Pray More

This devotional is written by Henrietta Blyth.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever been going through a tough time, and worrying about it a lot, and then suddenly thought, “why haven’t I prayed about it?!”  I have.

Paul tells the Philippians not to be anxious about anything, but in EVERY SITUATION to pray and ask God for what they need.  Big, small, first world problem or third world crisis, God can always do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).  So here is my advice for 2023 – pray more!

Paul is promising here that if we hand over our worries to God by praying about them, He will replace our worry with His peace.  That is a pretty cool exchange!  But it’s not always easy to do.  Here are some things that have helped me pray:

Journaling – I write a letter to God and then ask Him if he has anything to say to me.  Flicking through my journal makes me thankful and reminds me of God’s power and faithfulness.  This really helps me pray more.

Going for a walk – each tree in the park reminds me of different people to pray for.  And it’s easier for me to keep praying if I’m moving, not sitting still.

Praying three word prayers.  I once spent a quiet time doing this and I asked the Lord as usual if He wanted to say anything to me and He said, “I love you!”

I can get obsessively worried about people.  A wise counsellor told me that my worry can actually get in the Lord’s way.  So now I imagine myself taking my hands off the person’s shoulders and putting them in Jesus’ hands instead.  Together we form a ring around the person I am praying for.  That puts my focus where it needs to be – on Jesus!