I’m going to take a risk this morning and I’m going to ask you to take a risk too.
I want to pray for you all this morning again like we did awhile back.
But let’s do this: Instead of praying for situations to change, let’s pray for us to change.
This is what I mean. We usually pray for healing or for God to change a situation to meet our needs. For example:
“Lord, please heal my friend who is dying from breast cancer,” or
“Lord please bring peace to my marriage.” and
“Please give me time to complete all the tasks I have to do.”
Instead, let’s pray that God changes us. I know, I know, it’s super risky. God cares deeply about the woman who is dying from breast cancer and about peace in our relationships. And I’m not saying those types of prayers aren’t good. Let’s do something different today knowing that God’s ultimate goal for us is our transformation. So let’s pray today that God stretches us to meet the demands of our crumbling worlds.
“Lord, stretch me to be the type of person that offers comfort and energy to those who are suffering. Show me how I can be Christ to her ” or
“Lord, change me to be a better wife/husband to my spouse,” and
“Help me to complete my tasks with efficiency and teach me new ways to manage my time.”
This kind of prayer takes courage. It’s risky to ask God to change you.
Are you willing?
LEAVE YOUR PRAYER REQUEST IN THE COMMENTS. Let’s pray for one another today before the weekend begins. Come back later in the day or the weekend and pray for those who have left requests before you. I will be praying for each of you today.
Tags: change, healing, prayer, risks, transformation
How did you know, Sarah? (Rhetorical question)
smooches,
Larie
Lord, help me to have the courage to do what you’re asking me to do.
To be honest, I need help with anger. It’s safer for me to be angry than sad. Or sometimes I fear my anger so I hold it in. I hide it will then it explodes in rage and I do not like that about myself because it destroys my soul and some relationships. I would like God to help me handle my anger in a way that pleases Him and if I need to be sad help me to be sad.
Thank you.
Thank you for this.
I’ve been praying specifically that the Lord would change my attitude and help me with my patience. It’s a fruit of the Spirit and I am a child of God so I want to exhibit that fruit.
Patience with my precious family when I don’t feel like being loving. I would love to have the prayers of others for this.
My marriage is in a shambles. We have been avoiding each other for a year. Living like roommates. We had a huge blow out yesterday. I think it is over. I have been praying for redemption and restoration for this marriage. My husband is unwilling to give an inch in trying to repair the damage. Please pray that God will show me His divine purpose and show me His way. I really need His wisdom right now…
Sarah.. I have been reading your wonderful blog for many months.. maybe a year. You are tremendous at making me think and challenging me to look at things differently. Love that you leave me with a question daily.. I do answer though I can not remember if I ever commented before… not sure.
I passed along your Incourage message about being thankful to my friends here in NY and many of them loved it.. I directed them to your blog and Incourage. I am certain you will have more fans!
My prayer request..
I pray for a heart more like Christ and for a deeper sense of focus. I want to change my selfish heart to that of a servant’s heart. Be more mindful of the feelings and needs of others and put my needs second.
I want to see my husband.. my girls( all three of them) and others through your eyes, so I can meet them where God meets them and help them to know Him more through me.. I want God to work in me and through me.
Sorry .. that is a tall order.But you made me think.. thank you,Sarah for your messages that stretch me and for your wisdom.
“Help me to complete my tasks with efficiency and teach me new ways to manage my time.”
When I read that in this blog, I started laughing because that is exactly what I was praying for this morning. Work is overwhelming right now. When I get overwhelmed I shut down and get nothing done. I need Jesus to change me so that I rely on him when I get stressed out instead of just doing nothing.
My prayer request is to change how I view myself and the relationship I have with my husband. We have a lot of history, not unlike yours, Sarah, but the Lord has been so faithful. Today I’d love to see change in me my security in knowing that He who has begun a good work in “us” will be faithful. I needed to be reminded that He desires above all obedience. I tend to forget and try to control my own world as best I can which of course leads to panoramic views of my own incompetentness (word?). Anyway thank you for your prayers today, everyone, they are much appreciated.
Lord I am begging you to allow me to find the desire to serve You and to pray without ceasing. I want to enjoy prayer!
Lord, thank You for blessing me with things like this that both challenge me and draw me closer to You. Thank you for the women who are desperately crying out for more of You, and in so doing, point me towards You. Would You please change my heart so that I am less dependent on the love and acceptance of others and rest in the sufficiency of Your love alone?
hey god, it’s me, beth…
we’ve talked a lot lately and today I’m trying a new approach…
please help me be the loving wife that I say that I am…
please help me be the loving wife people think they see…
please help me be the loving wife that my husband believes I am…
please help me be the loving wife that I’ve always been who recently is challenging right from wrong, in your eyes and her own, and is having a tough time removing the blinders to make the picture as clear as it should be….
