What I Don't Pray For

My way of prayer changed a few years ago.

God bless me. God bless my family. God bless the food. God bless the hands that prepared the food. God bless America.

That is what I stopped praying.

I realized that my prayers had become self-centered. If I were to really look around at my life, I would notice that I am blessed beyond measure. That I have food in my cupboards (for weeks to come, although it is often something that I don't want to make). I have a healthy, beautiful family. I live in America, where I can turn the tap on everyday and have clean water.

I changed my prayer from God bless to God make me a blessing.

"I seek you with all of my heart..." Psalm 119:10

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Psalm 116:7

"Let us come to complete unity to let the world know that Jesus loves them..." John 27:23 (my paraphrase)

You see, I changed the way I prayed because I wanted to pray in God's will. And honestly, too often, I don't know what God's will is. So what I started doing was praying Scripture. What I learned was, the prayers of the people of the Bible aren't "bless me" (although, you do come across it), but they are more, "teach me...show me...search me...hold me..."

I have been praying for God to give me His eyes and heart so that I am moved to compassion. That I can have opportunities to share His love. That I will be a blessing to someone.

I am not saying that there are people who don't need to be blessed. No. What I am saying is that I am blessed. Let me use that blessing to bless someone else. My goodness! My cup overflows!

And when the desert times come (and it will) I pray that I will rest in the blessings that have brought me this far.

May you never forget from where you came and trust in where God is leading. There is blessing, even in the pain.

Little Miss Ella

On Easter, my Ella did an amazing thing. She could not hold in the the excitement of the Resurrection and she had to tell someone.

At first, when she told us that she wanted to go door to door to read the Bible to people Riley and I were hesitant. We don't really want her going door to door. But we also knew that we she not discourage her.

So after an hour (at least) of begging, Riley went over to our neighbor's house and asked Roger if Ella could read to him from the Bible. Of course, Roger at the moment, was in the shower and so his grandson said that we would be over in a little while.

Little Miss Ella was so very, very excited that she went in and got ready. She brought out a blanket for them to sit on, a plate of marshmellows and two pieces of buttered bread. Two glasses of orange kool-aid and then a decorative goose and metal pitcher that we leave outside. She wanted to make Roger comfortable.

She had her Bible and she was ready. When Roger came across the street she just looked at me and smiled. He sat down on the blanket, took a bite of bread, drank his juice and she read the Easter story from Matthew. She read about when the women went to the tomb all the way to when Jesus spoke to the disciples.

Of course, the whole time Maya was running around the yard yelling at the top of her lungs, "He is not here! He is risen!"

As I sat there I wondered why I was so hesitant. This little girl has such a missionary heart. Ever since she saw Isaac Meyer (1o year old missionary) and listened to his stories about the mission field, this is all she has wanted to do.

It makes me think of Jeremiah 20:9, "But if I say, 'I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."

My Ella could not hold it in. She is loving the Word of God. And no longer will I hesitate when she wants to share it. I cannot shut the fire up that is in her bones.