From my 2012 Journal. I started to pray for a friend, asking God to move all obstacles from his path. But then I paused. How can I be sure what obstacles are from God (remember Balaam’s angel?) and which are from Satan? And so I modify my prayer—please, Lord, remove all obstacles that belong to or originate from the enemy. And then I think again, “But what if God was the One who originated that idea (remember Job?) So again I change my prayer: Lord, give courage, wisdom and strength to grow through all obstacles that You allow to enter my friend’s path. That sounds right.
Does God ever get tired of my asking for the same things every day? Every day, same prayers for the same people, with different words perhaps, or different needs prayed for. But same, same, same. And then I think of my three-year-old Grandson Jack. He walks in my front door, flings wide his arms, and cries out, “Hi Grandma!” followed by “Play Wii?” Every time. And my heart melts, and I delight in his childish exuberance, and I don’t mind that he asks for the same thing every time he greets me. He makes me smile. And maybe, just maybe I make God smile when I open my eyes in the morning and say, “Hi, God.”
In the Pursuit of Peace 
Prayer is a difficult activity (for lack of a better word) to understand. So many places in the Bible is it practiced so many ways. I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to go about it; we are just urged to practice it (and it is a practice).
I know I have felt that we wear God out with some of our petitions, and yes they tend to be repetitious, but for whatever reason, He wants us to come to Him with those concerns. Lately, I think I’ve worn out my welcome with so many issues. This week it is for health and I think I am in denial of the aging process that is going on within me and wish, hope, long for it to be just something that will go away in time. When really it may be my new normal. I always seem to test “normal” when I go in for tests on various part of my anatomy which only frustrates me that we are not getting to the heart of the matter…if it is a matter of my heart (the pumping one).
But I understand your point about coming to the Lord for different matters that burden you and petitioning Him for others you have on your mind and heart. To Him, it is not as hard as we tend to make it. We probably over think all this that is so simple that children can and do talk to God in such a simple fashion. Guess I need to listen to a few children’s prayers and learn from them.
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That’s a profound thought, Linda. Guess I should go back to my Grandkids at bedtime and listen in.
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I have never questioned what comes from God and what doesn’t. I don’t really care. I don’t want the demonic having any part to play in my life, so I pray they get removed or stopped, chained together, silenced, whatever. We have authority over them, and when we send them to the Lord, He does the rest. Whatever other obstacles are in my way, I assume are from the Lord or from my past and they will get removed, too. Simple and childlike, maybe, but I’ve learned that the Lord is the only one I can trust to take care of me. He was there when I got damages; He’s always there when I’m healing.
Prayer is an interesting thing. My son has asked how we hear from God, how does He speak to us? I told him that it is in surrendering ourselves totally to God, and letting go, that we hear. Yesterday he told me one of the preachers he listens to said essentially the same thing. I think he’s finally getting it and healing is beginning in his life. Thank you, Lord!
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