Lord please strengthen my faith. Help me lean more toward you and not defeat. Help me to see the world/life through your eyes. I pray for more consistent confidence as a mother. Lord please continue to soften my heart, especially the edges.
Fighting,
TE
Thank you Sarah for the forum.
I would love for people to pray that my eyes are open and my heart is prepared for God to speak to me and change my life. I want to only walk in His will and see and hear Him. Search me and expose anything and everything I need to rid.
Thank you for this post!
Lord,
Help me to change my controlling ways, to trust in you completely and follow the path You set before me instead of trying to create what I think is your path for me.
Sarah, I need prayer on 2 levels – for my prayer life, which is sometimes weak. I “talk” to God often throughout the day, thanking him for my blessings and asking for forgiveness for my shortcomings and for safety and peace for my family and friends, but I’m not good at the worship kind of prayer. I need help in strengthening that.
I also need help in strengthening my faith. I am a real doubting Thomas at times, and in fact just yesterday I told God that I really should learn from all the past times He’s come through for me and trust that He’ll continue to do so. But still, I worry and wonder and doubt and dread. I really just need to learn that He’s going to handle it.
Thanks for your prayer! I remember you and your family in my prayers quite often! I hope you’re all well! :]
Lord, help me have the courage and strength to face this. Help me to be a shining example for you through this. Help me to remember that whatever the outcome you are always there.
Just talking about this with a good friend yesterday. And I am convinced that one of the best ways God shows us HE loves us is getting involved in our lives. making us uncomfortable, reminding us just of how much I need HIM!
my prayer is that God would change my response to my housing situation, that I would respond in grace to those involved and that I would love and respect my sweet gracious husband in the midst of it all. And be a model to my children of how dependent I am on HIM!
Lord,
Please help me to practice frugality and not be wasteful of the finances that my hardworking husband provides. And also to be transparent so that the family members who don’t spend much time with you and question our time with you may see you through me this holiday season.
Wow, these are so amazing! thank you all for sharing so openly. I can’t wait to begin praying for you all this morning.
my request: that God would give me the motivation and the discipline to accomplish certain tasks that I know He’s called me to do.
I am willing. I am praying for God to rid myself of me.
Not only that but my agenda. And in the process, give me pure motives for the Kingdom.
And dang if it don’t hurt.
Father, You know it is a balance between speaking so I don’t lose my words and keeping my mouth shut when it does not honor You. Right now, I need help with both. And I am struggling to be the right kind of mom to both of my girls. M needs you so desperately and when she screams for three days it is all I can do not to scream back. I know she is struggling to deal with all the things that a brain injury brings into her life. Help me to see her like You see her, to treat her with love and patience even when my heart is breaking. And for my A, Lord, I know what she needs most is just me to be there for her and not be distracted by all the things that her sister’s injury demands I spend my time on. Just help me to be able to balance all of this and focus on You.
God, make me into someone who loves and puts others before me.
I was just praying this morning. I know God is taking me into a new season in our relationship. One where I trust Him with more of my heart. Specifically I sense God asking me to turn to Him for protection when I’m hurt. My big “thing” if you will is protection. My dad protected me so much as a little girl. I have come to equate love with protection. When someone doesn’t protect me from themselves (words, actions) I want to lask out because I feel vulnerable. God is asking me to turn from that sinful response and turn to Him instead…I want to allow the truth of His Word to protect ande comfort me when others don’t.
I’ve been, “white-knuckling” obedience. I can’t do this on my own. I don’t really WANT to obey. I am praying that my heart would change. I want to stop looking for sin, waiting for it to find me.
Lord, help me to see myself the way you do.
God, please help me be a better friend. Make me the kind of girl that would be the best best friend ever. Help me see how to be open and loving with people that hurt me. Show me how healing can come. And make me the person who doesn’t sit on the side lines anymore. Get me in the game.
I need to be a better mother. A better example of what a God fearing Mother should be. I have fallen short since my marriage fell apart. But I need to Lord to change me to be the best mother I can possibly be.
God, please help me be the Christian on the inside that I am on the outside.
I want to be the vessel God uses today to deliver a miracle to someone who desperately needs to see God right now, this very day.
I want Him to use me. I want to always be available.
