace.
In Jesus name, I pray that everyone reading this column, including myself, has the eyes of our understanding opened to receive greater revelation of what the Lord Jesus has done for us, here on this earth as it is in heaven.
Contact Brenda Groves at: ads@alvinsun.net
