I was reminded this week of how refreshing prayer can be. I was eating a slice of watermelon – who doesn’t love that wonderful summer refreshment! At the same time, I was reading about prayer. I felt so refreshed just thinking about spending time with God. I realized my time with Him is even more refreshing than eating a slice of watermelon, or running in the rain, or going for a swim. Nothing is more refreshing than our God!
If you would like to spend some refreshing time with God today, here are a few simple ways to get started. You don’t need to be overwhelmed and try to do them all. Just pick one that feels refreshing to your heart:
1. Sit with God. Just be with Him. Try this for five minutes and see how you feel.
2. Get to know God. Ask Him questions about Himself. Ask Him to share His heart with you. Look up one of the “names of God” in your Bible – the Internet has many great resources on where to find the names of God (John Paul Jackson, 365 Names of God is a great resource). Choose one name that is meaningful for you today. Reflect on who God is. Talk with Him about one of His names, and what that means to Him and to you.
3. Pray for someone. Pray for someone you know who needs prayer. Or just pray for the first person who comes to your mind, even someone you might not have seen for years. You can also ask God to give you the name of someone to pray for. He might prompt you to pray for someone you know, or He might lead you to pray for someone you have never met, who lives on the other side of the world.
4. Pray a Bible verse. Choose a favorite verse, or find one you haven’t spent much time with. Turn the verse into a simple prayer.
5. Pray for an upcoming event. Does your family have an important event coming up? Maybe an event for your children at school? Is something coming up that you are excited about, or nervous about? Does your community or church have an event coming up that could use some prayer? Spend some time with God, just talking about and praying for that event.
6. Ask God for a Bible verse you can pray for your family. Ask Him to give you a specific verse to pray. It might be one verse for your whole family, or a different verse for each person in your family. Listen quietly. See what verse He leads you to pray for each person. This is a prayer strategy, and it can become a very powerful part of your daily family prayers. Share the verses with your family. Ask them what other verses they hear.
How did your “prayer refreshment” time go today? Try the same thing again tomorrow, or pick a different way to pray. These are just a few ways to get started. See what else God inspires in you.
Start with five minutes of your day, and grow from there.
God will love this time of refreshment with you. It’s like sharing a slice of watermelon with Him. You will enjoy this time as well. You will be amazed how it will affect your day.
Adventures with God 