Prayin'

In the last 6 months or so, I have been feeling more and more restless spiritually. I don't think there was a single event or circumstance that caused this, but I just know that it happened. I used to love going to church and would feel fulfilled by the service. In the last few months, I have been going only about half the time and then not really feeling anything at all during or after it.

However, one of the sermons that our pastor Joe did a couple weeks ago touched on this very topic - that sometimes you don't feel God near and you just feel spiritually empty. It made me feel better that even pastors go through periods like this.....

But in the past week or two, I have made a commitment to staying the course and trusting that God is still with me and has a plan for my life, even if I don't feel it right now. I feel like there is going to be a lot of change in my life in 2011, so I want my 'pilot' with me.

I have committed to myself that I will attend church whether I feel like it or not.....and not just to go through the motions for the wrong reasons, but because I know it's where I need to be and you just never know what is going to spark something inside me one of these days and give me an 'a-ha' moment.

I also want to concentrate on prayer as being a regular part of my life, where it has been very sporadic in the past. I want to get into a routine where I have quiet time each day to pray, think, meditate, and experience mental/spiritual clarity. I already started this a few days ago and I love it!

I received an email from my church that gave some helpful guidelines for prayer, if you have trouble knowing how or what to pray. Here are some suggestions:

• Close your eyes and give thanks for 3 personal blessings of which you are especially conscious today. This helps you move toward God by moving away from a sense of self-sufficiency.
• Ask God to help one person who you feel needs God's help today. This helps you move toward God by moving away from self-centeredness.
• Ask God to forgive your mistakes and sins and give you strength to forgive others.
• Ask for insights into your personal problems and obstacles you need to overcome with His help.
• Ask God to whisper to you the most important thing you need to do today in order to 'see first His kingdom." Matthew 6:33
• Ask God to whisper to you the most important thing He wants to accomplish through you.
• Conclude by listening intently for a few minutes to what God may say to you.

I will post occasionally about how my spiritual journey is going. I am a firm believer that prayer isn't about asking/begging/demanding/pleading for what you want and hoping to get it. I really feel that a huge benefit of prayer is that it changes YOU, not the circumstance you want to change. I am hoping to grow during this process!