I know He cares about the little stuff,
but the bigger stuff seems more worth His time. He's got SO much to deal with,
and I know He's more than capable of handling ALL of it perfectly... but why
waste his time bothering Him with how much I hate my job when I should be so
grateful to be healthy, safe, free, and able to work?
I feel guilty asking for things to improve when
I know I have things SO much better/easier than the majority of people in the
world.
--- from Katie Jo Otte
--- from Katie Jo Otte
 |
| I feel so small down here! |
What a good question: Why pray about the little things?
I’ll give you three
reasons:
Who we are
Who we are
What we are called to do
Who He is
Who we are: Beggars
Apart from the grace of God, our hearts are incapable of love. We come to Him as
beggars, with unclean hearts and empty hands, requesting His forgiveness and
mercy along with our daily bread. We cannot change our hearts, and we (often) cannot change our difficult circumstances. We are, in all senses of the word, needy.
What we are called to do: Love
“Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is what we are called to do today. Love
Him, and love those around us
Is it hard for you to love
the people around you? It is hard for me.
Please note: when I say “love,”
I do not mean delight in, like, or enjoy.
To love means to desire the other
person’s good (bodily and spiritual good), and to plunge your body and heart
into sacrifice for their good (as He loves us.)
Let me ask you this: which of the following do you think is hardest?
- Loving the child with seizures as she is being hooked up to an EEG
- Loving the child who just crawled into your bed and you realize his pants are wet.
- Loving the child hanging on my legs while I am trying to make dinner.
That was a trick
question. I think all these things are hard.
Both require setting aside self and seeking the other’s good. That is hard in a
hospital room, and it is hard in my kitchen.
Who He is: Our Father
Because of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, we are children of God. We are carried by Jesus into the presence of God, where
beggars are given all that they need and more.
We are clothed in His righteousness, and we are invited to share in His
inheritance. We receive the gift of faith, and this gift is mixed with love and spills over into love.
We learn to
pray in all things; we pray without ceasing: that He would deliver us from trial and evil; that we may be helped through this sin-filled life; and His life and love may
constantly pour into us and flow through us to those around us.
“Lord, help me be patient and loving with this
child as he learns to use the toilet.”
“Lord, deliver us from seizures and evil.”
“God help me not to cringe when the kids hug me today.”
“God help me not to cringe when the kids hug me today.”
“Father, help me not be a
grump while I take out the trash.”
“God, help my job go
smoothly today! I need a break!”
“Father, let them nap a
little longer so I can finish this blog post.”
See? He hears our prayers.
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What do you think? Should we pray about the little things?
Do you ever feel like God might be to busy or be irritated with small requests?
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Click here for more My Weakness/His Strength
Grace frees me to be the child that I am!
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Click here for more My Weakness/His Strength
Grace frees me to be the child that I am!
I think we should pray about all things - big and small. He cares about the little things too.
ReplyDeleteI think yes we should pray for the little things. Who are we to know that they are little? Just because it might seem small or petty to us it could have a big impact on someone else.
ReplyDeleteGod already knows what is on our heart - good and bad, big and small. If we have actually given it as much as a milisecond of a thought or have actually meditated about it - the job, the bills, the cat or the dog, whatever it is, He also hears it, so why not give it to him too? If it's enough to be in our mind, it's enough to be worthy of speaking. God wants us to bring ALL things to Him, not just the ones we want to. Even if we think we can take care of it ourselves.
ReplyDeleteWe can do nothing without Him. Someone very wise recently told me, "He delights in being our strength, and if my God and Creator wants to be my strength, who am I to tell him He can't be!" So, I say YES, give it ALL to him, big and small. He is God afterall, He can handle it. and best of all, He WANTS TO!
I sometimes feel this way as well. I've been praying about finding another calling (i.e. job) and then feel guilty when I remember I have a decent job. I'm supporting my family when there are so many who are struggling. But, I pray about big things too and I hope that He forgives me for being selfish some of the time. Very thought-provoking post.
ReplyDeleteSomeone recently encouraged me to think of my relationship with Jesus as a marriage relationship. Due to the mercy of God, my earthly marriage is an amazing blessing. It has really helped knowing that I can bare my soul to my Lord just as and even more than I do to my husband..
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Whenever I read your blog, it makes me stop what I'm doing and just think and look around me. I'm including this post among this week's featured. Thanks again for linking up and blessings to you and your family this week. :)
ReplyDelete