If You Could Only Pray About One Thing…
Had this crazy thought, inspired somewhat by the idea behind the One Prayer initiative. If you could only pray about ONE thing in your life…if you had to narrow it all down to one request, what would you pray for/about?
My thinking: is there a common heartcry? Do we yearn for the same thing? Deep down, what do people actually want most?
I would love to hear from all of you on this one. Please be honest – don’t be afraid to post what your deepest heart cry is. I’d love to hear your thoughts. When we’re done, I’ll share mine.
Post away….
May I decrease so God can increase.
Man, what a question. This isn't easy. I'm not going to type out an elegant prayer. If I had to choose, I think it would have something to do with my kids and their relationship with God and their relationships with unchurched people.
My first thought was "wisdom" and then I felt this overwhelming sadness that I didn't believe my own answer.
From my heart, I would pray for love. That I would hunger to give away the radical,sacrificial,
transforming love that I know God has for me.
Only one thing? Okay, then it is this; that each member of my family starting with my wife and I, then each one of my five children, my ex-wife, my parents brothers and sisters, nieces and newfews, cousins and on and on; would know Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour, and that they would have an ongoing and increasing relationship with God in the fullness of His Trinity. If we had all of that then everything else would be covered and I could really find rest and peace in that.
I pick this one thing because at the end of each day, everything else becomes a passing and/or fleeting thing. We cannot control what happens in this world: money, health weather, possessions, wars, peace, the environment. Yes we can effect each of these things but we cannot control them. But I have come to believe that when my spiritual life is in order, I can get through the bad things and really enjoy the good things.
One of my kids once asked me why it was so important to me that they know God. The answer that I gave them – the only answer that makes any sense to me as a man – is that I know that I have a better life now with Jesus in it than I did before and that I want that for each of them too. And that when I pass from this life I know I will spend a happy eternity with God. And that eternity will be even better knowing that they will also be there.
I pray everyday, in my own sort of way mostly at night before I lay my head down and wonder if when I wake up I will be answered. Family is so important to me and of coarse to everyone. I pray that famillies will be complete and that we all come together. Forgiveness should be taken and what has happened with family feuds in the past should stay in the past. Start fresh and let this be the first day of many years of happy family reunions.
Family is important to people who have them (children, I mean).
What about authentic belonging and acceptance? Isn't that something everyone longs for, and looks for in different contexts and situations?
I would pray for peace. World peace would be awesome, but I also mean personal peace for me and my family. If we have that in our hearts I know we can face anything.
That's an easy question to answer. I would definitely choose to pray that everyone decide to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour so that they would have help overcoming all of their burdens here on earth and so that we could all meet again in heaven.
I would pray for the salvation of loved ones, neighbours and friends and increased passion for Christ's followers.
Dianne
I love this. Over 300 people have read this post so far. Any other prayers out there? We've only heard from 9. I'd love to hear more. I think our prayers tell us something.
I would pray for a closer relationship with God – for me, and for everyone else. I think that everything in life falls in place when we're close with God.
I think the question "… only pray for 1 thing" kinda makes you think on the big picture: world peace, for everyone to come and know the Lord, etc. But if the question was more "self-focused," I think we would see some more "personal" answers. On a large scale, I think my 1 prayer would be for world peace through the message of Christ, but if it were a personal prayer request, it would probably be something along the lines of meeting new people and forming meaningful, longterm, deep, authentic relationships.
The people above took all the good
answers..so my second prayer is for controll of my tongue. yup , thats a big one for me..
My first prayer thought was for all our family and friends to meet Christ.. then I rethought this..May Christ be first in my life.. May He have my full trust.. May my life be so full of Him as I walk with Him, that others would want my Christ in their lives.. Gen
I pray we would stop getting in God's way and his will would be done.
My one prayer would be to fully trust God with everything; to relinquish control; to follow God's will & the path that has been laid out for me–no matter what.
For me, I'm just asking God to be with me this summer when I'm away at camp. I want to be able to make a difference in kids lives and be able to show them God and Jesus and how amazing they are. I want to be able to give cabin, after cabin the best week of their lives and make them want to come back to camp year after year.
My prayer would be that people's brokeness would be so touched by God, that they would be so changed that everyone who sees them shine would be moved to accept Christ. God can make the deserts bloom.
Hmmmm . . . one thing to pray for? I think it would be acceptance–acceptance of me as I am, of the people around me, and of God’s unfailing grace, or is that 3 things?