Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 csb
When we take time to really learn the character of God, it changes how we see Him and our prayer life. We recognize that He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is everywhere. He knows all. He is all-powerful. And despite all of our flaws and struggles, God still desires to connect with us through prayer.
But here’s something to consider….. If God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, then why do we fill our prayers recounting what happened or what situation we’re facing? He already knows. He already saw it. And He can change our situation in an instant.
Y’all, that question changed my prayer time. Why? Because it reoriented me to who I’m actually talking to.
- God already knew about my day, I didn’t need to recount it to Him… but I could use my prayer time as an opportunity to examine myself in light of who God created me to be. God was downloading opportunities for self-improvement and ways that I can respond better in the future.
- I didn’t need to come up with strategies for tackling the situations I faced… I simply needed to ask Him for wisdom to navigate the coming hours, days, or weeks. God gave me clear direction on what I needed to devote my time and energy to and what was a waste of time.
- I didn’t need to give Him a to-do list of what I wanted to be done… He already knew what was best for me. God knew that His will would be accomplished through my life because He knew me better than I knew myself.
My prayer requests shifted from ‘Do what I want You to do’ to ‘Show me Your will, God’. I found myself asking for guidance instead of petitioning for the removal of the challenges ahead. I found myself in states of thanksgiving because I had a direct connection to a neverending flow of peace.
Prayer truly changes everything… when it’s properly oriented to who God is.
Today, I want to encourage you to take a look at the content of your own prayers. Do you pray like you know who you’re praying to?
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