Putting God First
Lately I’ve been trying a few new ways of praying. I felt I had got into a rut. Doing the same old, same old. Now that’s not bad but I was getting more distracted more easily and was not enjoying prayer as much.
I know there are seasons where prayer – talking to God – can feel a bit dry. Dry on my end. I’m the one struggling. Often, I recognize that I have not been praying well. Not relating, sharing, honouring God with my life, my conversation. I’ve put too many other things in my life that either take up too much of my time and by the time, late at night, that I go to pray I’m too tired to concentrate. I need to re-prioritise what is important in my life.
So, I decided to firstly change the time I pray and secondly for a while try some new ways or formats of praying.
I decided to not do some things and make prayer first. Then if I had time, I could do those other things. I needed to be fresh and give to God my best self not my leftover self.
Do you give your leftovers to God too?
Do you need to re-think how important He is in your Life or where you have put Him? Have you put Him as just one of the items you do in the day?
I had to ask God for forgiveness for putting other things first. No wonder I was getting stale and dry. No moisturizing Holy Spirit to nourish me.
Jesus taught us to pray with the Our Father—Give us this day our daily bread. It needs to be fresh today – not stale and a few days old. I need His grace every day. Yesterday’s leftovers just won’t do!
Upon reading this does it hit a nerve? Sound Familiar?
Well join the club with me but don’t stay there. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you get out from where you are.
Even after a day or so I was so much fresher, so much more rejuvenated with my relationship with God that it has inspired me to make sure I check this off my checklist with God more regularly.
God has not changed but I have, and I need to watch myself that I don’t fall into a routine trap and that God becomes an equal part of my life like everything else in my life.
He is worthy of so much more from me. He should be my everything.
Do you need to rethink where God is in your life? Up the top of your priority list or just one of the items on the list?
May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’
Love
Rosemary
Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you need to re-think how important God is in your Life or where you have put Him? Is He a the top of your priority list?
How often do you give God your leftovers?
What do you need to change to put God first and make Him everything?
8 Comments
Sharon D'Antonio
Hope I love your honesty and openness you are sharing with us all.
I could see myself having most of the sameness of
Realizing I to am quite often doing my prayers at night before I go sleep. I am going to seek to connect with with Father God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit in the morning Thank you blessings Sharon
Martha
That is so true I do start my day praying and thanking god , but there are times that I just go through it very quickly. But then at night I do spend more time praying, but lately I feel that I need to put him on top of my list. Thank you for reminding me.
Valerie Lack
Like you, I found myself almost routinely praying first thing in the morning, in order to fit it in and I thought, prioritising and putting God first. But I realised it was cramming prayer into a time slot and getting it done (typical of me ) It didn’t feel right. So now I try to spread prayer out over the whole day and if I don’t get what I consider, the list I imposed upon myself done, then I figure I wasn’t meant to. Better quality time and deeper connection than the feeling of hurried and meaningless prayer.
Love Val
Dianne Pawsey
Oh! God is so good. He knew I needed to read your message, Rosemary, and it went straight to my heart like a piercing arrow. My first step back will be Reconciliation … so needed for me to get back on God’s track. I thank God for you and the blessings He sends to so many through you.
Sue OBrien
Your honesty is so refreshing and heart felt. I have been undergoing the same issue with my prayers and connection to God. Things in my life are rough right now and I need God more than ever. I will never turn away from Him but I don’t give him enough of my time. After Mass last Sunday, I sat in our chapel with the tabernacle and opened my heart. I sensed God asking for more visits so I’m focusing on that right now because it’s away from home and distractions. I’m helping care for my husband and mother and pray both are healed enough to be back to good health. I need a heart procedure as well trying to find time for it. Sometimes I have no one to talk to, but God and Holy Mary come to my aid. Please continue to share with us, Rosemary, because it helps more people than you can imagination. I’m half way across the world from you and your presence is felt.
Jennifer Williams
Thank you Rosemary
I appreciate your honesty
I had not really given a lot thought about this until you shared!
I had felt like I wanted to be more intentional with times of my prayers
I am grateful for your thoughts
I think he’s first then I leave the house with not actually deliberately and intentionally praying
Sure I did with the Daily Devotional, however, now I am going to make it a priority to have a prayer time before leaving the house
Colleen Vanhaeften
Hi Rosemary
Your jottings always touch me and this one especially as I struggle with the repetitiveness of prayers and the lack of true connection. It gives me encouragement to keep trying.
Thank you so much.
God bless Colleen
Rosie Imbert
Thank you so much Rosemary for sharing your thoughts on our priority to our God🙏 I’ve been like that lately and too tired to pray at night. I have started to get up earlier and give time to our Lord in the morning, love always. Rosie