Whatever your problems may be, they can be solved! You don’t need to know HOW, you just need to believe that they can be solved. Thus, with sincerity in your heart, and a willingness to follow the guidance that will inevitably appear, pray for a solution to your problem, but be very specific with your prayer. Let me tell you why.
Seven years ago, I was successful in my career, had all the material trappings of that success, yet felt a growing dissatisfaction like something was missing in my life — like I wasn’t living the life that God intended for me to live — the life that I intended for me to live — that somehow, I must have made a wrong turn in the road and ended up where I was. Consequently, I formulated a prayer that went something like this: Dear God, Please guide me to be no more and no less than who I truly am, for the highest good of all, no matter what the consequences may be, I just want to be who I am. Well, that was certainly a noble prayer, however, saying it every day for the next several years manifested a huge transition that involved major periods of unemployment, giving up my home and retirement savings, and moving my family 2700 miles to a new country and a new city where I had no friends for support, no job prospects, and virtually no money in the bank. In fact, my family arrived with no plan other than to follow the signs, and no possessions but the bags we could carry. It was quite the walk of faith, and seven years later, we are that much better, stronger, and happier for the commitment that we made and stuck with. However, now that we have endured all that we have endured, it only just occurred to me that I could have been more specific with my prayer. In other words, I could have asked to be who I am, for the highest good that I could serve without having to give up my home, or without having to (at one point) borrow money from family to get by, or without having to endure the length of unemployment that I had to go through — I could have specified those exceptions, and had I done so, I am certain I would have lessened the intensity of the transition. Sure, it would have taken years longer to learn the lessons my family and I needed to learn, and perhaps in our instance, we were ready and willing (even if only on a subconscious level), to do whatever it took to make the transition as quickly as possible. But perhaps you will prefer the longer road. Or perhaps your spouse might prefer a longer road. Either way, I would have appreciated knowing the potential Pandora’s Box I was opening before I had prayed that prayer.
On December 19, 2004, my angels had this to say about prayer:
“Try to pray for the things you truly feel you need as opposed to the things you want. This is not always easy to sort out. It is not a problem to ask for what you want, however, when we dwell on what we want and our prayers and efforts bring no results, this often opens a door to anger and frustration.”
And this:
“Praying for the health and well-being of others is a loving act that is helpful to the spirit of the intended recipient of the prayer.”
Special thanks to Emily V. for asking the question that inspired me to write this post.
You're welcome! And thank you for these posts on prayer which I will share with my husband. They are also a good reminder for me, because I spend so much time listening to guided meditations and praying "Thy will be done," that I forget the importance of specific, personal prayers!
You're welcome, Emily! I suspect a lot of us have used the same blanket practice of saying "Thy Will be Done." Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way, that prayer in and of itself doesn't guarantee the smoothest of rides!