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When I was a young mom with four kids under the age of six, I felt guilty at my lack of a significant prayer life. My prayers didn’t measure up to what I thought they should look like.
Looking back now, I realize God just wanted me. He wanted to be with me. He wanted me to call out to him – to need him, to enjoy him, to talk with him, to share my heart with him, to have a relationship with him.
It wasn’t so much about the doing but more about the being. He cared more about my heart than my words, time or acts of service.
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
– 1 Samuel 16:7b
I love in the Bible where it talks about our heart having eyes. It helps me understand prayer when I think of using my eyes to look at God, myself, circumstances and God’s ability to do the impossible.
Here are four practical ways we can use our eyes in prayer:
- Look up – Look at God. Praise him for who he is. Look at his attributes and his character. When we start with a focus on God, he becomes greater and our circumstances become much smaller. Praise defeats the enemy.
- Look within – Look at my sin and confess it. The only way to be filled with the Spirit is to empty myself of me. There is something powerful about confessing your sins out loud. It brings healing.
- Look around – Look at all the things around you to be thankful for (past, present, future). We can’t physically be anxious and thankful at the same time. Look back at the specific things you prayed for and thank God for answering in his perfect way.
- Look out – Look at Jesus standing before you saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” He wants us to ask him. Use scripture. Put a name right into the verse. Be specific. Believe him. Your faith is what pleases God and moves him to action.
My prayer for you:
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you …
– Ephesians 1:17-18a
Nancy Lindgren has been mentoring moms for over 20 years. She has developed a deep love for moms and prayer through her involvement in the ministries of Moms in Prayer International and MOPS and is currently the Founder and President of MORE Mentoring (www.morementoring.org). She is passionate about keeping mentoring simple – walking alongside others and pointing them to Jesus. She resides in Colorado with her husband and two out of their four grown kids.