Prayer – View From My Shoes

Can’t Share What You Don’t Have

If you want to share Jesus with others, you personal experiences are the best place to start.

When Scott and I are enjoying a meal out, I often encourage him to order something extra. For example, I might prod, “I bet their onion rings are good here; maybe you should order some.” He knows full well, I plan on eating some of those onion rings. Same is true with dessert. “ Did you save room for dessert? They have your favorite.” If he doesn’t order it, how can he share it with me?

If you don’t have the love of Jesus, how can you share it? If you don’t spend time in the word and in prayer, how can you share those experiences with others?

In 2 Peter 1, Peter is writing to share the faith and encourage the church. He tells us to keep growing in knowledge, to live a godly and moral life which God will help us do, to love everyone, and God will give us a grand entrance into His eternal kingdom. He tells the church he will keep reminding them of these things and then in verse 15 he states, “So I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.” Peter had something to share and he wasn’t going to quit.

This year for Advent, Scott and I sent a short, daily video to our grandkids to help make the Christmas story memorable. We videoed from a different spot in the house each day starting out with a funny comment and the Christmas cout down. We would next read from the Bible interrupting each other with commentary and then end with a goofy salutation such as “Be sweet Parakeet.” I completely understand what Peter is saying in verse 15. I too want to keep sharing Jesus with my family and others so they will understand what is so special about living a faith filled life. I will share my love for Christ and tell my grandkids about all God has done for me over and over again. It is that important to me.

I have however realized that you cannot share what you don’t have. If you don’t have personal experiences with Christ, how do you tell friends at work about Christ? If you are not reading the Bible and learning more and more about God’s word, how do you share that with your neighbors?

As this year comes to a close and you prepare for 2026, think about your plan to grow in your understanding of God’s truths. Create a strategy to daily spend time growing in your knowledge of Him and reflecting on His unimaginable love for you. Write out your plan and commit to it.

Remember, James 4:8 tells us, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” Lean in to God in 2026 and share what you learn with others.

Tell God What, Not How.

God wants to hear from us, but he also wants us to trust him because He knows best. What does that look like?

Recently, at the close of a meeting, a roofer friend of mine lightheartedly requested prayer for a “good” hail storm. I immediately spoke up that I wasn’t praying for any kind of hail storm. He added that his business simply needed one good hail storm. I countered that not only would I not pray for his hail storm, I was going to pray against it like we were playing a game of prayer connect four and I could block his prayers. After some back and forth, I somewhat jokingly conclude with, “I guess we will see who God listens to.”

While this conversation was friendly banter, not a real conversation about prayer, there are some prayer questions that come to light from this conversation.

One, God hears all of our prayers equally. He already knows what we need and is waiting for us to talk to him about it. Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 6:8, “For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” and in Psalms 34:17 God’s word tells us, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;” Even if one person is praying for a sunny day and another one is praying for rain, God hears both of them.

In complete selfishness, I have prayed against others before. I can remember a time my late husband, Jeff, was praying to get a different job, and I was praying that he wouldn’t get it because I didn’t want to move. God knew the desires of both of our hearts, and He undoubtedly heard both of our prayers. So what does God do? Eenie, meenie, miney, mo? NO!

We are 100% expected to be specific in our prayers and requests with what we need or desire. God wants to hear from us about our concerns and our needs. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for what He has done,” Philippians 4:6. The problem is, instead of telling God what we need, we tell him how to do it. He wants to know our needs and our desires, but we need to leave the way our prayers are answered up to him.

Tell God your what, but leave the how up to Him!

Yes, pray that your child will return to the Lord, but let the Holy Spirit work his divine plan. Yes, pray and let God know you need financial help, but let God take care of how your financial needs are met. His plans are so much better than our plans. Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Instead of praying for a hail storm, just communicate your business needs to the Lord. Let Him know the struggles, then let Him go to work.

“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Look at how Jesus modeled this for us in Matthew 6, the example prayer given at the request of the disciple seeking to learn how to pray like Jesus. In this model prayer, Jesus asks for daily bread; he tells God his need. Take note however, he doesn’t tell God how to provide the daily bread. When my late husband and I were praying for God to enact our contrasting plans, God knew what was best for our family and what we needed more than either one of us could possibly predict. I wish I would have been mature enough to pray for God to provide Jeff with a job he loved and take care of our family how he saw best.

Try it right now. Tell God your needs; tell him your fears. Now, put your faith and trust in Him to do for you what is best.

