God in the Box

I think it was a little over two weeks ago that I met with two women.  I was immersed in love and the smell of coffee as we sat.  We were women empowered by God and empowering one another.  Through them, God has revealed much, but on this particular day the best gem I took from our time was about prayer.

For far too long I have had this idea that prayer was a somber time.  There was this checklist; bow my head, close my eyes, fold my hands and remove all distraction.  You should pray for good things, pray for others, pray for yourself, tell God how great he is.  I needed to respect God, I had this idea that if I would anger him, he wouldn't listen to my requests.  My prayers always felt so dead.  This has gone on for years! How am I even still buying into this "prayer life" thing??  No wonder I was always so anxious about praying in front of others.  

As we were meeting one of the women said something (and I am sorry but I don't remember what is was) and all of a sudden...a light bulb came on so bright that it burst and literally blew my mind.  A new concept of prayer.  Stop putting God in a box!  He is too huge and mighty to be stuffed into a box that's size is limited by our own hang up's.  He is limitless.  Pray for the impossible! Pray for miracles!  Pray for yourself to be open to anything and all things that God wants to give you, because you are his child and he loves you and he wants to show you how much he loves you.  Whether it is with blessings or showing you how powerful he actually is, he desires you to know him, to know his love and his heart!  He wants you to spend time with him, above all else.  

Pray with fire, pray with passion, pray as you!  God values an authentic heart.  God did not make me a quiet somber woman.  He made me feisty and fiery.  He can handle anything you throw at him, because he is patient.  He can handle your pain and your burdens because he is kind, and gentle, and faithful, and peaceful, and HE IS GOOD!  I always had a hard time with the praise portion of prayer, but God works when we come to him as ourselves, He shows us how great he is and we become overwhelmed by this greatness.  Praising comes naturally when the good hits you so hard in the heart.
Since this revelation I have had a prayer life that is so alive and thriving, supernatural things are occurring and I am realizing how absolutely breathtaking my God is.  Even in the midst of seeming like my life is in a deep dark hole, he is the light and it surrounds me.  I am craving more of him because he is filling me up, ridding me of voids that I tried to force people to fill.  He is everything I am not, and yet he loves me like the perfect Father that He is, unconditionally.  If this is what he can do with two weeks I can only imagine what is to come.  I have come to love him and believe him when he says that he is in control.  Let's be honest, my life is a mess right now, especially to those who do not truly know God, but through His grace I am filled with his peace.  

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christs sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.