Have you had children? How many details of your children have been interesting to you? But God is not like us humans. As our children get older, they can seem more demanding to us, and we might just as soon turn them over to toys and TV and games to babysit them. But our Father does not change on us, like this. Our Father desires to share with us in all our activities and how we are relating.
"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
But if you put God on time out, you are putting yourself on time out from how we can discover loving with Him . . . in everything.
"Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Corinthians 16:14)
So, there is nothing to do without Him. He is this personally interested in each of us.
But we are the ones who are into ourselves and impersonal, so we do not share with Him in His love.
And so prayer is related to relating in love, sensing, responding, staying submissive to God all the time . . . in His peace >
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
If you are living and loving in this peace, you won't need any vain things to help you feel good. Learning how to love and share with God is the most worthwhile adventure and challenge and education there is
When I pray, I almost always start with Dear Heavenly Father and end with In Jesus's name I pray-this is just something I have done since I was little and was always told to pray in Jesus's name. I pray every morning and night-and in between
Concerning praying about insignificant details...
Right after I first came to faith, I was on the job-site. I was a foreman for an aerial phone construction crew. We had to take down an old cable, and put up new strand, cable, and lash it together. It was across an intersection with four lanes. We didn't have any traffic control, so I knew we would have to do it all (take the old down and put the new up) in one pass while the light was red.
For the life of me, I can't figure out the best, safest way to do it. The big boss (company man) is in my ear to hurry up and figure something out, so I'm getting real anxious. For whatever reason, the thought occurs to me to pray. So, I throw up a quick pray, "God, if there is anyway to do this safely and successfully, please help me see it." Immediately, I could see clearly how to do it. We did it and went home that day with no disasters, no injuries.
Now, I know, some naysayers might balk and say it was coincidence, or I somehow opened my subconscious to see what I couldn't see consciously, or whatever. I get that. But, I knew in that moment that God had giving me a little gift. I knew it was an answer to my prayer, and I knew it like I know my own mama. For a long time I held that gift close, reminded myself that God is listening and God is gracious, granting gifts.
I am not at all opposed to praying for seemingly small, insignificant details. I would, however, do so while also being open to the future God has in store. God isn't there to simply give us whatever we want. But, when God does, and we are aware, then it strengthens our faith for those time when things don't go the way we might like it to. We are certainly taught by our Lord and the Apostle to make our requests known. But, in my humble and prayerful opinion, prayer is primarily about transforming us into the image we were created to be. Well, that's another sermon, haha. But, yeah, don't hesitate to take seemingly insignificant details to God. God loves us and sometimes shows it in surprising ways.
May God bless the two of you as you grow in grace.
Weren't those prayers explained as loud public prayers that were "look at me" type prayers? Prayers that said how good they were compared to others? In the basic teaching of Christ... that would be wrong on many fronts.
Absolutely-there is only one Heavenly Father, and he knows that I know that in my heart. He knows his children and we know Him
