DECEMBER 19, 2012
Be
Specific
Read: Mark
10:46-52
What do you want Me to do for you? —Mark
10:51
On
the day before a major surgery, I shared with my friend
that I was really
scared about the procedure. “What part scares you?”
she inquired. “I’m just so
afraid that I won’t wake up from the anesthesia,”
I replied. Immediately, Anne
prayed: “Father, you know all about Cindy’s
fear. Please calm her heart and
fill her with Your peace. And, Lord, please
wake her up after surgery.”
I
think God likes that kind of specificity when we talk to Him. When
Bartimaeus,
the blind beggar, called out to Jesus for help, Jesus said,
“What do you want
Me to do for you?” And the blind man said, “Rabboni,
that I may receive my
sight!” Jesus said, “Go your way; your faith has
made you well” (Mark
10:51-52).
We
don’t need to beat around the bush with God. While there may be a
time to pray
poetically as David did, there are also times to say bluntly,
“God, I’m so
sorry for what I just said,” or to say simply, “Jesus, I love
You because . . .
.” Being specific with God can even be a sign of faith
because we are
acknowledging that we know we’re not talking to a far-off
Being but to a real
Person who loves us intimately.
God
is not impressed by a flurry of fanciful words. He is listening for what
our
heart is saying.
Poetic prose in prayer to God
Is not what He requires;
Instead, specific heartfelt pleas
Are what the Lord desires. —Sper
The heart of prayer is prayer from the heart.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
