Do it Better...

I had a breakthrough today! It was a blessing to me and I hope it will be an encouragement for you as well!

I’m not sure how you pray. If you have a process that you do the same every day or if it’s more organic and specific to the day and need. I’m a very organized person. The things I do, I tend to do the same each time. Grocery lists are made the same way: Cold Items in one section, Meat in one section, Dry Goods and Misc Items😊 My mom has always made her grocery list according to the aisle in the store. So, if you have fresh fruits and veggies on aisle 1 and bread chips on aisle 2; she would make her list in order, to help her not miss anything or have to go back and forth looking for something.

Not just groceries. I do laundry the same way or packing for a trip. Each task I do, I may tweak it to make it easier and faster, but the bones of the process is typically the same.

Prayer has been that way for me. Make a mental list and pray for things for family, friends, work, personal…..

Each request I bring to the Lord, I bring the specific way I would like it to be answered.

Then I was watching on of my favorite speakers and she said something that hit home. She says when we bring our petition to the Lord and ask Him to answer it in a specific way it is limiting the LORD. Now, does he still answer and provide in those ways. Yes, and is that remarkable in itself? YES! There is no downplaying asking your Heavenly Father for something and having him provide for you exactly what you asked for!

It reminds me of the 3 Shadrach children in the fiery furnace. They asked God to deliver them from the fiery furnace and I’m sure they were thinking like we were, GET THEM OUT. Please Lord, get us out of the furnace. That’s exactly what I’d pray in that moment. That is eventually what happened, but God decided to do something MORE! He decided to let them stay in the furnace long enough for others to witness their situation. And while they were in the furnace that was so hot that it killed the soldiers that opened the door to throw them in. They remained untouched. They were in the furnace and not burnt. How much greater that was, that the Lord could use their circumstances to be an example to those around them and do something greater than they could ask or think.

I obviously don’t want to be in a furnace of any kind. Not literally or figuratively. What I do want is something GREAT from the Lord. I want to bring my petitions to the Lord and ask him for the answer, but want to remind myself, that His ways are above my ways and His power is above what I could ask for. So, to remind myself of that, I want to end that pray request Do it Lord. I know you can, and you will. Do it OR do something BETTER!

When I pray for a job and ask the Lord to provide financially. Lord, please let them offer me at least this amount. Do it or do something better!

When I pray for the house, we need for our family to live and grow in through the next phase of life. Lord provide a home for us with these things. Do it or do something better!

When I pray for help with loved ones that have needs in their lives. Answer this prayer, Lord. Provide these things for them or do it better.

Do more than I can ask or think. Do more than I can reach for on my own. Do more than just for me, help others around me through this answer as well. Do it, please, but don’t limit yourself to the answer I can imagine, DO IT BETTER!

I pray that encourages you today and that you know God has exceedingly, abundantly more than you even have the faith to ask for!

I encourage you to keep a prayer journal of your prayer requests and see how not only the Lord answers and provides for you, but also how much more you start asking and believing God for because you took off the reigns and asked Him to do more!