The Relationship

Submitted by Julie on Fri, 11/29/2013 - 20:19

Matthew 6:9-13 – This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (NIV)

What if my prayers always started with "Lord, I trust You to provide me with what I need", rather than "Lord, this is what I want"?

As I have moved along in my walk and my relationship with Jesus over the past twelve years, I am still learning what it means to be in a personal relationship with Him.

In the past, my prayers would sound like this:

  • Lord, give me patience.
  • Lord, change that person.
  • Lord, I cannot do this anymore.
  • Lord, make it better for me.

From each of these types of prayers, I have seen the following answers:

  • The Lord has put people into my life who try my patience, thus teaching me to have patience and also grow in my relationship with Him.
  • The Lord has made changes in me that help me to accept that person for who they are and not who I think they should be. Again, there was growth in my relationship as Jesus accepted me for who I was. He didn't wait until I was all together before He called me to be His own.
  • The prayer has changed to "Lord, help me! I cannot do it alone." This is a great relationship of prayer between us, and is, at times, a moment-by-moment prayer.
  • The Lord has brought people into my life with whom I can talk and pray and make it better for them. Being humbled changes me and makes it better for me.

I work in the developmental services field, and I have always held to the belief that I work in a "do with" not "do for" field. I recognize that we all need help in some areas of our life, so with a "do with" attitude, we both grow. My walk and my relationship with the Lord is also developing this way. Rather than a "do for me, Lord", I want a "do with me, Lord" attitude.

Colossians 1:17 – He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the desire for a relationship that You have put into our lives. It is through Your Holy Spirit that we can come to You. Left to our own devices, many of us would say that we can do it alone, which we can't. Help us daily to show Your love to others and to help to bring them into a relationship with You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Julie Bowles