Stop Praying!

Hello Ladies:

I'm honored to share this time of study and growth with you as we read, Crazy Love (Francis Chan). I will at times lay out some of my own thoughts and engage your comments, questions and concerns as well. Thanks for being on this journey with me.

The first time I read  the Stop Praying chapter, I just wept. I actually constantly return back to this chapter to remember who God is. Its amazing from young children we are all are taught something about God, either he is to be worshiped or maybe perhaps, he is to be ignored. Never have I really ever been prompted to stop praying and before I even utter another word consider who God is.

At first the thought of who God is, was scary as I considered all authority figures to be growing up. In order to truly understand God, I realized I had to learn who God truly is. Is he just a man I am praying to? Is he really that mighty? I mean if I come to realize who he is shouldn't this be reflected in my life?
As I began to search the bible for who God is, I felt led to look over my  life and remember who God was to me. As I began to do this, I reflected on his Love, Compassion, Comfort, How Mighty he was, How he controlled everything in my life, good and bad, I reflected on how Righteous he was, How he was just simply holy. As I stood in Gods presence, soon I became very small and he became so big my mind could not even comprehend. Then I began to consider that this God loves me and was gracious enough to allow me into his presence to listen to me speak. What a privilege!

Think about it, if the President of the United States called you to his office, what would you say to him? Would you tell him all your problems? Would you describe your joys to him? What exactly would you say? Well consider this, Jesus is the King of the UNIVERSE!! Not just this world, but the entire universe...Everything that exists beyond what the telescopes can see or even dare to dream of, He is Lord over it all and you are invited every day to go before his presence and speak!

Furthermore as I thought about who I was speaking to, I got so overwhelmed thinking about how not only is he ready to listen to me, but he actually wants to talk to me! I began to think that the God of the Universe wants to speak to me,  then shouldn't I just sit still and just listen, for his words to me far outweighs anything I would want to tell him. How often have you just sat and listened or just simply sat in his presence thinking about how amazing and awesome our Lord is?

Who is in your focal point when you pray? Is it you, your family, friends? Or are you thinking about the God of the Universe? For the next few days, I give us a challenge before we utter another word about our wants, desires, wishes, may we sit in his presence and just bask in the beauty of his holiness, may we sit and consider  the God we are talking to, and if you are having problems doing this, then maybe you should begin to consider who God truly is! Is he here to answer my prayers or am I here to be used for his glory? Think about your perspectives about God for the next few weeks and then write them down as you begin your journey in evaluating Gods love for you and your love for God.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank you that you are so wonderful, God that you are beyond anything that I conceive but in the magnitude of your love, you shower us every day with more of you. Lord we thank you and we bless you and we worship you. Father I pray that over the next few weeks that the Ladies here will encounter your love but more importantly may their eyes be opened to who you really are! Father we love you and we thank you for loving us more than we can ever even begin to fathom. Today we ask that you are our daily bread and may we find time to sit and hear your instructions, your desire and your will for our lives. In Jesus Name I pray Amen.