Verse of the Day - Psalm 17:6

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. ~ Psalm 17:6 (NLT)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I confess that lately, I've felt a little fragile emotionally. I'm usually a very "up" person, outgoing and gregarious. I was a cheerleader in high school, and I feel like I'm often a cheerleader in life. But lately, I've begun to feel rather burnt out. Just not feeling like I have enough in me to lift myself up, let alone others. And so, this morning, before turning on my computer, I sat in my living room, looking at my now-quite-almost-well-yeah-pretty-much-oh-okay-really dead Christmas tree, and prayed, Lord, I feel like I've got some emotional issues right now. I need Your help...

Yeah, I know. I also need to pray that God will give me the motivation to get rid of my dead Christmas tree. That's a given.

The beauty of my prayers is that I know God hears me. I don't wonder if He's too busy or asleep or not even real. I know He's real and ready with a listening ear to hear my prayers, whenever and wherever. And I also know that He answers...every time. Not always the way I want, but that's part of the parent/child relationship we have. But I think I need to pray more when it comes to my own life. Turning my focus toward God and His abilities to aid me sometimes takes a back seat to all of the other needs around me. The intercessory prayer list is long and I do care about these people and these concerns -- but sometimes I forget that I need God. And I need to turn my attention toward Him daily for my needs. I guess it is possible to be spiritually co-dependent. Hmm...

Do you sometimes feel selfish when you pray for your own needs? We hear all the time, "It's not about us...", so we can tend to think that bringing our own needs and concerns before God is a selfish thing to do, and that we should just turn our attention toward others and not ourselves. I do understand the need for balance in our thought and prayer life, needing to be careful not to be self-absorbed. But on the flip side, if you ignore your own needs because you think it's unspiritual, you're misinformed and shooting yourself in the foot. If you want an honest example of prayer for oneself, read the Psalms. David unabashedly goes to God constantly for his own emotional, mental, physical and spiritual issues. He holds nothing back from God with how he's feeling and thinking! It is healthy to open it all up to God in prayer -- the whole can of worms! When we get things all out in the open before our own eyes and God, He's able to help us sort things out, see things as they really are, see where change is necessary, see Him in the midst of it all.

I hope you can know that God is real and available to those who choose a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. He is not far off in the distance yelling across a chasm, "I can't hear you...can you yell a little louder?!?" He doesn't have to press the 'hold' button on you, while He talks to 4,532,669 other people praying at the same time. He is the Almighty God, and He is intimate with His people. One on one. Every time.

I am so grateful God is a good listener, aren't you? The God of the universe offers intimacy to all who come to Him with an honest heart through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, our Savior. You don't need a rosary or a prayer shawl for Him to listen. You don't need to rely on St. Christopher medals and other religious paraphernalia. Rely on God and God alone. And talk to Him. Alot. Because He's all ears for His children.

Now, God, about that Christmas tree...see, here's the deal...

Love,
Joelene