Simple, Sweet, Powerful: Five Prayers to Color Your Days
A Big, Fat Caveat
Welcome to this writing about prayer. As we dive into some little prayers I hope will bless your experience with God, let’s get a few things out of the way first…
God is totally in control, and we can trust him with that power. I say that, because if your experience isn’t exactly like mine has been, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t hear your prayers, or doesn’t care to come through. In fact, there are reminders all over Scripture of his compassionate tendency to hear us. (You can dig deep into this topic by checking out the a full post about this topic, titled, “The God of Compassion Hears Your Voice: An Invitation to Call Out”. You can read it below.)
I’m writing about these personal prayers, hoping that the tidbits of what I’ve experienced encourage you to bring your heart to Jesus, and entrust the outcome to him completely as he works in your life as only he can—full of tender love and a personal plan for you.
We will all have different encounters with the living God, and that’s exactly as it should be. I hope these prayers bless your personal relationship with Him—by the power of HIS Spirit at work in your heart. With that all being said, let’s dive in!!
1. Give me an awareness of You, today.
Inviting God to show you his presence around you can be so beautiful. When I have prayed this, I have experienced God nudge my heart in little directions all over to see how he is at work. Maybe something lines up perfectly in my day, or I run into someone encouraging at the store… normally, I might enjoy these moments and that would be the end of it... but it seems when I pray this prayer, my spiritual awareness goes up a little bit and I’m able to see the many ways that moments throughout my day that are actually attributed to God’s goodness at work in my life. The answer to this prayer can come in the form of feeling peace or comfort in hard times, too.
Honestly, I feel like what it comes down to is attuning your heart to the Lord. There is nothing special in the actual words of this prayer—but in fixing our hearts and focusing our gazes on Jesus—with his help, through the power of the Holy Spirit—it’s amazing how our days seem just a little more vibrant with his glory.
2. Give me Your eyes for this person.
Are you ever encountering someone who challenges your discernment or stretches you in your wisdom? At times, I have a hard time knowing how to respond to certain people honorably, or in a way that is in line with the heart of Christ. We want to love people well, as ambassadors of Jesus in this world, but sometimes our own personal sin nature or grievances can make it hard. Often, I it can be challenging to know where to set boundaries or extend ourselves.
In complicated relationships, (especially ones in which I can feel my heart growing a bit cold), I find this prayer coming to my heart and mind: “Give me your eyes for this person”. Asking Jesus to enable you to see this person through his eyes can impact you in a variety of ways. Personally, I’ve seen my own heart soften. I’ve had people share more of their story which gives me understanding in how to interact with them. At times, I even believe God has led me to see harmful patterns and gain wisdom on how to guard my heart in a way that is honoring and appropriate.
While the responses may vary, one thing is for sure: it never hurts, when walking into any situation with people, to ask for the eyes of Christ. It could be for someone as near as your spouse, or as distant as a new coworker on a Zoom call. Christ’s loving heart can infuse our vision and provide wisdom to our daily steps.
3. Show me answered prayers.
This one actually blows my mind! When I pray this prayer, it seems like I walk through the day with my heart and mind open to God’s goodness. Things I never would have remembered praying—things I prayed years, or just minutes before—suddenly come bursting back to mind. “Wow God, I did pray for these children, and you were faithful.” or “Wow, I forgot I was praying over this project, and you totally came through.” or “I forgot I was asking for your help to eat healthier, and I have been all week! That’s awesome.”
God is so faithful and answers prayers in ways we might never expect. Bring your heart to God and ask him for an earnest desire to know him more and see his work in your life. I hope your eyes are enlightened to see the many ways his faithfulness covers you.
4. Show me where I’m stuck in sin.
There might be (LOL, probably for sure ARE) areas of your life that sin is wreaking havoc. You may not even realize that your heart has gotten wrapped up in greed, or envy, or pride… and while the enemy has deceived you for a short time, convincing you that these attitudes will bring you pleasure, it’s time to expose the enemy’s schemes for what they are: deceitful piles of garbage. These sins aren’t blessing your life… they’re harming it!
God can show us areas in his life that we have strayed from his ways, and gently encourage us to turn back towards him and embrace the good life he intends for his people. Pray this powerful prayer, and wait to see what God if there are any dirty, dingy areas of your life that he simply can’t wait to shine his light on and purify. You might be amazed at what you start to notice, and how your heart changes, as you desire to embrace the perfect ways of your Heavenly Father.
(PS: If you struggle to discern between the shaming and condemning voice of the enemy, and the loving and kind heart of God calling you to repentance, you might find this reading helpful. It talks about God’s merciful character and how it is intertwined with the act of repentance.)
5. Speak to me in Your Word.
Boom Diddy! They’re all good ones on this list… but this one is also quite good. God’s Word isn’t just any old book. It is rich with the power of the Almighty and has the power to dig deep into our bones and alter our spiritual DNA. Invite the Holy Spirit into your reading and study time… see if your time in the Bible changes.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
May our times of study always bring us to God himself, as we seek him and invite him to speak personally into our lives through His Mighty Word. I hope your experience is that words start jumping off the page at you, and pricking your heart with love and power.
A Final Piece of Encouragement
There have been times of my life that prayers have felt quickly answered and like everything is daisies spiritually. There have also been times of praying and praying and feeling like I have no sense of what God is doing. What God has showed me in these times that felt like spiritual darkness, is that his light was with me all along, guiding the way.
Pray these prayers with boldness, and trust God with the result. You might immediately experience his bright light coloring and illuminating all parts of your spiritual journey! You may feel like nothing changes at all. If you’re in that second camp, don’t despair. When things feel foggy, remember this: faith grows in the gray. (And find further encouragement in this blog post, titled, “Through the Fog: Trusting Jesus in Times of Uncertainty”.)
All-in-all, may we all direct our attention to God in the daily moments. May we converse with him, and view our lives through the lens of his faithfulness. An always-timely reminder: He loves you! I pray this post encourages you! Love to you!
