daily devotional

What could happen in your life if you prayed about it, then let God just have it? Seriously, talk to God then receive absolute peace and assurance to walk in his divine plan. Did you know that’s possible?

Did you know God cares about every single thing you’re going through, every decision you’re about to make, every burden you carry, and his plan is to guide you, bless you, strengthen you and bring you to a place of complete confidence as he works?

If you are lacking confidence in what is unfolding in your life right now, let’s just talk to God about it. Let’s resist the urge to complain about it, worry about it, or try to work it out on our own. Instead, let’s go straight to the source of all things good and right, and let’s seek his power here.

Philippians 4: 6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I especially love this verse because it guides us to thank God for how he is going to work, before we see evidence of his work. You can bring your hardest thing, your most impossible situation, your darkest thoughts and greatest worries, and you can thank him for taking it all as you lay it down. You can turn over your anxiety and know God holds all of this in his mighty hands. Not a detail will be overlooked. Nothing will be too hard for him. He’s got this because you are giving it to him. You can trust he is going to use it all for his good plans for you, therefore you can thank him before you ever see how.

As a result of talking to God about it, we receive peace. Our unsettled hearts and disrupted minds find calm. We rest. We find our place to show up and do our best as we know God is doing his best. For after you pray about everything, Philippians 4: 7 says “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Prayer not only allocates the power of God over your situation, but it also brings peace that guards your heart and mind. It isn’t everything being magically fixed in an instant and all things being made clear that calms your crazy thoughts and racing heart. No doubt even if this were immediately resolved, you would quickly jump into the next big mess to worry about. The only thing that guards your heart from hurt and your mind from darkness is the peace of God that comes after you pray about it. That’s it. Solutions are temporary. Bright ideas quickly fade. Progress is eventually stalled. What you put back together falls apart again. All of this is fragile and fading. Your peace comes only from giving it to God and thanking him for how he is going to work.

I’ve found the more consistent I am in my prayer, the more I see God’s power and good plans unfold in my life. Is it because I’m calling God to action through my prayers, or is it because my eyes are simply opened to see what he has always been doing? It’s likely both. Yes, God responds to our requests. Yes, our prayers allocate the power of God. Yes, he springs into action when we call out to him. But I must also believe prayer is a pathway to see what God has always been doing on our behalf. It’s an opening to feeling his presence, understanding his will, and seeing his works unfold in our lives.

When we fail to pray about it, we may simply miss the opportunity to see God was already at work on this exact thing for us. We miss out on the intimacy offered to us through his personal power allocated in our direction, guiding our way, and we just assume maybe we got lucky. No girl, you didn’t get lucky, God was at work for you. If you would have been praying about it, you would know!

When you pray for a job opening, then you see an advertisement for the perfect job, you know that was God responding to your request. But when you never prayed about it, and you see that same advertisement for the same perfect job, you easily assume it was random luck that you stumbled upon it. You miss God’s personal and divine work for you. And when you consistently miss what God is already doing in your life, you forfeit the peace in knowing he will no doubt continue to work in every situation for you.

When you pray about everything, everything is not only submitted to the power of the Almighty, but everything also becomes proof he is working and your confidence in his goodness grows. This is how you become fearless. This is how you become unshakable. This is how you become the warrior you were created to be. You pray about everything, and as a result you see God working in everything. When you see God working in everything, you have confidence to know he’s going to work in the next thing coming your way too. Then you go to bed without worry and you wake up with joy. God’s already on the scene working!

Oh, never underestimate the power of a praying woman. That woman beholds the unmatched power of God. That woman is a mountain mover, a sea part-er, a water walker. That woman’s joy is overflowing. That woman’s peace is unshakable. That woman sees God at work in everything, therefore she never backs down from anything. Fear has no place in that woman’s life. Darkness cannot threaten that woman. The enemy’s attacks fall unsuccessful because that woman is fully geared up in her armor. That woman is YOU when you pray.

You pray about it, then you trust God to move in it. Trust him to respond to your bold request. Trust him to do the impossible. Trust his timing. Trust his way. Trust his big picture plan that you simply cannot see or understand right now. Trust him enough to buy into whatever he is doing. Can you do that? Can you go all-in on whatever God’s great plan may be here? Yes, before you see it. Before you understand it. Allow his plan to be your plan, even when that plan can’t be prepared for because he doesn’t give it to you in advance. That’s surrender.

There’s a little scripture I stumbled upon today that’s half of a sentence spoken by the apostle John. John walked with Jesus as one of his disciples. He is believed to be the youngest of the 12, and the disciple referred to as “the one Jesus loved.” He was one of the fishermen in the boat the day Jesus showed up on the shore and brought in a miraculous haul of fish that nearly sank their boats. John was a man who knew Jesus, and had seen his power on glorious display. He writes in John 7:17 “if anyone’s will is to do God’s will …”

Wow! We’re all searching for God’s will. Wondering what he is doing and questioning what we should be doing. But what if we really simplify this and agree that our will is to do his will. That’s it. Plain and simple. God, I want what you want. Whatever you have planned are my plans. I’m all in on what you are doing.

Now, you’re that praying woman who is submitted to God’s plan … and that woman should never be underestimated. That woman should never be counted out. She holds power and favor unmatched by anything that could possibly come her way.

Pray about it, then be all about what God’s doing here! Let your will be to do his will.

You’re that woman.