I am a praying woman. I pray about everything. I pray constantly. I feel like I am continually saying things to the Lord like “What should I do here?” and “Give me the words to say to this person.” But, when problems do arise, I usually say way too much and also focus way too much on the problem when I am talking with God.

This is unreal-but I remember telling a friend once upon a time that I thought Jesus did not use enough words when He taught His disciples how to pray. I was like “Seriously! I can’t pray like THAT! I am a woman. I use so many words and surely God would never understand me if I just said ‘Give us this day, our daily bread.’ It’s just so-well-inadequate.”

SOMEBODY HELP THIS GIRL!!!!!

But fast forward, I now have my own children and I know what hearing a child talk too much sounds like and I. GET. IT.

Something that has changed my outlook on prayer is to pray to the PROMISE and not to the PROBLEM. So many times, we say prayers like this “Lord, those POOR people who have had so many TROUBLES need your help. Please help little Jimmy because he has been laid up in bed for three weeks and can’t seem to move and he NEEDS to be helped by You.”

Blah. Blah. Blah.

My dear, sweet mother-in-law has been such an inspiration to me in this area of praying to the PROMISE. She always says “Why should we give the devil a double victory?” This translates to “Don’t talk about the problem, pray about it, and pray to the PROMISE!” In other words-tell the problem who holds the promise. And because I am a practical person, I will demonstrate what I mean…….”Lord, YOU hold the future, YOU are the one who made little Jimmy and YOU have told us that YOU are the great physician, the great I AM. In Jesus’ name, I PRAY your will be done in Jimmy as it is in heaven. In heaven, there are no diseases. You went to the cross to deliver us from these things. Give Jimmy THIS DAY his daily bread for YOU are HIS redeemer.”

So, as I reflect on my prayer life, I will remind my problems that they are subject to all the promises in God’s Word-and ALL the promises are “ ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20-and THANK you Lord that your Holy Spirit intercedes for us and WHO I am sure has translated my very wordy and problem focused prayers)……..