I rarely have trouble falling asleep at night, but I often wake up early, sometimes in the middle of the night. A doctor treating me for an ulcer long ago told me not to worry about not sleeping because that would only make it worse. Now I see it more as an opportunity to spend quiet time with God.
This week I had one of these episodes and I began to reflect on my prayer life, which is certainly not one I would lift up as a model for others to follow. I struggle the most with intercessory prayers. When I pray for God to heal someone or fix some problem in a person’s life, I sometimes feel like I’m just complaining or demanding: “Come on, God. How could you let this happen? Get to work and make it right!”
When I get in this frame of mind, I realize I need an attitude adjustment and God helps me put things in fresh perspective. When I pray for God’s intervention, I realize that God knows what I want even before I ask, and the message I hear from God is often “In time” or simply “Trust me.”
What I was thinking about this week in the middle of the night were other prayers for which God’s answer is an immediate “Of course!” These prayers invite God to shape my life, making me into the person I was created to be, someone more like Jesus. Such prayers often begin with short phrases: “Humble me. Encourage me. Remind me. Lead me. Teach me. Use me. Stop me. Help me. Embolden me. Convict me. Forgive me. Empower me.”
Almost always these prayers lead to another prayer that begins: “Thank You!”
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