Make prayer your super power
6 Ways to Come Closer to God in Prayer
This is kind of a new post topic for me. I wrote this for a short lesson in church and I thought it would be fun to share it here too. In my life, no mindset is more important than my faith mindset. Even before I joined my church I believed in God and instinctively felt a desire to pray. When I was young I would look out my window at the stars and just know that there was a God out there that would hear my prayers.
As I said in the intro to my blog, prayer and a positive mindset have been my secret weapons in dealing with all the challenges and craziness of being a mom. Whenever I need help with anything as a mom, I will find a quick moment to pray, and it always helps me get in a better frame of mind and stay calm in *most situations. I’m not perfect of course, but prayer is my #1 go-to for anytime I’m losing it as a mom. :)
I like to think of prayer as a super power. If you think about it, superheroes have all kinds of powers like superhuman strength, x-ray vision, and the ability to overcome evil-just to name a few. While superheroes are fictional, prayer is a real power that can give you added strength, the ability to see things you otherwise could not, and of course the ability to overcome evil and temptation. I think of evil as the many forces that work against us as moms and in our families. Temptation can come in many forms too, such as the temptation to quit or give up when nothing we try seems to work to help our kids or ourselves with the problems we face.
Prayer can help you with anything you need and it’s available anytime, anywhere. You can pray in the car, in the shower, or when you’re doing the dishes or the laundry. And you can pray in your heart anytime. It takes time to start to understand how the answers come, but with time and practice you will start to sense how God answers you and strengthens you in little moments each day.
Here are some ways I have found to give my prayers some added power and help me feel closer to God.
1-Be specific in your prayers.
The more specific your prayers, the more specific your answers. I heard this years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. Instead of asking the Lord to bless your son, ask Him to help your son to do well on his test, or to find someone to sit with at lunch, or to nail his job interview. You can go even deeper into specifics, like help him to remember the steps to long division that you studied together, or something along those lines. Being specific in your prayers makes it easier to identify blessings and answers to prayers.
2-Pray scripture-based prayers.
When you pray using scripture phrases, you know you are on track because those are God’s own words. For example, there is a famous scripture in the Book of Mormon that talks about turning your weakness into strengths. You can ask the Lord to help you to turn your weaknesses into strengths using the exact wording from the scripture. (See Ether 12:27)
One example of this in my own life is having gone from very messy and unorganized, to pretty darn clean and organized. I prayed and sought out resources for years to help me learn how to clean, organize and decorate my home. It took me decades and lots of prayer, but it’s finally easy for me to clean and organize-and I really enjoy it!
Here are some other ideas and examples, all of which you can find scriptures for to guide you in how to pray.
You can ask Him to help you have peace and to be of good cheer. (John 16:33)
You can ask Him to help you have faith (Mark 9:23).
Patience (Heb 12:1).
Forgiveness for yourself and others (Ephesians 4:32) .
There are scriptures for all these and anything else you need help with.
When a scripture speaks to you, try to incorporate it into your prayers. You will notice a difference in the quality of your prayers when you do this.
3. Pray for things that you can control.
This is such an empowering idea to use when you pray. Rather than asking the Lord to change others, or to change situations, ask Him to help you to do things.
For example, instead of praying for your teenager to quit being grumpy, ask the Lord to help you know how to respond to your teenager when they are grumpy, anxious, or depressed.
Instead of praying that your babies will sleep through the night, or that your kids will stop fighting, ask the Lord to give you patience with your little ones when they don’t sleep well, or the older ones when they are fighting.
Whatever you are dealing with, ask the Lord to help you find resources that would help YOU move forward and be proactive, rather than forever hoping the world will change.
There are a lot of variations on this, but the main point is to put the focus on yourself so that you can bring about the changes you desire in your life.
4. Have a prayer schedule or “cheat sheet”.
My husband and I regularly hike a mountain that has 14 switchbacks to the top of the hike. We started going after the gyms closed at the start of Covid. One of the other regulars is a widow with 12 children. He told us once that he prays for each of them in turn as he goes up the 14 switchbacks to the top of the mountain.
I thought that was so sweet and it gave me the idea to start praying for my children in order of age each day. Since we have 6 kids, I start with the oldest child on Monday and go to the youngest on Saturday. (If they have a spouse and kids, I pray for them in my evening prayers.) On Sunday morning I pray for myself, and in the evening I pray for my husband. Of course I pray for all of my children on an as needed basis, but on each child’s day I get very specific and pray for them in depth.
I have found that doing this helps in a couple ways. I have such a large family that it takes a long time to pray for all of them each day. Taking one each day makes my prayers shorter and more to the point. And I can pray very specifically for them. I pray for things like how I can encourage them, that they will get special blessings from the Lord that day, and that I can be a blessing in their life. I pray for the past to be healed, and to know how to best communicate and connect with them and more. I pray for them in their jobs, marriages, parenting, school etc.
There are other ways to use this idea that might work well for you. I have other friends who do something similar to what I do, but they actually write down who and what they are going to pray for. One friend has a general list for each day and then adds other people or problems as they come up. Another friend, who is the type that everyone comes to for help and advice, keeps a list of people and situations so she can pray for them each day without forgetting someone.
5. Give gratitude for little things.
Notice all the little comforts and conveniences around you. Notice when a smile or a song cheers you up. Give thanks for the people that take the garbage away. Give thanks for the technology to communicate with family members far away. Give thanks for flowers and trees. You can even give thanks for your challenges and the lessons they are teaching you. Any little expression of gratitude will lift your spirits and help you recognize the Lord’s many blessings in your life.I am certain that if you are in a position to be reading this blog you are very blessed in your life. Life is never perfect, but there is always a reason to smile and be happy.
6. Bring everything to the Lord
Bring Him your questions and concerns, burdens, fears… everything. Get specific and use the scripture-based prayers to ask Him for help and for anything you need. The scriptures say “Ask and you shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
Emily Belle Freeman, cohost of the Don’t Miss This Podcast is one of my favorite people to follow on Instagram. Seriously you guys, every post is so spiritual and inspirational, and they all read like poetry….Ah, I love her...Anyway, I just want to close with this post she wrote on Instagram @dontmissthisstudy.
BRING IT TO THE LORD
That heavy thing you’re carrying right now. The one that keeps you up at night and makes it hard to focus on anything well.
Bring it to the Lord.
The hope you carry in your heart. The one that seems just out of reach.
Bring it to the Lord.
The weakness you just can’t seem to overcome.
He will take that too.
And that prayer you carry for the one you worry over.
Bring that as well.
Every dream, every wish, every hard thing, every worry, every wonder, every doubt, all the questions, and longings, and all of your best hopes you have for all of your best people.
He will hold those things with you, sit in those places with you, watch over those people with you.
He will meet you in the hardest places. In the darkest nights. And in the joy.
He will be there too.
Don’t hold back anything, friend.
Bring it to the Lord.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on prayer. Add a comment below or email me at rachel@mom-mindset.com.
XOXO
Rachel