Reflecting on My Retirement Decision

Everyone faces decisions on a daily basis. This is just a summary of how I recently arrived at a major decision in my life.

Most of you who follow or read my blog know me personally, so you know that I just recently announced my retirement. I’m hoping that decision gives me more time to write and the ability to be a little more real. There are topics that I think about putting in writing, but hold off because of how it might be wrongly translated at work.

I wanted to start by writing a little bit about how I came to the decision to go ahead and retire. It started with a comment from a couple of people about what retirement might look like for me. Then I read the book, From Strength to Strength, by Arthur Brooks. Next my son made a statement that really caused me to reflect on some whys in my life. I can’t list everything that happened in the last few months, but everywhere I turned, something was pointing me into the direction of retirement.

Changing topics for just a bit. I changed up my daily prayer routine about 8 months ago. Over the years, I’ve kept prayer journals, prayer lists, prayer cards. Whatever feels right at the time. A while back I decided that in addition to my daily prayer list pertaining to whatever is on my mind, I would make a monthly prayer list. This list would never have more than 5 needs on it, and I would deeply pray purposely for those 5 needs each and every day for a month. I also attach a scripture to each need and pray that scripture over the need as well for the entire month. There is no biblical reason for this method. It is just a combination of things I have read and something that was on my heart to do.

Back to my decision about retirement, for the month of December, I have been praying Isaiah 43:16, “Thus says the Lord who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters.” I have been praying this pertaining to the continuous promptings towards retirement. I have prayed that the Lord would show me what he desired as clearly as he made a way through the sea. I asked for direction that was so clear I could follow it and a path so wide that I would know where to step and where to go next.

The purpose of Isaiah 43:16 is to encourage the Israelites, remind them how powerful God is, and assure them he can deliver them as they were under the rule of Babylon at the time it was written. For me this verse assured me that God provides for our needs. My current need was reassurance that I was following what he desires for my life. I have always felt that teaching was my calling. I want to make sure my retirement keeps me on the path that God has for me. A path where I honor him and serve him. A path where I can be used for his purpose.

I don’t’ know what you are going through, what decisions you are trying to make or what waters you are navigating, but if you ask, God will show you the path or he will provide the deliverance you need. Commit to following his will, and his desires will be made known to you.

Continuous Conversations with God

What can we learn from children with imaginary friends about how to talk to God and keep him in our thoughts throughout the day?

When Jayla and Jace were little, they both had imaginary friends. Jayla invented Sally who ate dinner with us, rode in the car with us, and played with Jayla for hours on end. I held to the theory that imaginary friends were a sign of creative and highly developed imaginations. It was a few years later when Jace found Baby Wolf, his imaginary friend, at Wal-Mart. Baby Wolf laid under the table when we ate, slept beside Jace’s bed, and was always close by. As a mother, the best part was secretly listening to their little voices and developing vocabulary conversing with their imaginary friends.

When I think of the scriptures “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17, or “Pray always,” Ephesians 6:18, it reminds me of how children have conversations with imaginary friends. Before I go on, I first want to be clear that by no means am I insinuating that God is imaginary. He has been real to me time and time again; I have no doubt to how real he is. However, just as Jayla and Jace held continuous conversations with their imaginary friends and just as their imaginary friends were with them everywhere they went, we can talk to our Heavenly Father at any time, and He is always there. It’s just that He is real.

He is always there to listen to us and have a conversation with us. We can thank him when we get two green lights in a row, we can quickly ask for help when we can’t find our keys or phone. He is there when we are trying to make a decision or having a hard conversation. It should be our first instinct to reach out to God and talk to Him about our needs and thank Him for our blessings throughout the day. He wants to hear from us. He tells us, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” John 15: 4.

Prayer should be a big part of our day every day. Our thoughts should be in continuous connection with God. This is how we keep a healthy mind and live a spiritually lead life. Have you ever reconnected with a friend who you haven’t seen for years? Yes, it is possible to pick that friendship right up where you left off. Often though, you have to spend an hour or two at lunch or over coffee catching up on the time you have lost. With God, I don’t want to lose time and then have to catch up. He wants to stay close to us and be there through it all, the good and the hard.

Even while Jayla and Jace had small talk and play with their imaginary friends, for language development, they still needed real conversations that included talking and listening with an adult. Even though we should be in continuous conversation with prayerful thoughts throughout the day, we need real conversation time with God as well. Time set aside to get into His word, time to pour our deepest thoughts out to Him, and time to listen to His voice. This too is necessary for our development as a Christian.

Next time your mind is daydreaming or spewing out negative thoughts, take control and talk to God like you are talking to a friend.

