I once thought of Paul's statement to "Pray Always" as absurd.
WHAT?? Pray Always? Are You Nuts? How can a person pray always? In First Thessalonians 5:17, Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray. His exact words were to, "Pray without ceasing." Then in Philippians 4:6, Paul said something very similar, "IN EVERYTHING, in EVERY SITUATION BY PRAYER and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Notice, nowhere in either scripture is there is an exception to the rule. It says always, in everything, in every situation, etc. Does this sound a little impossible for you to always pray about everything? Isn't that being a little extreme? It sure seems so! It did until I began following the principle of praying about things small and things big. There was a time I asked some of the same questions I bet you are thinking right now! ...Questions like: Does that mean we should even pray for our pets? What clothes to buy when we go shopping? Where we should go on vacation? The answer is a simple yes and it will all become clear by the end of this blog.
I remember a lady I used to work with at a major insurance company. She was a born-again Christian. For months I observed that she always prayed over her lunch before beginning to eat. But I also noticed every day her lunch consisted of the same thing: cabbage soup! YUCK! One day out of curiosity I asked her how she could eat that nasty cabbage soup every day and why did she always bring the same thing. Thinking she was low on funds, I was ready to write her a check for groceries. Without a blink, she confessed that God told her to eat that particular soup. With a slight tone of sarcasm, I replied, "GOD TOLD YOU TO EAT THAT SOUP?" "Oh yes," she said adamantly. "I ask Him every day what to eat for my body and I pray over it." Curious, I came back with, "WHY??" Her answer then is the same as what I am telling you today, "Pray without ceasing and in everything by prayer and thanksgiving make your request known to God." It has been 21 years since we worked together and she is still eating cabbage soup to this day. Do you think she was being extreme? Just recently I learned that every one of her siblings and both parents have passed away of colon cancer except her. Her doctor told her that her diet of cabbage soup is the only reason he can account for her being free of the disease which has stricken all of her relatives! It is very easy to be a skeptic but God is pleased when we bring every aspect of our lives before Him in prayer. We don't have to worry that we are bothering Him with trivial matters. In this world, we have a lot on our plates as Christians besides just living our normal everyday lives. Look how much is going on all at once in the world, in the nation, in the church, in the middle east, in our families, and our own lives. God is concerned about everything we do, every decision we make no matter how trivial or unimportant you may think it is. Do you understand this? Do you really understand how important prayer is? You may be asking why we should pray about something as silly as what clothes to buy or when choosing a vacation destination. It is because everything we do or decide affects us. From the smallest decision to the biggest, and as Christians, we should be dependent upon our heavenly Father. It's walking in obedience to what His Word says. As an example of how decisions can affect you from the smallest to the greatest, look at the idea of praying before shopping for clothes. I want to help you understand the purpose and power of prayer. Praying will not only assist you, but it will also give you a sense of control and confidence.
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say my funds are limited and that I must be a good steward of my money, accounting carefully what comes in and what goes out. Employment and incomes can be completely unreliable. Some of you do not know what next month will look like. So with that, consider this when shopping:
POINT #1. Because our economy and incomes have become less reliable, this should teach us to completely rely on God.
POINT #2. We need His wisdom. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him". I need His wisdom more than ever, in every area of my life, and certainly including what I put into my shopping cart.
POINT #3. I want to be a good steward of what He has blessed me with and in a way that honors Him! How can that be you ask? If I am wise with my money, making wise financial shopping choices, it frees up more funds for others...for the poor, the needy, and the ministry. Proverbs 10:3 promises that the Lord will not let the righteous go hungry! No matter how much I have given to help people in obedience to Jesus' Word, I have never gone without. My needs are always met.
POINT #4. We should be incredibly thankful for His provision. Remember, He said "EVERY SITUATION BY PRAYER and thanksgiving." I can't just throw whatever I want or desire into my cart that I lay my eyes on. If we focus on how much God has blessed us with, it will cure any temptation to adopt a "woe is me" kind of attitude when we cannot have something we don't really NEED. Instead of pouting about things you must walk past in the grocery aisle, thank Him on the spot that you are not going hungry and you are feeding your family. There is nothing like reviewing the faces of hungry and impoverished African children in your mind to make you feel rich beyond belief. Be Thankful.
POINT #5. Remember the poor and needy. The goodness of the Lord is all around us. We should be incredibly thankful we have never lived a life of poverty as such as the children of Sudan! And though you may have enough to buy what you need to eat, still cover the matter in prayer.
