As moms, we have a lot of relationships that are going on in our lives. Relationship with our spouse, our children, our parents, our siblings, friends, neighbors, churchmates, officemates, name it.
But do you ever prioritize the most important relationship in your life? Does it even exist in your everyday life?
Relationship is different than religion
I have learned that having a personal relationship with the Lord is different than practising one’s religion. We can all be going to a church every Sunday, but do not have an intimate relationship with the Lord. But what does it mean to have an intimate relationship with God?
Having a close relationship with the Lord is much like cultivating a relationship with a fellow human being. If you want to establish a relationship with someone what do you do? You try to talk to the person, spend time with him or her, find out about his likes and dislikes, and try to please him. It is the same with having a relationship with the Lord.
How to cultivate an intimate relationship with God?
The best way to cultivate a relationship with the Lord is to have daily quiet time with Him. Start the day communing with God exactly like how the scripture tells us over at Matthew 6:6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
So what do you tell Jesus? Tell Him what is in your heart. Talk to Him like how you would talk to the Creator of our universe, the best father on earth, the most merciful boss, the greatest teacher, and your “bestest” friend ever. Pour your heart out — your fears and anxieties, joys, and every little thing you want to thank Him for. Do not just jump the gun with a laundry list of all your prayer requests.
Should there be a prayer format for all these?
If you are not comfortable praying spontaneously yet, and have been accustomed to prayers that are taught to you in Church or school then by all means start with those, and then add your own personal thoughts.
I remember a teacher saying that a good acronym to remember is the word ACTS, as a good guide for a prayer format:
A – Adoration (Show adoration to the Lord by worshipping Him as soon as you start your prayer time. You can start by saying “All powerful and ever living God, I praise and worship you for this opportunity to talk to you today. You are my Sovereign King, my Almighty Father…” and then add all the titles of the Lord that have been true to your life. Tell him that all glory, honor and praises are His and that you will bless His name for all your life.)
C – Confession (Confess your sins to Him and ask for forgiveness. Ask Him to reveal to you your character flaws that you should work on, and then repent on these sins. Example: “Lord God, I am deeply sorry about my failure to stop myself from being covetous about my officemate’s new Luxury bag. I will try my best to not be materialistic and just be plain happy for her for the gift she bought herself…”
T – Thanksgiving (At this point, you can already thank the Lord for everything He has done for you. Specific things, little things, big things, everything you want to thank Him for)
S – Special Prayer Requests / Supplication (Lastly, you can mention your special prayer requests. Some people have a prayer list that they bring to the Lord every time they pray. Whatever these are, please do not forget to say intercessory prayers for people you know and people you don’t know).
Inter what?? Intercessory. These are prayers that you pray for people other than yourself and your closest family members. For example, praying for flood victims, for the orphaned, the abandoned, the incarcerated, those who have passed on etc.
One of the best preachers I have encountered said that another good guide to use is the word CAST. Yes, the CAST which St. Peter mentioned in 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” And guess what? The meaning of all the letters in the acronym of CAST is exactly the same as the ACTS acronym that the teacher I am quoting mentioned above.
What to do after praying
After praying, I strongly suggest that you have a bible reading time. My favorite preacher says if a person reads the bible for like 15 minutes a day, he would have finished the whole bible by the end of the year. Well you do not need to do that if you are unwilling to devote that much of a time.
Just have a daily devotional that you can read, and then dive deeper with the suggested bible reading for that specific entry. I have earlier written a blog post on how to start a daily devotional, and you can read it here.
It may take some time for you to get used to the routine, but once it becomes a habit, you will not only get to know the Lord Jesus Christ more, but you will also attain the Peace that only our Almighty God can offer.
Thank you for stopping by and till next post!
A happy homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!
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