As You Wish

Your will be done. Really? Who says that? I tease our sons that the line from Princess Bride, “As you wish.” Should be their go to response for their wives. Whether you prefer “as you wish” or “your will be done,” submission is what the speaker of either phrase is granting someone.

Twice, during prayer, Jesus models this for us. The first time is when Jesus is asked to teach the disciples to pray. In this model prayer Jesus simply states “Your will be done.” (Matt 6:10 & Luke 11:2). Jesus is teaching us to seek God’s will when we pray. The second prayer is when Jesus is praying in the garden. He not only prays this once, but twice that night. “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). Here Jesus is asking for a pass from the cross and even more so, a pass from taking on of all the sins of the world creating a separation between Him and His father. Then He pauses and says, “nevertheless” or never mind – not my will, but yours.

Praying for God’s will takes courage. Even as a young girl, I was always afraid to just openly pray for God’s will. What if He wanted me to do something crazy like leave my mom and dad and go to the mission field. Don’t judge, it always crossed my mind. In all seriousness, last night as I was out watering plants, I was praying for a break. I was just telling God from the bottom of my heart that I needed a break. I was asking for just one day to take it easy, one day just for me. I will admit, I mentioned a spa day and even possibly a quick weekend getaway. When it suddenly occurred to me how selfishly I was praying. I immediately recognized that I should be praying for the energy and stamina to do what God has placed in front of me, not praying for a break. I had to throw up the same “never mind” that Jesus did when He was praying. I was praying for Angela’s will not God’s will.

I’ve been called out on this before. Once my daughter was dating a guy I didn’t really like. I was praying for every kind of break-up you could imagine. One of them would find someone else, her eyes would be open, his parents would move out of state…. As they were getting a little more serious, I decided to rally the troops. I did what any praying mom would do. I called my best, praying friend and asked her to join me. We know where two or more are gathered, there is power in that prayer. With her help, we would make this breakup happen. However, I didn’t get the response from my friend that I was expecting. She simply asked me if I had thought about praying for this young man and praying that he would develop a relationship with Christ. Ouch, NO! I had not thought about praying that way. I was praying for a breakup. Again, praying for Angela’s will not God’s will.

How do we know God’s will so we can pray that way? Ask. Just simply ask Him and then listen. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will know His will, and the more you will desire to submit to it. Don’t worry, the odds are really slim that He will ask you to sell everything and go to Siberia.

Do You See What I See?

tall Scott is a good foot taller than I am. This allows him to not only reach things I cannot even come close to, but also lets him see things from a different perspective. This was proven at Christmas this year. I hid hints around the house to let him know about his Christmas present. The problem is I hid the hints at my eye level not his. They went unnoticed for days. This week I misplaced a receipt. I had looked everywhere for it. When Scott got home from work, I expressed my frustration. Later that evening, he was simply standing in the kitchen, he reached over and retrieved the receipt. I had spent hours looking for it. I would have never seen it there unless I was on a step ladder. (Which also tells me I wasn’t the one that put it there.)

Perspective is an interesting thing. Two people can look at the same item and see it completely differently. What I pray is that I can learn to look at life and people through God’s eyes. Think of when Samuel was sent to anoint a new king. Samuel had all of Jesse’s boys pass before him. First the eldest, Eliab, passed. Samuel thought surely he should be the king. He must have been strong and tall maybe even smart, but those were not the characteristics God wanted in the next king. Samuel then summoned for the others one by one. None of them possessed the one trait that God thought was most important in the next King. Samuel then sent for the remaining son, David, who was out in the fields. The point was that God wanted someone to be King who loved Him with his whole heart. God didn’t want the strongest or best looking. He wanted someone who loved him 100%. In His own words, “Do not look at his appearance or at is physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7.

Samuel was able to put his perspective aside and view the prospective kings through God’s eyes. I would love to say that I view others through God’s eyes only. That I never judge anyone by their looks or by how they are dressed, but as much as I would like for that to be 100% true, it isn’t. I would like to boast that I love everyone I meet and only have kindness in my heart for those I come in contact with every day, but again I cannot. See, I look at others through human eyes, and human eyes are not perfect. Human eyes judge people and put people in categories. It is what we do. What I pray is that while my human eyes may make quick mental judgements, my heart and my actions always show love.

On a more personal level, and thinking about looking through God’s eyes, how does God view me, and do I spend more time preparing for God’s eyes or the eyes of man? I have to admit, the honest answers are not the answers I wish were true.