“Do you think you’re praying about it too much?” a friend asked me once.
Yeesh, maybe, I considered. So many of my prayers had become about me, about a specific thing in my life.
Her comment made me think of John chapter 2 – Jesus’ first miracle where he changes water into wine at a wedding.
When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” – John 2:3-5
I studied the book of John with three other women a few years back, just us and our Bibles. And one of the things that stood out to us was how confident Mary was in Jesus. She brings an issue to Jesus’ attention, seems to dismiss the comment that his time has not come, and tells the servants to obey him. And that’s it. What would it look like for us to pray like that? we discussed. What if we brought our problems to Jesus and then walked away, confident that he would take care of it?
Years later, in a different study group, a friend described a prayer analogy: a lot of time we come to Jesus, lay our problems and issues at his feet, and then we scoop it all up and carry it away with us.
How can we leave it there?
I journaled:
Jesus, how do I lay something at your feet when a situation is active and ongoing?
Maybe by walking away from it one step at a time. For, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).
The more we study God’s Word, the more we learn about The Word, the true Word who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus. The more we know who he is, the more we can worship Him. And the more we worship Him, the less we focus on ourselves. And there, in that space of eyes on him and seeing his eyes on us, we begin to understand his love. To see things the way he sees them. And to trust him. So little by little, we might be able to truly give him our worries, our fears, our circumstances. And we might leave it all with him, for good, confident he will take care of it. Because that is who He is.
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1:1
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. – John 1:4
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. – John 1:14
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God… Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior. – Psalm 25:1-2, 4-5
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Practical application: Sometimes I get too caught up in what’s ahead that I completely miss what’s right in front of me. I worry on Friday about what I will need to do Monday. I want to know today where I will live in a year. And while it can be wise to prepare in advance for situations and events, it can be easy to swing the pendulum too far, to obsess over what I need to do. And if all I am thinking about is myself, then I’m not thinking about the Lord. And I’ll miss the steps he has for me now because I’m looking too far ahead. If love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4), then maybe one of the best ways for us to love God is to be patient with him, to trust the timing of his answers to prayers and the timing in which he reveals steps to us. The point isn’t that we only should pray about something one time, but rather, the point is that we are in constant worship and awe of the one whom we pray to.
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Read: John 1
Consider: What do you learn about Jesus? Make a list of everything the chapter says about Him. Spend time in worship, praising God for who he is.
Digging deeper: Read the entire book of John. Who is Jesus? Who does Jesus say he is? (There are specifically seven “I Am” statements Jesus makes.) Make lists of things that stand out to you and spend time in prayer over the verses.
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Sing: My Desire – Jeremy Camp
Not for a Moment – Vertical Worship
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Related: Why should we know God?; The Bible isn’t about me; How do we keep priorities straight?; Fullness of Life; The Gospel of El Roi
Soaking in the Son 