Lord, keep bitterness and harshness from the words I speak to my spouse. Allow me to be even tempered, slow to speak and quick to love. Don’t allow seeds of contention to be brought between us, but teach me to speak in love and grace and mercy, to make no assumptions and believe only the best. Plant me in love.
I need self discipline and self control, to make better use of the time I am given, and perhaps the discernment to know what to let drop.
I was just thinking about this too this morning. I need more control over how I express myself, my emotions. We’re moving to Thailand in the sort of near future, which brought this on, and any public display of even irritation is frowned upon and loses you respect there. Looking at myself through Thai eyes, I’m completely without self control. I don’t need to let anger and impatience leak out of my voice, I don’t think. I need these habits changed.
thanks for taking this risk and inviting me to take it with you. it feels scary!
please pray for God to change me as He knows i need to be changed. there are too many ways and things i need to change that i don’t know which one to prioritize, so i will leave it up to Him. i just need to listen.
I would like prayer to help me reach out to friends, to show Jesus to them, to help them know Him and all his healing ways. All of my “old” friends are non-Christians, and some of their lives are screaming out for the need of Jesus. But I am stuck in not knowing the right words, in hearing Jesus prompting and direction, and in the fear of being judged by them. I ask that God change me to be fearless and bold for Him, and to help me be His voice in their darkness.
I need prayer that I become very patient to either wait for Him to fill my womb or remove the desire to have children.
I need prayer to love my husband selflessly, without giving up who I am. I feel anger towards him, that keeps me from loving him like I should. I need help knowing how to break down the walls between us.
Thanks.
Absolutely LOVE this! It doesn’t seem too risky! I believe its the only way we should pray! We should pray for the Lord’s perfect will over any situation and pray for ears to hear what the Lord is telling us!
So my prayer request is for ears to hear – to hear the voice of the Lord so I know exactly what to do and how to respond/react.
Thank you for what you share Sarah – your posts are very thought provoking – respect your honesty!
Blessings to you!
xoTiffany
Lord, teach me to be more patient with my children.
Dear Lord, please help me become a less critical and manipulative, controlling person. I don’t like myself being like this and I really would like to quit trying to control the world. Thank you for hearing my prayer.
Cheryl
Our Father who art in Heaven please help me carry my cross. My Muscular Dystrophy is causing me such pain in my arms and I can’t even wrap my arms around my children to hug them. Please heal my disease and let me Love my beautiful children and hold them gently in my loving arms…
God, please help me to keep a tight reign on my thoughts and my tongue. Please help me to be a wife that honors you. Please also help me to be patient and trust you in my desire for children, and to not believe the lie that my infertility is punishment.
That God will give me the desire to put him first in my life, above all other things. I have put my happiness and joy in things, and not in him.
That I would be able to stand and endure a very painful healing process that I don’t even understand. That I would learn to cling to Him in the midst of pain and suffering and trust Him. That I wouldn’t question Him, but just follow. That I’d let Him heal in His way and time, not mine. It’s not easy, but I know I need to do it. I need Him to work this in me.
Lord help me to truly be “anxious for nothing” but to trust completely in you alone.
Lord help me to love like you love.
Sarah, thank you for providing another opportunity for us to pray for and be prayed for by one another. Last month, my sister lost her 9 day old baby. Her heart stopped and we have no answers why. The entire experience has been, in short, crippling for our family. But the circumstances cannot be changed; only we can. So I ask for prayer that I will keep holding on to faith, holding on to hope, and holding on to who God says He is and that I am able to trust that He is good, loving and will bring good out of situations that seem hopeless.
God, change me. Heal me. Help ME to love the way that you have loved me, relentlessly and unconditionally. Help me to love my husband this way, even when he feels like he doesn’t love me. Use me to show your love, grace, patience and mercy to his broken spirit,
Amen
I had an affair nearly two years ago, and ever since, my marriage has been suffering. I’ve been trying to fix it by doing everything “right” on the surface, like taking care of the house and kids “perfectly”. But my effort to control this situation is failing. I’m praying for God to open my heart to his plan so I can stop following my own agenda.
Lord, help me resist the temptations that they enemy is trying to throw at me.
Help me understand that I do not have to be perfect, and that I am actually limiting myself by struggling for perfection above all else. Give me the courage to face my own insecurities and to work for what I want. Help me learn to manage my time so as to best achieve my goals – and help me forgive myself when I fail.
Teach me to forgive.
For courage to live for Christ and not myself (and everything that entails!)