Silly little prayer requests

 

 

As a pastor's wife, I find myself in lots of situations where the question is asked, "Does anyone have any prayer requests?"  and it breaks my heart for someone to say "I know it's silly, but....." or "I know it's not a big deal, but.....". It breaks my heart that so many people believe that only the "big" things are worthy of prayer.

Scripture tells us not to worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God (Philippians 4:6) Everything. Not just the big stuff.

 

Don't get me wrong, The big stuff sends us reeling and we definitely need to cling to God when our world turns upside down. BUT Big things USUALLY last a finite amount of time, and, let's face it, as Christians, we know to run to God when our world starts to fall apart.

 

In all honesty, it has never been the big things that suck the life out of us, steal our joy, and damage our witness...it's the "silly" things, the "little" things. Laundry, fussy toddlers, cooking something for dinner that everyone likes,  smart mouth teenagers, children who want to grow up too fast, housework that never ends,  parents who are growing old too fast, money that doesn't stretch far enough, endless to-do lists, bosses that don't understand family, family that don't understand bosses, babies that don't sleep, misunderstandings between friends, hurt feelings, jealousy, lust, short tempered spouses, picky eaters, kids that struggle in school, gosh...the list goes on and on and on. THESE are the things what wear us out day after day after day. These things make hearts heavy and tempers short. They make us weary.

 

wea·ry adjective \ˈwir-ē\

• : lacking strength, energy, or freshness because of a need for rest or sleep
• : bored or annoyed by something because you have seen it, heard it, done it, etc., many times or for a long time
• : causing you to feel tired

 

I used to think that I was wasting God's time if I prayed for anything "little". I treated God like I treated everyone else....I didn't want to "bother" Him with my "little" problems. I talked to God about everyone else's big problems, and made sure that He "understood" that I was doing just fine....I had everything under control. He didn't need to spend His time worrying with me when there are so many "big" things that need His attention.

 

I could not have been more wrong.

 

It is such a blessing to be able to go before the throne of Grace with all my faults and failures and know that I have nothing to hide. My Father knows my heart and knows why I am there before a word is spoken. At the feet of my Father, I am not "the pastor's wife", "the assistant to the President and CEO", "the responsible sibling", "Mom", "Bible Study Leader", or "Ladies' Ministry Leader"...I'm just Kris. His child. His servant. His creation. I'm just Kris...and I'm just His.

 

And so are you.

 

Don't miss out on the blessing of intimacy with your Creator. Go to Him with all your "little" requests and burdens. Let Him into all the hidden places of your heart and mind. Let Him wash over you with His love and healing. Let Him envelope you with the comfort and peace only He can give. Let Him fill you with the courage to face tomorrow. Let Him fill you with the grace, mercy, and forgiveness needed to deal with the people in your life.

 

Here's what He promises:

 

Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

 

New Creation

 

There are days when, just like anyone else,  I go through the motions. Truth be told, there have been weeks...even months...when I have just gone through the motions of life. During these times, I don't notice what God is doing in my life or in the lives of those around me. It is much the same as driving a long stretch of interstate with the cruise control on.

 

Then, there are times when God grabs hold of me and shakes me awake and suddenly I see all these amazing things that He has done while I was just cruising through life.

 

This week God grabbed hold of me.

 

A friend from high school has been given the opportunity to serve as editor for an online Christian magazine. (He is praying about the decision.) We talked about the possibility of me contributing to the magazine  and I promised to pray that he have a clear direction from God as to whether not this is something he should get involved in. Talking to him about this opportunity made me realize the tremendous work God has done in my life, in his life and in the lives of many of the people I've known through the years. We are not the same people we were back then, and while some of the change can be attributed to "growing up", much of the change is a direct result of the impact Christ has had on our lives.

 

I am so thankful that Christ pursued me. I am so thankful that He drew me to himself.  When I stop and think about who I WAS compared to who I AM, I am left breathless. I am an example of the promise in 2Corinthians 5:17 For if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation.  I am far from good. I have LOTS of room for improvement. I fail every single day at one thing or another....sometimes it feels like I fail at everything. But I know this: I am not the same person I was before I knew Christ. I don't just follow a stricter set of rules, or live a more moral life... I am a different person. Christ changed everything about me, all the way down to what I desire in the deep recesses of my heart. Christ took the mess that I'd made of me and is gradually restoring me to more and more of the woman He created me to be.

 

I Love that God reveals Himself to me over and over again. I love that HE can take my fears, my failures, my weakness, and my brokenness and use them for HIS glory. I love that He continually surprises me with the enormity of Himself. I love that He is more powerful than my sin, my shame and my past. I love that He is completely trustworthy. I love that He continues to challenge me and grow me. I love that He still draws me to Himself.

 

And I love that he takes hell-bent teenagers and grows them into God serving, Christ-following adults who want nothing more than to share His love with others.