Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let god transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know god’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Other than coming to God with our wants (and we should because He cares about those things, too), sometimes it’s difficult to know what to pray for. I heard someone say, “Do I ask God for more money so I can give more? Or, do I request less money, so I’m not greedy? Do I ask Him to remove the things that tempt me, or do I ask Him to give me strength to face temptation? Do I ask the Lord to make my children be more self-managed so that I can get my work done, or ask Him for more patience and energy and to know how to put my work aside and be more present with them?” It’s a challenge, right?
The Bible says that the human heart is more deceitful than anything else (Jeremiah 17:9). That’s pretty intense! Yet, I think each of us can understand what it means for our hearts to be off-track or to lead us the wrong way. So, when we pray, it’s good to start by asking God to align our hearts, our wants, and our thinking with His will. His Spirit can turn our hearts in the right direction and shift our thinking the right way. The Lord is stable when we aren’t. He is loving to all people when aren’t. His plans are good. He can be trusted no matter if it’s a global crisis or a blurry future, even today.
So, when we ask God to transform our thinking as Romans 12 calls us to do, we are inviting Him to give us a better perspective, a clearer focus, and thoughts that are from Him. This alignment of our thinking helps us pray and it helps us trust. I can (and should) still ask God for what I want, but I start with the clarity that His way is better than what I can imagine. And I ask Him to help me see what He sees. Here’s the extra: God actually loves to do this for us. He loves to open our hearts and minds to His will. Then we can trust that when we pray a specific prayer, He will answer it. That’s the bonus of alignment.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, as I set aside time to pray these 21 days, I surrender my thoughts, my wants, my prayers to You for alignment with You. I trust You. I trust Your heart for me, for my loved ones, for my community, for my church and for this world.