Let Your Requests Be Made Known Unto God - Philippians 4:6

I had the privilege today to attend the Elder's retreat at our church where the focus of the day was prayer.  During the course of the day, we watched two videos from Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels.  Of all the foundational insights shared in the videos, the one that keeps coming back to my mind is "LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD."  Sure, I love and consider it a privilege to pray for other people but today I heard God say "Tomara, let YOUR requests be made known unto me."

Sometimes I hesitate to make ALL of my requests known to God because I feel I'm making it all about me.  Or, I feel like I should not have to make them known because God already knows everything, right?  However, the making of my requests is for my benefit. God promises to hear my prayers and if some of my prayers are selfish, God will let me know because the Holy Spirit intercedes on my behalf.

I have renewed requests that I am praying tonight for me, my husband and my boys. Some of those requests remain unspoken but others are simple things - like being blessed with great friends who accept us for who we are yet hold us accountable to follow God's path.  I pray that we will have hearts that hunger and thirst for righteousness and that we will acknowledge God in all our ways.  I pray we will always choose compassion over judgment.

And today I was reminded that simple is good.  Each night Max and I thank God for our house, our food, our car and we pray for our family, Shukuru (our Compassion Child) and our missionary friends in Costa Rica and Honduras. We also ask for God to forgive us of our sins.  Usually at the end of every prayer, Max prays "and we love you God."  When was the last time you just told God that you loved Him?

If you are looking for a model to follow in your prayer life - see the one below.  And, remember that you only learn how to pray by praying.

A = Adoration:  Tell God why you love and adore Him.
C = Confession:  Confess your sins to God. Tell God you are sorry for your attitude, your prejudice, your selfishness, the way you spend your money....
T = Thanksgiving:  Tell God what you are thankful for each day!
S = Supplication:  Specific prayers for you & others (All of your requests..)