Barrel Prayers

Hey everyone.  I hope this entry finds you doing well.  If your going through trials please know you are in my prayers.  In our culture doing "well" means not having any problems.  It means being happy.  I love being happy!  Doing well to me personally means trusting in my God despite how I feel.  Some days I am doing better than others and that directly correlates to how much I'm living in trust or not.  Wow, that was off-topic!7'

Many of my recent Bible studies have had two similar themes.  One is the story of Abraham and Sarah.  The other is the concept of praying big, gigantic prayers.  Our small group is doing a study together called "The Circle Maker."  We had a super discussion this past week and I intend on buying the book.  I'm also reading through a devotion on declaring good over your life and the lives of loved ones.  Pastor Bobby recently did an awesome sermon series on praying barrel prayers.  On stage he had a cup, a bucket, and a barrel.  It was a great visual.  I'm not going to lie...I typically pray cup and bucket prayers because I'm too afraid to prayer barrel prayers.  What if God let's me down?  What if I get my hopes up for nothing?  What if, what if, what if...it's the devil's game.  Today's blog is going to consist of my thoughts on these topics and hopefully in the end it will make some sense to you (and me).

Matthew 6:10)  ...your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Think about the above verse.  How many times have you prayed that prayer?  I have noticed that many denominational churches recite it quite often.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but can desensitize us to the realness of the words we are saying.  Essentially it is saying that we desire His will above our own.  Ultimately that's the goal here, right?  We SHOULD want God's will above our own.  That would entail a large amount of trust.  I'm working everyday to truly desire God's will above my own.  It is easier to do in some things and harder in others.  For example, I am better at giving our living situation over to God and struggle more with giving my health condition over to Him.  Dave's job could take us to The Czech Republic, South Africa, Utah, North Carolina, Ohio, etc.  Now I would prefer some locations over others, but at the end of the day I'll go where He sends us.  Now with my health...it freaks me out.  I get terrified that I will have to live with some of these symptoms for the rest of my life.  I mean when I say terrified I mean terrified.  Is this Godly?   Nope.  Does Satan know my weakness?  Yep.  I am battling him day in and day out because I WILL NOT LIVE IN FEAR.  So my point here is that it's easier to say "Your will be done" in some things more than others.

Along those same lines how many times do we tack on "if it's Your will God" onto the end of the prayer?  Is it done because we are like uber Christians and want to sound super holy to ourselves, others, and even God?  I think so many times.  If we get totally honest with ourselves we tack it on to provide God an escape route.  I have done it.  It's my way of praying without getting my hopes up that He will actually provide what I'm asking for.  Really think about this.  I will not pretend I get the whole God's will thing and when something is or isn't His will or how do I know it is His will so I can pray with authority and confidence.  Yeah, I don't have it all figured out.  What I know is that He wants us to pray with confidence that He is going to provide something above and beyond what we ask or desire.  That is a barrel prayer.

Ephesians 3:20) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...

Another thought I have had recently is on the topic of my heart's desire and dreams I have buried down within me.  Sometimes I think my dreams aren't worthy because they don't involve me becoming a pastor, worship leader, missionary to the jungle, Christian theologian, Christian author, mother of orphans, Mother Teresa, fill in the blank of some awesome title.  They are just small things to me.  They are too personal to share right now, but they are mine.  I hold them very dear in my heart.  They are a part of me.  I have struggled with praying over these dreams because they are not good enough or holy enough.  He is revealing to me a little at a time that they are important to Him because they are important to me.  Is it even possible that He is the one who put them there in the first place?

Psalm 37:4)  Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The more time I spend with God the more my desires become His.  My prayers change, my goals change, and my desires change.  For example, I used to pray that God would take my health condition away, just take it all away.  I still do at times, but now I try to pray more prayers about the process.  I ask Him to give me courage and strength as I go through this trial.  My heart's desire is that I face it head on without fear.  My desire is to be brave and wise in the face of the enemy who is whispering 'this will NEVER get any better than it is now.'  I desperately want to be strong and to not quit.  Those are His desires for me too.  So see how my desires are aligning with His?  He knows every thought I have so He obviously knows I ultimately want to be free from this condition.  I do not deny I want that, but I try to not make it the main point of every prayer.  My character has changed so much in the last seven years or so.  I am so glad God didn't leave me where I was even if that meant living a really tough life.  He loves you too much to leave you where you are at. 

We are to pray with boldness, expectation.  Do not be afraid to pray barrel prayers.  Yes, seek God's will in all you do, but don't deny yourself those hidden dreams that are buried deep within.  Wrestle with God over them in prayer.  Seek Him in all you do and in time, His desires will become your own.