Adjusting My Focus

For the last 12 weeks or so, we've been learning about prayer at our church.  Both the Sunday sermons, scripture memory verses, and Tuesday nights have centered around this central issue.  With the exception that I felt like I wasn't praying often enough, I thought that my prayer life was pretty good.  Boy was I wrong!

I've really learned some valuable lessons from this prayer series, but the one that stands out the most is one that started to evolve before this series even started.  And it has to do with my focus and the desires of my heart.  

In the past my prayers would be focused on what I thought was best.  Now I focus on what the Lord knows is best.  Instead of asking for a circumstance to be removed from my life or for a struggling friend to no longer struggle, I now pray for obedience to God's will.  I've realized how narrow my focus has been and have been actively working to broaden it.  Recently, I've noticed that I'm sometimes at a loss of words during prayers.  And in those moments I just say "Let your will be done, Lord."  Now that God has softened my heart and changed my focus, I'm learning how to expand on my prayers in a way that glorifies Him.  Sometimes I have nothing to say except for admitting "Lord, I'm struggling to understand this situation and I pray you just continue to help me surrender to you."  Many times, that's all that our Heavenly Father wants to hear anyways.  

My heart desires the Lord's will to be done.  No matter what that may mean.  The confusion, hurt and struggling that comes along with that only draws me closer to Him.