Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Praying those Big Prayers

This week is the start of a new bible study at church and this session we are going through a book called, Her Name is Woman by Gien Karssen.  It goes through 24 women from the bible and what we can learn from their story.

The story of Rebekah & Isaac is quite the example of the power of prayer and seeking God’s true leading in your life.  It is also one of praying BIG prayers and BELIEVING that you can be specific in your prayers and God will answer. 

I pray my “normal prayer” of thanking God for this day and asking for a blessing on my day (whatever that means…just being honest here).  I've begun a prayer journal so I do pray over that a lot of the days but not all of them.  I pray to not be irritated by my children interrupting me when I’m trying to “get things done”.  I pray and then most of the time get sidetracked and forget that I was even praying.

Can you imagine if you were talking to your best friend or heck your boss and you were discussing a matter and then all of the sudden you just got up and went in another room and completely ignored her for the remainder of the day?  Can you imagine if you started to say something and then stopped and then came back with random fragments 5 minutes or 5 hours later.  Your friend or boss might think you should be in the loony bin or worse.  Yet, that is how I talk to God.  I’m sure I’m not the only one.  Not only do I not ask BIG things from my God I barely am coherent to ask little ones.  No wonder I’m distracted and running hard and not going anywhere.  No wonder many days I feel stuck in that hamster wheel.

Let's take a look at the SPECIFIC prayer of a trusted man Abraham sent back to his home country to get a wife for his son Isaac.  This man prayed specifically that he would OBVIOUSLY recognize the woman he was supposed to bring back for Isaac.  And he didn't want to waste any time after his 550 mile journey either.  He prayed to find her THAT SAME DAY HE ARRIVED.  When I read that my first thought was “well wouldn't that be convenient…yeah right…all those girls at the well and you are tired from traveling all that way…you won’t even be able to pay attention…all that’s on your mind is a place to rest”.  Honestly, if I was Abraham’s servant I would have gotten myself a nice dinner (perhaps roomservice), cozied into my bed at the inn, got a good night’s sleep and planned to START THE SEARCH in the am.  Not this guy!  He got RIGHT to business. 

Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”  Genesis 24: 12-14

Did you see that?  Make me successful TODAY?  Did you see how 
SPECIFIC he was too?  VERY SPECIFIC! 

Do you pray VERY VERY specific things?  Do you pray for things to happen right away?  OR, do you think you need to give God a little “leeway”?  Just being courteous to Him or perhaps you are nervous to ask BIG things?

This is something I need to TAKE TO HEART. 

Why should we have confidence to ask BIG things in ACCORDANCE WITH HIS WILL?

Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:4
--
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
--
But God made the earth by his power;
    he founded the world by his wisdom
    and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Jeremiah 10:16
--

He’s a pretty big deal…and he DOES pretty BIG things.


What have you been learning in the Bible?  Please join myself and these fantastic ladies for this encouraging linkup!  

Sarah at Fontenot Four 
Falen at Upward Not Inward 
Kelly at Exceptionalistic 

Tales of Beauty for Ashes

Into the Word Wednesday Blog Hop Rules:
1. Write a post about what God is teaching you this week.
2.  Follow the host and hostess. 
3. Grab a button to put on your blog - the more the merrier!
4. Check out (and comment) other people's blogs and be blessed by all the sisters and brothers around the world!


8 comments:

  1. This was an encouraging post! I have been realizing how important it is to stop and cry out to God for the "big things." God is so awesome! I love when we can pray specifically, and see Him specifically answer. Everything you wrote here... so perfect for the season of life I am in right now. Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. I'm so happy I could be encouragement to you from Him!!!!!

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  2. God is definitely a big deal ! I was looking over my life and I realized that the times when I have been very specific, God has given me what I was asking. But then it's like most of the time I am really vague when I pray and so I guess I should not be surprised when I see "zero" results. There's definitely a way to pray and a way NOT to pray and you hit the nail right on the head Sister. I am going to look over that Scripture in Genesis 24 and begin to pray like that. Thank you so much for this post today!

    Gertrude. www.achosenremnant.com

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    1. You are so welcome!!! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who struggles like this. It's so encouraging to me to battle through this with others!!!

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  3. Wow wow wow- this post. I'm sitting here in the coffee shop about to break down. In some ways I feel like at time I've put God in the background- until I need to pray. And it breaks my heart that I have allowed this to happen. I also find myself too often stopping mind prayer because I'm distracted.

    I think I need this Bible Study you are doing! Love ya girl! xo

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  4. Kelly, I am SOOO glad that i read this post that you felt to write! I am like you at times when i pray..mundanely..bless my family, comfort, protect, etc, but why do i not pray for BIG things or even specifically!!I am a hamster spining in the wheel too!I totally know what Gertrude above in the comments is talking about about why i should not be surprised to see "zero" results! This has got to be one of my fave posts you've written..I am saying a little prayer now: God i need you! Help me to be productive. Let my body heal in all physical aspects, esp my arms and trache. Let your light shine upon and in all of my blogger friends lives! :) lots of love!

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  5. Kelly I am so thankful you chose to share this wisdom. I so needed to read this today, especially that scripture in Isaiah. Love your heart!

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  6. what an encouraging reminder! I love your heart... always!

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