When I became a believer at the young age of 6 years old, my prayers would go something like this,
"Dear God, Thank you for this day, thank you for my family, my friends, my toys, my food and my drink. Thank you that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins. Please give me a good night's rest so I can wake up in the morning ready for school. Thank you God that you love me, and I love you. Amen."
Such a sweet and innocent prayer. I remember at times thanking God at night (when sleep was not coming along) for every single toy I saw on my shelf, every book, every article of clothing, rambling on and on. I wonder what God thought of those prayers. I imagine Him up in heaven chuckling to himself, kinda like I do swelling with joy when my children pray.
As I got older, my prayers became more robotic, almost as if I was stuck in a rut. I became numb to prayer, keeping God at a distance, hoping that if I didn't open up and let my feelings show He somehow will forget about them (yeah, right!). Time went on and it was almost like prayer wasn't a priority in my life anymore. And boy did life change drastically. I had pushed God away, I was distant, and so it seemed like He was, too.
It wasn't until I became a parent and times were getting hard that I found myself at a low point. I was driving in my car, all alone, and I literally started crying. I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, looked up towards the sky and cried out, "God! If you can hear me, it's Mara, you know, little Mara down here. I am hurting, God. I need you so much. I need to hear from you. Please, anything."
Psalm 56:8 NLT reads, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Which, in my opinion, translates to, God hears us even through our tears. Every tear we shed, every open and raw prayer we cry out to Him, is taken into account. And I believe that is what happened for me that day behind the wheel of my car. God heard me. In that moment, He showed up. He gave me a very clear path to go in that season of my life. That day was a turning point in my personal prayer life.
Take this passage into consideration:
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." ~ Matthew 6:7
Skip the babble. Skip the robotic prayer. Skip all the words. Get raw, keep it real. Cry out to God, He hears you, He wants to have a conversation with you. He is your Father, someone that you can crawl up into His lap and cry, let it all out knowing that He listens and He cares for you.
This week's yoga journaling prompt:
Get real with God this week. Write out an authentic, raw prayer and recite it each day of the week, praying directly to God.
It's time to get real with God, and with yourself. Spend some time writing an authentic letter or prayer to God this week. Be open, be raw, share the deepest parts of your soul and heart. Let it all flow freely to your Maker. Because He so desires to hear from you. He desires to hear the desires of your heart. He wants you to cry out to Him when things get hard. Get real!
A few ideas to help you work through the journal prompt this week:
1. Pay extra special close attention to your prayers this week. Take note of how you conduct yourself during your prayer time. Does your mind wander? Are you easily distracted? Do you say the same things over and over again? Are you open and raw with God? Take mental note this week.
2. Journal about the deepest desires of your heart. Pray your journal entry to God during your prayer time. Notice how this helps you open up more in your prayers.
Let's get you moving:
For this week, be sure to join and jump in my private Facebook Group for a special yoga class to do in your own time. Use this time for movement and prayer. I look forward to seeing you in the group! Click here to join!
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