Prayers in Practice

When God answers your prayer with an opportunity to practice…

Have you ever asked God for a certain quality and then suddenly you faced new challenges? For example, perhaps you prayed for more patience and next thing you know, you’re facing a situation that demands exactly that - like a long wait at the store, or a setback on a project or dream you’ve been working on. Perhaps you prayed to be more kind or gentle or loving and you start to encounter a higher volume of people who challenge your ability to be kind, gentle, and loving.

I believe that these are examples of God turning prayers into practice. I believe that God is so delighted when we pray for qualities that reflect His heart - so much so, that sometimes He answers our prayer not with a supernatural dose of the requested quality but with an opportunity to cultivate the quality by living it out. God is so good and so merciful that He supplies His grace as we practice. We can rely on His power working in us to grow in the likeness of Christ.

I got to live out this concept of prayers-turned-practice last week. I prayed to be more Christlike. Not more than a few days later, God sent me a chance to practice the qualities of Christ through a difficult interaction with another person. He gave me an opportunity to practice being compassionate, loving, and gracious when my flesh didn’t really want to. At first, I was frustrated. I complained to God about the situation. But, the Lord spoke to my spirit and gently reminded me of my prayer to be more like Him. This allowed me to shift from frustrated to grateful - grateful for the opportunity to transform and conform to the image of Christ through His grace.

When you face a problem or a challenge, take a moment to consider how your response is an opportunity to grow in the qualities of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit. Consider it an answer to prayer.

When we pray for patience and God gives us the opportunity to wait - praise Him.

When we pray for tender hearts and God gives us the opportunity to forgive - praise Him.

When we pray to be more selfless and God gives us the opportunity to sacrifice - praise Him.

When we pray for the ability to heal others and God brings us the sick - praise Him.

Praise God in the practice. He is with us, He is for us, and He is transforming us as we pursue Him in practice. See the practice not as a problem, but as an answer to prayer.

I hope this short & sweet post encourages you. If you’re looking for some encouragement via music, give this song a listen! xx Elise Chanelle

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