Changing the Conversation

As I enter this time of prayer, I repeat the words of Psalm 25:16–17, slowly, several times, making them my prayer to God:

‘Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.’

Pause and repeat

Pause to read the passage Ps. 123:2

‘Why does God speak clearly about peripherals but remain silent on the issue with which we most need His help? My answer—call it a hunch—is that sometimes God is enjoying the way we are wrestling with Him in prayer through this process. To put it another way, He may consider our wondering and questioning more important than the relatively simple act of supplying us with an answer. Whatever the reason, I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating this is! … Sammy and I are praying harder, we are searching our souls more diligently, and we are tuning our ears to the slightest whisper from heaven in a way we would not normally do. In short, we are drawing nearer to God precisely because of our unanswered prayer’*

Do I ever experience God ‘changing the conversation’ when I am being vulnerable with Him in prayer or asking Him for help?

Pause and reflect

Instead of asking the Lord to do something for me today, I wonder if there is anything He is asking me to do for Him today?

Pause and pray

As I bring this time with God to a close, I pray a prayer of surrender by Richard Foster:

‘Today, O Lord, I yield myself to You. May Your will be my delight today. May You have perfect sway in me. May Your love be the pattern of my living. I surrender to You my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions. Do with them what You will, when You will, as You will. I place into Your loving care my family, my friends, my future. Care for them with a care that I can never give. I release into Your hands my need to control, my craving for status, my fear of obscurity. Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish Your kingdom on earth. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.’

*Pete Greig, God on Mute, David C Cook, (Colorado Springs, 2020), p154-155