Praying for Change

Today is the National Day of Prayer and it got me thinking.

I need to spend even more time in prayer. Its not that I don't make time to pray every day. I do. I just don't pray when I should.

I think it is human nature to forget to pray when we most need to. For me personally, I often feel ashamed to ask God for things because I feel like I ask for too much already. I feel like I have no right to ask for more. I feel like I am always asking my Father in heaven for something like a begging child.

I need to remember that my Father not only gives me permission to ask, but wants to hear my prayers. He wants me to place my trust in him. He desires to build this relationship with me. How can I build a relationship if I don't talk to Him about my problems?

Have you ever had a friend that you hid your "true" feelings from? Maybe because you are afraid they will see you differently if they knew? Maybe because you want to put a wall up and let on that everything is fine?

That is NOT the kind of relationship Our Father in heaven wants with us. There is no shame in sharing our whole selves with God. He already knows us! He already knows our fears, our anxieties and our faults. He wants to comfort us and provide answers. Its a simple step. We just need to trust Him enough to give our whole heart to him; show him our ugliness, our weakness. He is waiting to heal us. He is waiting to comfort us.

With open arms.


Photo via Flickr.com by lisahumes