At one point in my life, I used to envy how ‘spiritual’ other people looked in church. By spiritual I mean how passionate their prayers seemed, the speaking in tongues, the salty tears streaming down their faces. I too longed to be like that. I wanted to be in a certain state too during praise and worship/prayer, for fear of thinking that I just wasn’t praying in the ‘right’ way.
And then…with time, I grew a little wiser, and with this newfound wisdom came some very valuable insight.
Here are 3 Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship With God…
1. Be Sincere –
I learned that I needed to check myself. What was my real reason for desiring this? Was it for God or for man?
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:5)
With this, I realized that I only have one member in the audience, God. I realized that what I really longed for was a genuine close relationship with God. What I wanted was to delight in His presence, being drawn to my knees and feeling Him so close that it evoked tears within me at the thought of His everlasting goodness and mercy.
I learned that it was more than just ‘looking’ spiritual, but actually being and having that live connection with Him.
2. Run your own race –
We are all unique and have a purpose that is specific to each one of us. With that, we all have different paths and should never compare our path to that of our neighbors’. This applies to all areas in our life, be it career-wise, relationship, or in this case spiritual growth.
Only God knows the true heart of man, our intentions, and whether or not we are genuine in our prayers, praise, and worship, so I learned that all that I really needed to focus on was being sincere when I came before the Lord. Whether that meant I was crying and jumping up and down or standing absolutely still, all I needed was to be sincere in my prayers and run my own race without comparing my spiritual life to others.
3. Put in the work! –
Like any relationship, my relationship with God needed special attention! I learned that I had to be intentional about spending time with Him and getting to know Him through His Word.
“Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.” (1 Chronicles 16:11)
The word ‘continually’ emphasizes that seeking Him is not just a once-off thing, but an every-day thing. Sunday shouldn’t be the only day that you pick up your Bible. Church shouldn’t be the only place you hear hymns or worship songs. God is literally everywhere we go, sometimes we just choose to ignore that and go on with our daily lives as if He isn’t.
It’s crazy how I’d have time to text all day or checking social media 24/7 but couldn’t spare a few moments of my time just to pick up His book and get to know Him a little more.
When you don’t water a plant it withers, when you take the time to water it…it thrives. I chose to let my spiritual life and relationship with God thrive and it has been growing in faith since.
theprayingwoman.com
(Texas)
Dear Lord,
People all think I am very strong and always have been able to maintain strength until now. I am very weak when it comes to this relationship. I have allowed it to control me and my love for this person. I want to have the strength to go on with my life and do the right things for me. I will love this individual but I need strength, patience, and guidance. Things cannot stay as they are. I am willing to change but I need strength and the courage to just not worry so much about this because its distracting my life. Help me in this time of need because I feel like I am failing and its the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I want to be strong and not hurt anyone else involved. Please help me move on in my path in life.
Return to Prayers for Strength and Guidance
www.praywithme.com
Prayer for relationship Strengthening, Restoration and Guidance. Our relationships with friends, family, coworkers, and colleagues shape our lives. We demonstrate our love for people with communication, time spent together, patience, and compassion.
When we move to a new town, start a new job, or attend a new school, we can feel lonely and disconnected, we feel like we lost something very important. Simply put, we all want to belong.
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, after human’s basic needs (physiological and safety) are met, humans need to feel secure in intimate relationships and friendships (MacLeod, 2016). That’s why we need prayer for relationship strengthening, restoration, an guidance.
That’s because God designed us to live and work in community. Have you stopped to think about the Greatest Commandment? (Matthew 22:34-40) It boils down to “Love God and love others as yourself”.
Praying about our needs
Prayer is communication with God. We can talk with Him at any time – all we have to do is speak His name! 1 John 5:14 – “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”.
This also means that we can talk to Him when we feel lonely, a need for connection! God hears and answers prayer for relationship strengthening, restoration and guidance.
Putting it into Practice Prayer for Relationship Strengthening, Restoration, and Guidance
How can be put prayer for relationship strengthening, restoration and guidance into practice? (I mean, how often are we told, “Just pray about it” but not given some kind of guidance?) I suggest following these steps:
- Begin with Praise.
- Ask God to bring people into your path.
- Ask God to protect you from people who aren’t in His will for Your life.
- Thank Him.
1. Begin with Praise
When you pray, begin by thanking God for what He has given you or done for you. Not sure where to start? I find myself saying:
God, I praise You and thank-you because You have given me hope and a future. You love me enough to extend the gift of underserved grace through Your Son, Jesus.
Doing this puts our hearts in line with His. If you’re not sure where to start, meditate on Psalm 145.
2. Ask God to bring people into your path
Like I said, before, prayer is our opportunity to communicate with God. I love that I can be honest with Him:
Lord, I am feeling lonely. I need some friends to connect with! Please restore my lost relationships with my friends. Please bring people who can be solid friends into my life.
This is the time when prayer for relationship really comes into play. What characteristics are you looking for in a friend?
3. Ask God to protect you from people who aren’t in His will for Your life
A friend in college told me about prayer and, at first, I thought it was odd. But I believe it fits here as we’re talking about prayer for relationship. My friend shared with me that when she started praying this, she saw man she was interested in dating get redirected to different classes, jobs, or even schools.
I’ve said this prayer many times and people (even other Christians) have moved on from my life. It’s hard to understand why things happen, but this prayer has given me peace that God has an active and loving hand in my life.
Lord, You are a God of love and You protect Your children. Give me wisdom regarding the people I come in contact with. Lord, give me guidance and please protect me from people who are not in Your will for my life.
4. Thank Him
When I think about God’s character, I am reminded that God is always motivated by love.
God, thank You that You listen whenever we call Your name. Thank You for what You provided me with today . You are a loving Father and I am grateful! Amen!
I know that He will answer prayers in His time and He will meet all my needs. I love to meditate on this verse when I need a reminder: “Do not be about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6 )
What are the fruits of the prayer?
The Lord is faithful and He is always looking out for our best interest. God will bring people into your life to meet your relationship needs. When that happens, remember to thank Him for His demonstration of love.
Also read: PRAYER OF FAITH – Faithful Examples in the Bible
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