Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Organize Your Space -- With Prayer


See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

- Matthew 18:10-14 ESV

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

- Luke 11: 9-13 ESV


The first thing is the hardest.

Set aside some time to be still.

  • Ask God for his perspective on your space. What would he like for you to do with it?
  • If he were directing the whole process, where would he ask you to start?
  • Are there books or resources that would help? Ask him to show them to you.
  • Are there people who can help? Ask him to bring them to you.
  • Should you get some help? Ask him to set that on your path or show you how.
  • How much time can you spend on this each day? Five minutes? Fifteen? Thirty?
  • Are there things that you should realize or remember before you start?
  • What is his vision for your home?

Ask. Then be still. Does anything come to mind? Write it down. Continue to pray about it for a couple of days. Watch for God to bring to you a gradual dawn of what you need, how you should care for your people, and how you should proceed. He may use anything -- a radio show, a book, a magazine article, a friend, a conversation, or just a gentle prompting in your thoughts. Write it all down in your notebook or organizer. Just brief jottings will do. Capture it so you can keep it close.

I believe that God will help you with this if you seek him. He cared about the welfare of children long before you breathed air. He still does. He cares about everything that touches them. He cares about the quality of life in your home and the way you live together. He will address exactly the things you should change and how you should change them. If you give him the chance.

Ask at least one other person to pray for you about this. Ask them to pray for insight, wisdom, discipline, and help. Ask them to pray for you during the process, as you go and make changes. God is interested in seeing us work together to make things happen, in all the aspects of our lives.

I will pray for you, too.

If you leave a comment below and explain how you would like someone to pray for you, I will pray for you this week.

3 comments:

  1. I want you to know that I've been trying to implement this "quiet waiting on the Lord"w/regards to the care and teaching of my children. I'm so overwhelmed right now and I want to rest in His plans, not mine.
    Thank you for this and the other posts. They are helping me to remember the right way to live life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am strugling with having balance in my life. Too much stress and worry. Thank you praying.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Heather and Lena, thanks for sharing. I will pray for you!

    You have both mentioned two very common issues, which we can all relate to. I have thought already about the possibility of doing something with both of these topics -- the need for balance and how to enjoy a *listening* relationship with God.

    ReplyDelete

I love to receive comments from my readers, since you are the ones I am writing for! Please feel free to leave one.