My Weakness/His Strength: Praying about the Little Things

 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

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

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.”

“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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Grace frees me to be the child that I am!