Prayer

MckMama posted a piece on prayer about an hour ago, and I've just been chewing on it. It's, as always, a piece that is truly from her heart. She has posed, and answered, a question. I'm going to just copy the question:
If God knows what the outcome is going to be for our sweet son Stellan, which I firmly believe He does, then what on earth is the point of me, or you for that matter, praying for him?
I encourage you, if you haven't already, to read her thoughts on the subject. Basically, my take on her post was this: God uses prayer to prepare our hearts for His will. He does not change His plans based on our desires!

Of COURSE! It's so sensible! See, we have spent lifetimes thinking that if we just pray hard enough, or long enough, or with enough of us involved. But God's plan is still just that- His plan. Nothing we do or say is going to change that.

Here's what prayer does accomplish, in my mind.

I pray when I need to feel God by my side the most. When I am facing a difficult situation, when I am weak, that's when I most strongly turn to God. God reminds ME how much I need HIM!

I pray with others, rallying around a situation. Sometimes, a situation is bigger than me. It's not to big for God, but we, as humans, still want to have things our way. I have learned not to pray for physical healing, but for God's will, peace, guidance and strength. I pray less and less for what I want, and more for His will to be done. So, when I pray for someone else, I may not really be praying the prayer they want me to, but they take comfort and their hearts are opened simply by the act. You know how seeing someone do something nice for someone else makes you smile? Prayer is like that. I'm trying to lift a burden up and hand it to God! And our burdens are lighter and easier to lift when others are helping us lift them.

I've been working really hard on a "Let Go, Let God" concept in my life. I like to do things my way. I like to have them the way I want them. And you know what I'm finding? That when I try to do that, nothing works out. When I remember to "Let Go, Let God", the pieces fall into place. My husband's work situation (or lack thereof, as the case may be) has been exceptionally difficult for me of late. I'm blessed to be well established in a job I love, with people who are like family to me. For my husband, it's been harder. We've been through job changes, unemployment, commission based work with nominal income, you name it. And I was exhausted. The stress of it was destroying my marriage. I literally did not know if we would make it to the end of the year. The same MckMama posted this gem and it was the kick in the head that I needed. I was so busy making bad fruit, I was tainting the soil! As my own rotted fruit fell to the ground, it was damaging the roots of my relationships.

So, I went to my husband and apologized for my behavior. And then, I just let go. I decided that when the time and opportunity were right, they would happen, and until then, we would just keep doing the best we could with what we had. You know what we had? A shiny new job offer, less than a week later.

Seriously.

When I prayed that God's will take place, stuff HAPPENED! When I focused on what I wanted, I got nothing. And I believe that it is God's desire to fulfill our desires! Not all of them, of course, because we are still sinners, and that's NOT what He wants, but as our faith grows, and our desires align with His for us, He wants us to be blessed to the fullest.

So, I will continue to pray for Stellan, and MckMama, and Prince Charming, and the rest. I will pray for Dr. B. But I will pray that God carry them, guide them, hold them close. I will not pray that Stellan receive physical healing, even though it is my earthly desire for that family. Instead, I will pray for God's healing, however He see's fit. And in all things, we shall sing His praise!