When you pray, do you ask God for little things or do you just ask Him to do big things for you? Often we think God doesn’t care about the little or insignificant concerns we have, however, He does care about the little things we are concerned about, like parking places etc. The little things can weigh heavy on our hearts so we are distracted from placing our thoughts on the Lord. He is waiting for us to ask Him for our needs and desires of our heart little or big, if they are according to His will. When He answers the little things we pray for, our faith grows and we become more confident to ask Him for the bigger requests we bring to Him.

For example, I find it rewarding whenever I ask God to give me wisdom regarding a birthday gift for my grandchild. He gives me an idea, the grandchild is happy about their gift, I have seen God answer my prayer, and my faith grows. We read in James 1:5, “If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.” He is waiting for us to ask him for the desires of our heart, don’t waste your time trying to come up with your own answers.

God wants us to develop an intimate relationship with him so we feel comfortable asking him specifically for our concerns for our children, grandchildren, and ourselves. He desires for us to bring our most intimate desires to him. We need to be honest with Him about our feelings, our longings, our needs and our wants. If we have resentment, unforgiveness, or other sins in our lives, it puts up a wall between God and us. However, if we confess our sins God is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse our heart.

As we grow into a more intimate relationship with the Lord, we will bring our concerns for our children and grandchildren with a right motive. We read in James 4:3 “When you ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong — you want only what will bring you pleasure.” Our motives may be for our own benefit, not how God would want to answer our prayer. We must have an open mind and ask God how He wants to answer our prayers. Be looking for the answer to your prayers, sometimes we do not recognize them because God has answered them differently than we thought He would or should.

Do not under estimate the power of prayer for your children, grandchildren, or yourself. When we realize the power of prayer, our faith will increase and it will give us more confidence and boldness in our praying.

Prayer

© 2010 Lillian Penner