Last week I shared with you that I would be taking a 40 day challenge to improve my prayer life.  I think the first week went really well and I want to share with you what I've learned so far and what changes I've made.

First I made a commitment to spend 30 minutes each day in the presence of God.  This means praying and soaking up His word.  It also means being still before the Lord.  I have had this 30 minute window set aside for God for quite some time, but mostly spent that time studying His word and rambling off my prayer wish list. This week was different though. This week was about worshiping Him. 

So in order to worship God, I needed to really understand what that meant. My good friend Melissa shared that an easy way to remember the order of prayer is like this:  A.C.T.S. - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (I add Intercession in with Supplication).

This week, I focused only on Adoration.  In other words - Worship.

To do that, I made a list of all the things I love about God.  Surprisingly, it was harder than I thought it would be.  At first.  But once I got my mind thinking about how wonderful God is, the words just started to flow.

I thought of the different names He is to me.  Here are a few of them I use often.

• Holy Father
• My Great Shepherd
• Lord and Savior
• Gracious God

I thought about everything He is in my heart and for this world.

• The Creator of the Universe
• Glorious
• All-powerful
• The Truth
• The Holy Spirit

And then I thought about what all of that means to me personally, in the relationship I have with Him. When I was finished with my list, (which turned out to be quite extensive in each area of focus) I formed it into what I would call my own personal love letter to God.

Here it is.

To my dear Lord and Savior,

 

Here I am. I'm kneeling and reverent before You, worshiping all that You are. The One and Only God. My Father and my Great Shepherd. The Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was, and who is to come, The Almighty. (Revelation 1:8 NIV) Lord over Heaven and Earth.

 

God, You are amazing and glorious. You are the Creator of this Universe, Creator of all people, Creator of all life. And Lord You don't make mistakes. Your creation is perfect in every way. You have left no details out. You have forgotten nothing.

 

Gracious God, I long for your presence now and always. I thirst for Your word and for Your love. Please Lord, meet me here as I pour my heart out to you. Hold me in Your arms and allow me to show You my soul. For on this day, I surrender myself completely to You.

 

I want my actions and my words to be pleasing to You. Take me and mold me into your likeness. Change my heart for the better. Align my desires with Your will. For your word says that You know the plans you have for me and that when I seek You in prayer with all my heart, You will listen and I will know You're there. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)

 

Father, You are all-knowing and all-powerful. I trust you with every ounce of my being and I know Your love is and always will be everlasting. In fact, Your love is unconditional and powerful.

 

You have shown me this through the sacrifice of Your one and only Son, Jesus Christ. For He had to endure a brutal death so that I would be forgiven and saved from my sins.  So that I may have eternal life.  My heart aches for You.  I cannot imagine the pain You must have felt as Your Son suffered.  And yet, You still love me and have forgiven me.

 

God, Your magnificence takes my breath away. When I close my eyes and feel Your presence, I see brightness and beauty beyond comprehension.  And I'm drawn to Your light.  I crave to feel Your hand touch my soul.

 

You are the truth and Your Spirit - The Holy Spirit - comforts me and shows me the way of Your will for my life. You are so precious and meaningful to me. Without you, God, my existence would be dark and empty. For I now understand what JOY is.  JOY is loving You!

 

Heavenly Father, if I fail at anything or everything in this life, let me not fail at glorifying You.

 

In heartfelt worship and love,

 

Rosann

This week wasn't just about improving my prayer life. It was actually life changing. Once I took the time to really think about how much I love God, and specifically WHY I love Him, I discovered a renewed energy take place in my relationship with Him.

Suddenly, it wasn't all about me anymore. It has now shifted to being all about Him. And isn't that what His will is for us anyway? Isn't our real purpose in this life to glorify God?

What steps did you take in your prayer challenge this week?  I'd love for you to share your journey!  Visit my website at http://www.christiansupermom.com/ or check out my Facebook fan page. 

~Until next time, May God bless you with His amazing grace.