Getting to know You.
Worship.
Seeing You.
My eyes shifted, going from out of focus to clear. One tiny, yet immense change in my prayer life has slowly transformed this obstinate heart. It’s actually very simple.
Who is God?
Truly, what is He like? What are his characteristics? What does His Word tell us about Him?
Last summer I read Start With Praise by Sally Burke and Cyndie Claypool de Neve. Every devotion starts with giving God praise for his character/attributes/qualities. The “Four Steps of Prayer” then moves on from Praise to Confession, Thanksgiving, and Intercession.
Shortly after finishing this devotion I started a small Moms In Prayer group for my sons’ elementary school. These meetings follow the format of the Four Steps of Prayer. We meet every week to pray for our children, the school, and the teachers. Before we begin any requests, we always start with praising God. We pick one attribute on which to focus, and we praise God out loud for that particularly quality and what that means to us.
I also started doing this on my own prayer time, where all I do for a few minutes is focus on who God is and let His Presence overwhelm me. It’s been about six months since I have been doing this consistently. Seriously, it has been life-changing.
Something as (seemingly) small as shifting my focus from ME to GOD before I even begin my prayer has definitely done a work in my self-centered heart.
Since we are about 30 days out from Easter, I am going to take this next 30 days and focus on one of God’s attributes each day. As this has been soul-mending for me, I would like to invite you to come along with me. Why? Because I am commanded to share His Light and bring glory to Him.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither to people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15
Today, I am drinking in the fact that our God is Creator.
One thing that helps me is listening to worship music that focuses on who God is. My favorite is anything by Rend Collective.
One song of theirs that talks about God as Creator is:
Life is Beautiful from their album Good News
“Painter of skies, maker of stars
Holder of seas and all our hearts
Artist of life, Father of lights
When I’m with You my soul ignites
You see my sin but love me the same
Breathe on my hurt and raise me again
Up from the ash, up from the dust
You’re recreating us
I will not waste this day You’ve made
I will be glad
Rejoice, rejoice
In the sunshine, in the sorrow
Oh, my soul rejoice”
Life is Beautiful, Rend Collective
Join me on Instagram for the next month and worship with me! I am praying for the Lord to reveal Himself and draw you near!
Jodi Arndt 