OZ AND I: PLACES FOR PRAYER

Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest

As I've internalized the realization that my writing is my ministry, I've noticed that my prayer life has changed.

But not entirely in a good way.

Accepting my role as a member of God’s writing team, has occasionally morphed my prayer time into something that resembles a phone call with my editor—talking over structure and content, rather than humbling myself before His throne and worshiping Him for the King of the universe that He is.

How quickly it became all about me.

Yes, I’m praying more.

Yes, my prayers feel more naturally as coming from my soul.

Yes, I approach the throne with confidence.

But maybe with too much familiarity.

What happened to the praise and worship part of prayer? Why am I standing before the throne, when I should be kneeling?

That’s where Oswald Chambers came in this morning. 

“Beware of getting ahead of God by your very desire to do His will.”

And “If a burden and its resulting pressure come upon us while we are not in an attitude of worship, it will only produce a hardness toward God and despair in our own souls.”

I don’t want hardness toward God. I don’t want despair in my soul. Yes, I desire to do God’s will, but at His pace. Really, I do want that.

This morning was a reminder to spend more time in the worship and praise part of prayer. God knows my needs and wants even without me rushing straight to the point. He knows.

He also knows that what I need—even more than getting to the point of my prayers—is that the real point of prayer is understanding my need to recognize my place in His realm. That place is the firm, comforting and beautiful place of worship.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for creating prayer so that we can communicate with you. Please show us more of your glory and help us find more ways to worship and praise you more. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How do you worship and praise God in prayer?

*The devotional this post was based on was from April 1.