Inside: God doesn’t need our help to run the universe or work in our loved ones’ lives, but He still wants us to bring our cares and concerns to Him in prayer. ~

Last week, I shared a guest post on my friend Jeanne Takenaka’s blog about one of my favorite spiritual activities: praying for my children.

When you write about prayer, it’s a good idea to do so with a good deal of humility. I mean, I’ve only been a mom for 21 years, so I’m far from an expert on the topic. There are many mothers out there who have been praying for their children much longer than I have, and I have much to learn from them—online and especially in person.

I also pray for people who are not my daughters, of course. I’m nowhere near an authority on praying for them either. I recognize this, quite acutely at times.

Nighttime Epiphany

Not long after my guest post was published, I was praying for someone in the middle of the night when sleep was elusive. I was telling God what this person needed, what I would like for them to experience, that sort of thing.

As I went on, I was suddenly stopped by the thought that I was telling God what to do—what needed to be done, in fact—as if He didn’t already know. As if He would hear my prayer and get new information that would cause Him to act differently in this person’s life.

Ludicrous, I know.

If God needs my help and suggestions to run any part of the universe, He’s not sovereign. And if He’s not sovereign, there’s real no point in praying, right?

But Wait …

The thing is, I believe God is sovereign and that His will is perfect. I believe the Apostle Paul when he says “all things work together for the good of those who love God.” (Romans 8:28) I don’t know how this works in real life, but I do believe it.

I also believe the Bible when it says, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) So what actually transpires when we pray?

Is the purpose of prayer to tell God what to do, or to relinquish our cares and concerns to Him?

Is it to explain—in great detail—the outcomes we’d like to see, or to praise Him for who He is and what He is capable of doing, whether or not He chooses to do it now?

A Few Thoughts

I realize entire libraries of books have been written about prayer over the centuries, so let me just say this.

God knows our loved ones better than we do. Unlike us, He loves them unconditionally.

If they are believers, He is working in their lives and will continue to do so their entire lives. We can trust Him to work in their hearts, and also in ours.

We never know the complete story about anyone, even those to whom we are closest. Our job is not to be the Holy Spirit to them or serve as a consultant to God about them. Rather, it’s to pray for their salvation, their deliverance, their protection, their future.

Casting Our Cares

The scriptures talk about casting our every care on Him. (1 Peter 5:7) It’s OK to share specific thoughts with God—as long as we remember the results are out of our control and that God often works in ways that look nothing like what we might imagine or desire.

At the same time, we don’t have to fear praying the wrong thing for our loved ones, because if we ask God for something that doesn’t fit into His will for them, we can trust that His plan will prevail.

That’s why it’s often helpful to close out our prayers with some variation of, “Thy will be done.”

What If We Still Don’t Know?

But how should we pray if we honestly don’t know what to pray for? I don’t know all the answers to that question, but I can give you a suggestion my sister recently shared with me: to focus on Elohim, or God as Creator, in our prayers.

In her book Praying the Names of God, author Ann Spangler writes, “This ancient name for God contains the idea of God’s creative power as well as his authority and sovereignty.”

From the foundation of the world in Genesis to the future day described in the Book of Revelation when He wipes every tear from every eye, Elohim is always doing a new thing. As Mighty Creator, this is what He does.

And it’s not just on a grand scale, although He certainly works in that way. As my sister pointed out to me, “The creative aspect of God’s character extends to every single detail of our lives.”

So when we find that we don’t know what to pray for ourselves or our loved ones, we can pray this: that God will do a new thing in our lives. Even in the situations that seem hopeless to us—a relationship, a deep grief, a need for provision, a troublesome emotion or an illness.

He knows what that new thing should be, and also how to achieve it. We can rest in that, no matter what.

♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with Inspire Me Monday, #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.