When I entered the sanctuary, my focus wasn't where I wanted it to be, on the upcoming service, instead I was obsessing about my Prayables blog post for the week. I'd started writing the post twice, but still wasn't happy with it. Usually, that means I'm just not ready to tackle that particular topic.

It was the time to let it go for a while. I'd spend the next hour in worship. Relax. Sing. Absorb. It should be doable since the anthem was one of my favorites, "I Surrender Lord." And the sermon topic? Prayer. A favorite song and a favorite topic. Perfect.

And it was, because I left with 3 tips on "How to Pray;" the perfect idea for a Prayables post.

1. Don't Worry. Pray.

Whether your problem is health related, something to do with your family, or a troublesome work related issue, it is easy to let worry become all consuming. Use prayer as the tool to stop this from happening. When you find yourself worrying, pray. Surrender your worries. Surrender your concerns. Surrender yourself.

When the worries try to push their way back into your heart, pray some more. I find surrender particularly difficult. It goes against my slightly obsessive nature, but when I succeed, I'm surprised just how freeing it is to surrender all to God.

2. Don't Quit. Pray Persistently.

The scripture that the pastor read was Luke 18:1-8; the story of a widow who appeared repeatedly before an uncaring judge. "Grant me justice against my adversary," she said to him again and again. Eventually he gave in just so that she'd stop coming.

Why then, when something matters deeply, do we pray about it only once or twice? We aren't praying to a cold hearted judge. We are praying to Our Father.

Raise your eyes to the hills, raise your voice in prayer over and over again. If you're really that worried about it, isn't it worth the effort it takes to put so much into it?

3. Don't Doubt. Pray Until Something Happens.

Pray positively. That's a big one here at Prayables. When we write a Prayable, we make sure it is positive. Why wouldn't we? Your voice is being heard. You will get an answer. Know it. Believe it.

The result may not be what you expected, but if you keep lifting your concern up in prayer, something will happen. The change may come in your heart as you open yourself and your life to greater possibilities. The change may come in your vision as you see what God has placed before you. The change may come in your circumstances. What you do know is that change will come.

I owe special thanks to Dr. Kurt Calkins of Florissant Presbyterian Church who, yet again, preached and teached.

Letting Go

Surrender does not
come naturally to me.
Surrender means
relinquishing control,
letting go.
Surrender means trusting
that someone else
will do as good,
will care as much,
will want the same result that I do.
Surrender also means opening
my life and my self
to the wondrous possibilities
that Your wisdom and Your Love
offer up to me
if only I will let go.

-SueBE