What I Need the Most

Life. How anyone thinks they can manage it on their own is beyond me. I am desperate for a daily dose (or more) of direction and wisdom from the One who created me, knows me and has a plan for me.

That's why I love the promise in James 1:5, "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

I need the wisdom of God in my daily pursuit of being a wife and mom, in my efforts to understand the teachings of His Word and in every other aspect of my life. I long for God's perspective to overshadow my own ambitions and viewpoints.

I have prayed for wisdom for a long time, and I have claimed the promise that God will give generously. But I also wanted to pray for wisdom for my family; my children, my husband, my loved ones. However, I wasn't sure if that verse meant that people must be responsible for asking for wisdom on their own, or if others could intercede in that way for them.

I know that must seem so trivial, but it was just a question I have carried in my mind for a while.

Then I started a study of the wonderful book of Ephesians, and I discovered that Paul prayed for spiritual wisdom for the people of the church at Ephesus. Because I believe in the power of scriptural prayer (and I didn't think Paul would mind), I felt compelled to adopt this prayer from Ephesians 1 as a prayer for my own family. It goes something like this (the blanks are whomever I am praying for):

Father,

I give thanks for ________, and I pray that You, the Father of glory,

would give to _________ a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the

knowledge of Yourself. I pray that the eyes of _________ heart

would be enlightened, so that ___________will know what is the

hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your

inheritance, and what is the surpassing greatness of Your

power toward us who believe.

I then continue the prayer myself, praying that God would turn their hearts (and mine) towards Him, because it is only God who can do a work in a person's life.

I write this today to encourage you to do the same for yourself, or for your children or loved ones. It is a gift that is lasting and that is honored by God.

I can't imagine what my life would be without the direction and wisdom of God, and without people interceding for me. I want to do the same for those that I love, because I know that He is more than able (through the same power that raised Christ from the dead--Eph. 1:19-20) to give us strength, wisdom, spiritual understanding and so much more when we simply ask Him for it.