The disciples asked Jesus: “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Perhaps you too have wondered this same question: “How do I pray??”
Today’s blog post is a peek into my own prayer life.
My daughter is boarding a plane this evening to fly far away for a very important business trip! You can bet I’ve been praying for her! This is what it has looked like …
I head out for my daily walk of loops around my front drive for exercise.
Right off first thing, I pass by a bright sunny section where wildflowers are blooming! I didn’t know wildflowers bloomed this late into the fall. Those bright cheery wildflowers are just like my daughter!
“God please help my daughter this next week to be a bright cheery presence in everything she does! God, please let Your Presence shine brightly through the life of my daughter!”
I head up a small rise … here I pray for my hubby! His work is nothing but an uphill climb right now! “God, please help my hubby! God, please help my hubby in his uphill-climb!”
I come to a section where the leaves are beginning to fall with the changing of the season. I pray for my sister!
I pass through a section where I found really cool-looking sparkly rocks compacted in amongst the gravel of our drive. I pray for our precious little friends up in Alaska. They love sparkly rocks!
I come to the place where two bears are camouflaged in the bushes.
When hubby and I first moved into our home in the forest, the wooden bear (on the left) was perched prominently in a flowerbed in the middle of the backyard. My daughter thought it was creepy-looking and couldn’t stand having to look at it. So, hubby moved it up to the front and placed it in the bushes next to the driveway.
When my son moved into his home recently, the cement bear statuary came with the house. It sat prominently next to his back patio … and he, likewise thought it was creepy-looking. So, hubby and I brought it back to the forest and set it in the bushes alongside the wooden bear with thick mossy eyebrows.
I pass by the bears in the bushes and I pray for my son!
I’m back to the wildflowers again! What a bright cheerful pink flower! “God, please help my daughter to be a bright cheerful presence for You at her conference this next week! God, please fill my daughter with Your power and please help her to be a bright cheerful presence for You!”
Up the small rise. “God please help my hubby in his uphill climb at work!”
Crunching through the colorful fallen leaves. “God please help my sister!”
My thoughts begin to wander as I think about my sister and everything going on in her life. Oops! I totally passed by the section with the cool-looking sparkly rocks and forgot to pray for our precious little friends in Alaska.
Past the two bears camouflaged in the bushes. “God please help my son! (and the specifics going on in his life)”
Back to the wildflowers again! Oooooo! … look at all those pretty little white flowers sprinkled here and there all throughout the entire swath of wildflowers. “God, please help all the many people my daughter interacts with throughout this next week!”
“God, I pray for each one of those precious people! God, You know what’s going on in each of their lives. God, please help them to be encouraged as they interact with my daughter throughout this next week!”
Up the small rise. “God, please help my hubby in his uphill climb at work!”
Crunching through the colorful fallen leaves. “God please help my sister!”
Past the section with the cool-looking sparkly rocks! “God please help each one of our precious little friends in Alaska!”
My mind begins to wander as I think about the package I just recently sent to our precious little friends. I think about the cool rocks I sent to them which I had picked up over the years. I think about each little precious friend and pray for each one according to their personality type.
Oops! I totally walked right past the bears in the bushes and forgot to pray for my son! I’m back to the wildflowers again!
That little pink wildflower looks tired. “God, please help my daughter when she is tired and exhausted this next week! God, I pray for those late evening when she is empty and has to keep going. God, please give her strength! God, please help her to keep pushing through when she is weary and doesn’t have anything left to give!”
Up the small rise. “God, please help my hubby in his uphill climb at work!”
Crunching through the colorful fallen leaves. “God please help my sister!”
I’m stopped in my tracks by a little chipmunk up in the tree, off in the bushes to the right. The tree is wirey and the branches droop and bob underneath the weight of the tiny little chipmunk. Nevertheless, the little chipmunk maneuvers over, up, underneath, and around to ultimately reach a small clump of seeds on the end of the branch.
I stand there in the middle of the drive … watching the tiny little chipmunk munch away on the seeds. And my attention is caught by a bird hopping up the neighboring tree … eating bugs off the thin trunk as it goes.
“Be still … and know that I am God” … the verse pops into my mind.
So I stand for a bit … completely still … listening to the forest sounds … in awe of God’s beautiful little forest creatures! “Thank you God!” “God, You are amazing!”
Past the bears in the bushes … “God, please help my son!”
Back to the wildflowers … “God, please help my daughter!”
And so it goes … for an hour … as I walk loops for exercise around my front drive. Wandering thoughts reigned back in. Everything around me a tool, to help guide me in my prayers for those whom I love!
This is what it looks like to pray.
(At least this is what it looks like when I pray. Everyone is different. Your prayer life will probably look totally and completely different. And that’s ok! Your prayer life doesn’t have to look just like mine. Let your prayer life look like you!)