When I tell people the Lord wants them to pray about things such as their pets, where to shop, what to get, and everything that concerns them, then positive things are the result, they begin to see God as a warm, loving Parent to whom they can run with the smallest care. We have all been taught as we grow up we should become less and less dependent upon our parents. However, in God's Kingdom, as we mature spiritually we are EXPECTED to become more and more dependent upon our heavenly Father! And one way we do that is by laying all of our requests and prayers before Him. Since I began praying about everything, I have seen God work miracles in situations that I would never have dreamed of praying for years ago. Here is a personal experience. Many of you who have connected with my Facebook page know I adopted a dog named, Mario. What some of you don't know is that I prayed before finding him by honoring the exercise of "in everything by prayer and thanksgiving make your request known to God." My request was more detailed than just simply wanting to rescue and adopt a dog. Because I needed several things to fall in place perfectly. I decided to literally pray for a special dog. A dog that met several requirements even though the dog had never met me before. Namely: a dog that would not only be housebroken but one that was cat friendly and wouldn't kill my two cats. A dog that would immediately accept my blind and deaf dog and not see her as weak prey and attack her. A dog that would adapt to my disability of using a wheelchair, a dog that already knew several commands, one that would sleep all night from day one, one who would adjust quickly, not be food aggressive, and lastly... a dog who would literally jump onto a golf cart and ride with me though he or she had never seen one before AND be happy doing it! You can see, my request was not only unconventional and unusual....it was impossible for anyone but God! After all, who tosses a dog out or abandons and gives one away that's perfect in every area like that? But, in faith, I used my power of prayer and believed "THAT" dog existed, and if anyone knew where that dog was, it was God! After all, He is aware of all things and can see all things. His eyes can see the entire plant. There had to be one perfect dog to fit my needs. After praying (Philippians 4:6), I thanked God and told Him I would watch and wait to find "that" dog. Every day, for three consecutive months I searched online rescues believing my perfect dog was there and that God would lead me to him. And though I was adamantly looking in the small dog listings for three months, one day I heard a voice prompting me to go look in the "big dogs" section. Initially, I balked! Big dog? No, I don't want a big dog. I had never owned or wanted a big dog and was not interested in the amount of yard clean up there is with a big dog, the amount of food they consume, or the higher medical cost for everything they need simply because of their size. For an additional 4-5 days that urge to go look in the big dog section hounded me. It was so strange! Then it dawned on me and I said to myself, "Oh I get it!! Duh. I bet there is a small dog in the big dog listing that was misplaced and accidentally put into that section! THAT'S PROBABLY MY DOG AND IT WILL BE GOD'S WAY OF TELLING ME HE PURPOSELY PLACED HIM THERE FOR ME TO KNOW THAT'S HIM. A LITTLE DOG STANDING OUT AMONG ALL THE BIG DOGS" Man, was I excited! I just knew my small dog would be there. A sweet little thing that would fit perfectly on the golf cart seat. I couldn't hit the keys on my computer fast enough to arrive at the heading "Big Dogs." My anticipation level was so high. Click click click I was flipping past Great Danes, Shepherds, Burmese Mountain dogs, Pinschers, and Sheepdogs. No small dog! Where was my little buddy?
I went back through the list a second time in case I overlooked him in my excitement. I went slower this time, and while searching I saw an unusual looking, beautifully colored, big dog. I don't know what he was, but his coat was beautiful. Too big though, much too big. I remember saying to myself, "Can you imagine the poop piles you'd get from that guy?" I chuckled and moved on. But honestly, over the next several days I could not get that dog off my mind. I kept going back to look at him. His coat was so beautiful!! Too big though, much too big. That's what I kept telling myself until I finally said, "Surely this isn't THE dog you have chosen for me, is it Lord? It can't be. I mean, he is too big. I don't like big dogs, you know that....too much maintenance!" The longer I looked at him, the longer I questioned to myself, the more I reasoned within myself, "Why do I keep getting drawn to this big 'ol dog? I told myself, 'asking questions about the dog isn't a commitment! Nothing says I am adopting. I'll call and ask about this dog because there is a reason I can't get him off my mind!' And so I did. The rest is history! I adopted him. Today he weighs 120 pounds! A far cry from a 5-pound Chihuahua!
Some reading my blog may be thinking..."Well, she never got her small dog and so she thinks her prayers were answered?" Yes, "I" wanted a smaller dog, but THE PERFECT dog with all the attributes I prayed for happened to be in a bigger body! He was the one that fit all the requests I petitioned of God. Only God could know this! And though things didn't turn out exactly as I had envisioned my life with a small dog, God knew Mario was the perfect fit for me. Had I not listened to that Voice in me (His Leading), I would have missed His blessing! Mario is THE PERFECT dog. The beauty of prayer is leaving things, even the smallest of trivial things in God's hands and trusting Him and His perfect will. Because I was willing to hear Him and trust His leading, I now have the perfect Dutch Shepherd/Mastiff mix that loves my cats, became the guide for my blind and deaf Boston Terrier, rides on my golf cart with me, helps to balance me when I stand from my wheelchair, he is 100% trained, has never gone potty in the house, on and on. He is one HUNK OF BURNIN' LOVE!! Mario was God's choice, HIS perfect choice all because I trusted Him and prayed for something as seemingly as far-fetched as a dog that could match every need I had. Do you still think it's stupid to pray about the smallest things? I hope not. Begin praying about all things ... decisions, choices, needs, wants, desires, and thank God before you ever receive an answer. TRUST that God will answer what is best for you even though you may think it's not exactly how you imagined it should be. God will always do what's best for you, and THAT is as good as you could ever hope for.
Until He comes,
-Pat-
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