Limitless Prayer

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

One of the most important parts of life as a Jesus follower is prayer. But prayer can be intimidating sometimes. I know for a long time I thought all of my prayers had to be “pretty.” I thought they needed to follow a certain pattern and cadence, sounding exactly like the prayers I’d heard other, holier people pray.

But over the years I’ve learned that God doesn’t require all of our prayers to be pretty and tied up neatly with a bow. They don’t have to be a certain length or follow the same template. He just wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to be honest and vulnerable and real, because after all, He already knows what’s on our hearts anyways.

God wants you to learn to communicate with Him and pour your heart out to Him, regardless of what you’re going through and regardless of what your circumstances look like right now. Whether you’re excited or frustrated or confused or angry or disappointed, you can always come to God in prayer. No matter what situation you find yourself in, you need to begin to talk to your Heavenly Father and invite Him to make a difference in your life. 

Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

In other words, there’s nothing off limits when it comes to your prayer life. You bring your requests to God, no matter how big or small they might be, and He will hear you. It doesn’t matter if you talk to Him for over an hour, or if you can only get out a sentence or two. You can tell Him how you really feel and you can ask Him whatever is on your mind, because He wants you to talk to Him. He longs for you to spend time with Him, and prayer is one of the best ways you can do that.

So whatever you’re facing today, especially amidst the uncertain times our world is dealing with, I would invite you to pray this prayer:

Lord, would you invade this situation I’m facing right now? Would you take over my circumstances and my life? I’m going to lay this situation, this relationship, this uncertainty, on the alter. I don’t want to try to carry this weight on my own any longer. So I’m handing this over to you. And as I do, I’m going to back away. I’m going to thank you that you’re in charge of it, and I’m going to let you take care of it.”