When praying, my natural inclination is to ask things of God. Whether it’s a new worry or want, I use most of my prayer time to present Him with an endless wish list. I only recently realized what my prayer time was missing — reflection and thankfulness. I don’t think twice about bringing my wants and needs to God, but I haven’t spent nearly as much time reflecting on His blessings and thanking Him for answering my prayers.
The truth is, I am currently living out the answer to a prayer I once fervently prayed. During the spring semester of my junior year of college, I prayed for an internship where I could serve the Lord and grow in my career; God provided Boundless. Then I prayed that at said internship I would find godly friends to whom I could grow close over the summer; again, the Lord provided. I prayed that I would enjoy my work and have the freedom to have fun and be creative. God provided that, too. Now as I near the end of my summer here at Boundless and Focus on the Family, I see clearly how God was working in providing this internship.
Sometimes I feel a lot like the people in John 6:25-58. They were amazed watching Jesus turn five loaves and two fish into a meal (with leftovers) for over 5,000 people. So later, when they were hungry again, they found Jesus to ask Him for more food. Jesus knew exactly what they were after, however, and said to them in verse 26, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”
Like the people looking to fill their stomachs, I’m guilty of coming to Jesus for what He can provide — not necessarily for Jesus himself. Naturally, He cares about my wants and needs, but even more, He cares about my heart longing for His. I need to enter my prayer time seeking Him, eager to spend time with Him — no strings attached.
The Lord answers our prayers and guides our hearts and minds, but it isn’t always in the ways we expect. When Jesus came to earth, the Jewish leaders were expecting a military leader, someone who would free them from Roman oppression. Jesus did free His people, but in an entirely different way. By laying His life down on the cross, He rescued God’s children past, present and future from something much more dangerous and lasting than the Roman government. He fulfilled a promise, but not in the way we were expecting.
In your next prayer time, thank God for everything He has done for you, for the prayers He is actively answering in your life, and for the greatest example of God’s provision: Jesus Christ. Doing this has helped me add thankfulness and reflection to my daily prayer. I challenge you to take a look at your life and all the crazy ways God has worked. Maybe you too will see in a new way how loving and amazing our providing God is.
Copyright 2023 Vallie Weis. All rights reserved.
