Anxious for Nothing - Chapter 6

I have to admit that prayer is difficult for me. So this chapter, "Prayer, not Despair: Peace Happens When People Pray" seemed like a really good one for me.

The girls remind me that I don't like to pray aloud. For some reason I just can't pray in front of other people.  I have.  But I don't like to do it.  It seems like everyone is so quiet, that I can't find the right words, that I am afraid that others will think I am stumbling too much or will wonder why I am praying for these things or people and not other things or people.  I should remember that a prayer is talking with God, presenting requests to God, and it doesn't really matter what others think. I am still not volunteering for the prayer before Thanksgiving dinner, though.

As I read this chapter last night, I was not marking any passages (since I was reading just before I fell asleep) but there are several which stood out to me.

Max discussed the importance of specific prayers.  He used as an example a person who says he will drop over to visit sometime---which is really vague---opposed to someone who says "I am dropping by your house Saturday morning at 10 to drop off a couple of pumpkin rolls."  The first person really isn't serious about stopping by.  The second one is.

He recommends this:  specific prayers.  And that makes sense.

First - a specific prayer is a serious prayer.  Just like the person who is dropping off the pumpkin rolls, a prayer with specific requests is one that is seriously praying. (Oh my...how many times did I use the word prayer in that??)

Second - specific prayers are opportunities to see God at work.  My go-to best prayer ever is about the decision to leave West Central and move to Ivy Tech.  I needed help with that decision.  I prayed about it. But I was specific enough about it, not asking for them to offer me the job, but to open the doors for me to walk through if I were to make that career change.  This definitely was an opportunity to see God at work.  The doors started to open.  Every time I thought there was a sticky door, it opened easily for me to move through and get to the next step.

Third - specific prayer creates a lighter load.  And I liked his explanation of this as not giving orders or making demands but being specific about what is needed. It's somewhat like asking for a specific pair of shoes, like a pair of gray Sketchers with pink trim and gel in-soles rather than just a pair of tennis shoes.   I asked for patience when we were visiting Mom, for the ability to  guide the conversation to memories and happier times in her life, to keep a smile on my face when she insulted me, for help when keeping her calm and happy at the nursing home.  It worked.  God saw me through those visits with her.  That is a big contrast to the visits in Wooster where I prayed just to get through the hour or two with no issues.  Being specific helped immensely. I knew that God had it covered. 

One of the last passages in this chapter to be highlighted by Max is this:  "As you sense anxiety welling up inside you, cast it in the direction of Christ.  Do so specifically and immediately."

I am remembering this as I approach the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.  Instead of praying that I remain calm through the holidays and all of the entertaining, I must prayer for the specifics. And I must pray each and every time I feel like the tension might be increasing.

Lord, help me carve out the time to continue to purge the top of the hutch and the shelves in the living room.

Help me to plan the menu, shop for groceries, and prepare the food.

Please remove the stress of my thinking that everything should be perfect and enjoy the time with family, which is what the holiday is all about.

I am loving this book.  As I said before, these verses have special significance for me and a complete study on them is just what I need.