My Regular Prayer
If you have been following my blog journey for any amount of time, you might have recognized that a common thing for me to pray is, “Lord, Help me to Know & Love You more.”
The story behind this prayer can be found, here, but this prayer has become a priority focus in my life because the weight of it is so profound.
Not Self-Effort, But God-Surrender
In anything we attempt in life, in trying to live a life that gives God glory, we really need to start with this simple prayer in everything we try.
This is true quite simply because if we were to try & perfect every area of our lives, having that be our sole focus, we would constantly be in a scramble & would constantly be beating ourselves up at our mistakes.
But the core or our prayers should be to KNOW & LOVE GOD more, putting everything else in proper balance, with our focus on God in working out our sanctification versus us trying to do it our way, in our wisdom. Our focus should be trained on Him & following HIS lead.
Put God on Center Stage
As this becomes the focus of our prayers & our life, our perspective begins to shift to put Him in center focus. As we know Him more, we learn more of His love for us, which in turn, grows our love for Him even stronger.
So how do we do this thing of knowing & loving Him more? Besides prayer?
Faith, Love, & GOD-Trust
We trust in Him.
This may seem a little too simplistic. If you are anything like I was growing up, I had no idea what it really meant to trust God.
Let’s simplify it even further… to trust God means to take Him at His Word… to consider that He probably knows (aka DOES know) better than we ourselves do.
Now, don’t get me wrong… this is so hard for us, who want to feel capable & in control, to do. Part of our security is feeling like we can come up with a solution & THEN pray about it.
But His Word, as written in the Bible, are HIS Wisdom. His PERFECT wisdom.
And so, learning to trust Him, learning to know Him, starts with taking Him at His Word.
Feeling Capable, But Letting God Lead Instead!
This starts simply by us bowing our “know-how” to God, in saying, “God, I feel VERY strongly that it should be this way or that way, or that I think I know myself pretty well… BUT, You DID make me… You ARE God Almighty. So, if I am wrong, please change my mind.”
Be willing to let God change your mind.
Honestly, we can all agree that we don’t always make the best judgement calls & that our plans don’t usually work out quite as splendidly as we imagined they would. Even if they turn out pretty good, something always just seems off, like we’re missing a piece to the puzzle called life.
So, let God change your mind.
Proven True, Every Time
The more you seek to live a trust in His Word, the more you will find it proven true, no matter how impossible or unbelievable it may sound to us when we first try. He will always be proven right, 100% of the time. That’s PERFECT wisdom for ya.
This week’s post is short, but powerful. And hopefully it being short allows its truth to sink in even deeper. We need our prayers & life to revolve around knowing & loving God more… & as we do that, we begin to set in proper focus all the rest of our life, as we see Him gently guide, lead, & help us every step of our growth through life.
How to Know & Love God More
Let’s review how to know & love God more:
- Start by knowing His Word: Reading it, taking notes, looking up original Greek/Hebrew words, praying over it for God’s discernment & for the Truth to be made clear to you.
2. And trust His Word, as is—As I said above, learn to let God change your mind. And ask Him to do so in revealing HIS perfect wisdom & truth to overshadow your limited understanding, wisdom, knowledge, perspective, & abilities.
3. And finally, Beautiful one, BE PRAYING. TALK to Him. Get to know Him. Share your heart, your aches, your pains, your fears, gripes, worries, upsets, confusion, doubts, anger, stress, anxiety, weaknesses, hurts, joys, celebrations, excitement, love, hopes, dreams, share EVERYTHING. Talk. To. HIM.
This concept might be simple, but I promise you, it’s profound. Seek Him in everything & learn to know & love Him MORE.
Shine HOPE!
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
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A Note from Michelle:
This blog/website has been running for over TWO years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
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Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Lotus Earrings
Hand-cut suede makes these flower petal-inspired earrings a perfect statement.
Artisan Information:
In India, many women are forced to work in sweatshops with unfair pay & dangerous conditions. But with every purchase, the women who make this product are now working in a safe environment, being paid a fair wage & seeing their lives change for the better! They also have access to education & financial counseling. You are empowering women to have freedom to dream again!
Purchase this piece & empower a woman in India!
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
