Prayer Block

by | Jan 31, 2024 | road blocks

ROADBLOCKS – REGULAR PRAYER  (Day 4 of 7)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

So what makes it difficult for you to make time for God?

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2 NIV

I get distracted.

It’s kind of embarrassing how distracted I can get sometimes. I start talking to God and, the next thing I know, I’ve made a shopping list or I’m filling the empty cat food bowl.

cat food bowl

I don’t think God is terribly upset with that (I’m sure He has some good laughs over it). He knows me and I generally get back around to talking to Him. 🙂

There was also that time God didn’t answer a prayer of mine the way I wanted Him to. It was important to me and it really hurt when he said no. I didn’t talk to God much for a while. Oh, I said good morning and such, but I didn’t talk to Him about anything that was too important. I needed to heal the hurt and own that God’s wisdom is higher than mine.  He’s not a sugar daddy. He’s a wise and loving Father.

Sometimes when I mess up, I have a hard time approaching God. I’m doing better about running to Him, but it’s still kind of embarrassing. Geesh, God, I messed up … again. <sigh>

When it comes to praying for others, our feelings can get in the way. (One of the ways I know I’ve truly forgiven someone is when I can pray for blessing for them.)

What puts distance between you and God? What makes it hard to make time in your day for Him?

 

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Make Time to Talk to God

by | Jan 30, 2024 | first try

FIRST TRY – REGULAR PRAYER  (Day 3 of 7)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

Many of you will already have prayer habits.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2 NIV

Are they still working for you? Are there things you would like to try to help you spend more time talking with God or make that time more meaningful?

If you’ve been struggling to make time for God, start small and get regular with that.

May I also suggest that regularly praying for your spouse and your marriage is a good place to start. 🙂

Some ideas:

When someone hands me a baby, I immediately pray for them (for their salvation, their safety, for a life of health and adventure, etc.). Depending on the surroundings, that might be out loud or quietly. Having a habit of praying triggered by an event is a good habit to build. You could pray for your spouse when you make the bed, brush your teeth, or make coffee.

Routinely ask your spouse what they need prayer for, and then pause and pray right then (if they are comfortable with that, later if not).

couple holding hands and praying

Start a prayer journal. Write down your concerns and then, in time, write how God responds. (You could even share one with your spouse so you can each know what’s on your minds and can join each other in your prayers.)

Set an alarm on your phone to stop in your day and pray. Invite a friend or your spouse to join you. You don’t have to be in the same room to pray together.

I’m thinking of attaching prayer for my spouse/marriage to my morning devotional reading. (This is one of my personal goals this year. I need to be faithful in praying for Paul. He’s got a lot going on and he needs God’s wisdom and strength. And even though we’ve made 39 years, we still need to remain engaged and caring in our marriage.)

I’d love to hear other ideas for making prayer integral to your life. What do y’all do?

 

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Just Sittin’ and Talkin’

by | Jan 29, 2024 | self-examination

SELF-EXAMINATION – REGULAR PRAYER  (Day 2 of 7)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

When I was a kid, we had this old giant apricot tree with a treehouse in it (it was really just a couple of boards). I used to sit up there and talk to God. I’ve never really gotten away from the conversation model. 🙂

boards in a tree

I’ve had years when I didn’t pray that much and years when I prayed quite a bit (and asked myself why I didn’t do that always).

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2 NIV

Nowadays, I’m pretty good about praying for others, but I’m still a bit tentative when it comes to praying for myself (shades of childhood). I’ve read a number of books on prayer, but not really been happy with any of them (not sure why).

What’s your history with prayer?

 

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Hi, God

by | Jan 28, 2024 | concept

CONCEPT – REGULAR PRAYER  (Day 1 of 7)

In working with the recent concepts of stewardship and being God-dependent, I thought it might be wise to spend a week on prayer – how it impacts us and how it might impact our marriages.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2 NIV

I think it’s easy to develop some goofy ideas about prayer – specifics about how, when, or where we are supposed to pray. Our church culture can make it sound like a hoop to jump through, but really it’s just having a conversation with God. That can look like a specific time to talk to God, sharing your day with Him as you do dishes after dinner, or praying with your children at bedtime (or all of the above, and more).

family praying together

Perhaps spend some time thinking about how different people prayed in Bible stories or look up a few verses on prayer. Are there friends whose prayers feel comfortable and real?

Just park the concept of prayer on the back burner of your day and pull it out to think about a few times.

 

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Thirty-Nine

by | Jan 27, 2024 | reflection

REFLECTION & PRACTICE  (Day 7 of 7)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

Thirty-nine years ago, I married Paul. (Goodness, we look like babies.)

Paul and Lori getting married

We’ve made it to our 39th wedding anniversary. Wow. I’m pretty pleased with that. We still like each other and enjoy doing life together.

If I could give any encouragement, it would be to hang in there in your marriages. Good times come and go. Bad times come and go. Just continue to build into your marriage relationship those things that speak love. Be on each other’s team. Be good-hearted toward each other. Be best friends.

It’s worth the effort.

Shaunti Feldhahn is still rocking it with her Simple Superpower Series in part 3 – What Forgiveness Can Teach Us About a Thriving Life.

 

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Marriage Standards

by | Jan 26, 2024 | reflection

REFLECTION & PRACTICE  (Day 6 of 7)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

Our three concepts to consider:

stewardship – He’s the boss
take action – because love does
be God-dependent – be a branch on the Vine

More stewardship thoughts …

God is the boss of my home. What He wants for my home might be different from what I want. He may not care about the mess on the coffee table and be more concerned about my response to an interruption from the grandkids.

messy coffee table

I’m not saying that messes can’t be cleaned up, just that God seems to be more concerned about loving on folks.

When I take the same concept and really lay it over my marriage, I’m sad to say, I haven’t always been on the same page with God. My family-of-origin and cultural values got in there first and shaped how I saw marriage. Renewing my mind and agreeing with God are big deals.

Where do your marriage standards come from?

Recently I mentioned being wise with our tech use. Someone suggested Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Since Newport has written a number of good books, I don’t mind recommending it. But as with anything, please do keep your brain in gear and adopt those things that will work for you.

 

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