You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 HCSB

Some time ago, I was reading through the comments section of a blog I follow. The person commenting noted that whenever someone told her of an issue they were facing or an issue in general, she would tell them she would pray for them. But then, something changed, and she started either offering to pray for them right then if she thought they were receptive, or she would quietly do it, still in the moment, if she wasn’t sure. It didn’t need to be a long, elaborate prayer.

Praying in the Moment

I’m learning that God doesn’t need long, elaborate, or flowery prayers. He just needs a sincere heart. I’ve recently adopted that praying in the moment philosophy. For a very long time, if someone suggested/requested I pray for something, and I tried to wait until bedtime, when I usually said my prayers, my tendency was to forget. I am human, and I have a gazillion other things on my mind. So now when someone asks me to pray, I make sure to do it right away. Or, if I hear of a need in conversation, and there is an opportunity to pray with the person, I do. It not only offers comfort to the person I’m praying with, but it humbles me.

I once had an Instagram follow request from someone I didn’t know. The young lady had Jeremiah 29:11 in her intro. I looked it up, and kept reading through verse 14. Wow! God himself tells me that when I pray He listens to me. He has certain requirements though; He wants us to seek Him with all our hearts. I don’t know about you, but I’ve struggled with giving God all my heart. Sometimes I think if I can just fix it up a little, or I can stop doing some of the things I’m doing, then I can give Him all of me. But I don’t think He wants me to wait for that. He wants all of me, just the way I am, at this very moment. And He promises to hear my prayers when I seek Him.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, we come seeking You. Remind us that we do not need to be perfect to come to You, we just need to come, and You will make us perfect through You and Your love. Help us remember to come to You first and boldly, because You promised to hear us.

1. How can you adopt an attitude of praying right away so you don’t forget?
2. What are some things holding you back from completely committing to God?
3. Did you realize that Jeremiah 29:11 was a contingent promise?
4. What is the difference between an outright promise and a contingent promise found in the Bible?
5. Have you ever had the urge to “randomly” pray for someone? What did you do?
6. Are you concerned that you or your prayers are not “good enough”?
7. How do you combat the lie of fearing that you are not good enough to approach God’s throne in prayer?