I have found a method of praying that has really helped me in the past few months. It reminds me of a picture frame because in the middle you have your request or concern listed but you’ve got it framed with the Attributes of God.
What if we took our requests to God and while doing so we framed our requests with what we know to be true of God. Who he says he is in scripture. And what if we funneled our heavy burdens through His names believing He is all that and more for our specific need.
This is not a magical formula. A make your card and write out names of God so you can rest assured your prayers will all be answered. Instead this is just a way that helps remind me that my heavy burdens can easily become my overwhelming focal point if I don’t frame them in the context of who God is for that very situation.
And so drawing arrows from the very names of God to my specific request let’s me say “God, you are Faithful to be with me in my current struggle of ____________ . God, you are Merciful and even though I don’t understand why this is happening will you meet my friend right in the middle of her pain with your mercy.”
Framing our prayers allows us to keep our perspective on who God is in the middle of hard, life changing circumstances.
Maybe you want to try this out. All you need is a 4×5 index card. Write your request in the middle and surround that request (burden, thanksgiving, praise, name of a person) with the Names of God.
Here’s a quick reference for some of the Attributes of God with verses so you can see for yourself in scripture where God declares himself to be that particular attribute or characteristic.
Knowing who God is will be foundational in our lives at every stage of our lives. And then filtering life through what we know to be true of God makes all the difference in living with hope.
We have an incredibly powerful and amazing God. Let’s remember that when we pray to Him.
Linking with Jennifer, Holley ,Mary and Kristin today because I love the heart and passion of these ladies.
I love this idea! I am a very visual person and this method reminds me of mind-mapping. I am definitely going to give this a try. Thank you for sharing! -Abby (visiting from #TellHisStory)
Oh I’m dying to know what mind-mapping is – please tell!
This is lovely. I’ve started doing this myself, including adoration in my prayer time, but you’ve given practicality to it that is helpful. Glad I stopped by from Jennifer’s link up today!
yes and you could use this method with adoration as well. Are you familiar with Mom’s In Prayer? If not, google it and they have a wealth of information on adoration as well. I should have listed their link in my post. Glad you stopped by today.
I so love this idea, Melody! I love meditating on the attributes of God but to frame my prayers and praise with His attributes is such a great idea! Thank you for sharing this!
I love this idea! Thanks for inspiring me to try something new with my prayers. And thanks for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday!