Prayer

Prayer seems to be a common theme running through my life lately.  I've been reading the book Transforming Prayer recently and it's began changing my prayer life.  The main theme is "Seeking the face of God, not the hand of God."  The author refers to it as worship based prayer.  Striving to seek God's heart and plan for all our requests. Praying out of His word and not just off our grocery list of needs.  Honestly, I'm struggling through it.  Seeing just how much more I need to be in His Word.  Realizing how often I go to Him with requests and how little time I spend worshiping Him.

We had a workshop at church based on the book and it's been very helpful.  So wonderful to struggle through it with the ladies in the church.  We have each other to "practice" with and to learn more with.  We are all seeing how rich it is to pray God's word back to Him.  To really focus on asking His will, not just what we would like.

One thing it's left me thinking on quite often is how I'm teaching Thomas and Benjamin to pray.  I'm doing it through example now, but Thomas is old enough to be taught how to pray.  With him I want to focus on worshiping God, have that be his foundation, praising God for who He is.  Then, thanking God.  Requests will come, they come so naturally.  As I've been thinking through this, I came across this quote on Piper's blog:

J. C. Ryle:

Prayer is, of all habits, the one which we recollect the longest. Many a grey-headed man could tell you how his mother used to make him pray in the days of his childhood. Other things have passed away from his mind perhaps. The church where he was taken to worship, the minister whom he heard preach, the companions who used to play with him — all these, it may be, have passed from his memory, and left no mark behind. But you will often find it is far different with his first prayers. He will often be able to tell you where he knelt, and what he was taught to say, and even how his mother looked all the while. It will come up as fresh before his mind’s eye as if it was but yesterday.

J. C. Ryle, The Upper Room, chapter 16.

I love how the Holy Spirit just places things in our paths.  Truths to think on and apply.  Just a great reminder that how I teach my boys to pray is vitally important!!  Thankful for the reminder of the importance of what I do and don't teach them!  

Before I leave this post, I have to end with this wonderful verse.  A theme for the book and a reminder tucked away in my heart and prayers:

When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Psalms 27:8