Daily Devotionals
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (Paula)
Ever felt stuck in your prayer life because of your locked up emotions or circumstances?
I recently attended a gathering with women where I learned more about the power and practice of ADORATION to God. Since then, I have been intentionally practicing this type of prayer and have noticed how much it helps me with my everyday human “problems” and feelings.
Adoration is simply a type of prayer that involves praising God for WHO He is… a way to recognize and worship His character. It’s a little different than general thankful praise in that it is reserved for God’s character traits alone.
Before you conclude that my method sounds too crazy or hyper spiritual, consider this simple and powerful practice to deal with your emotions or issues. It’s been super helpful for me!
1. Go to God. Invite Him into the moment.
2. Identify your feelings as clearly as you can by filtering them down… for example, ask yourself am I really mad about the dirty dishes? Or am feeling overwhelmed or unseen? Am I super upset about canceled plans, or am I struggling with a fear or doubt that I’m not worthy of a person’s time? Write down your filtered down feelings to the best of your ability.
3. After identifying the feeling(s), hold it up next to the Truth of who God says He is (with scripture to back it up). Use the internet or concordance in your Bible to locate stories and verses based on Gods character- how He describes himself and how his people describe his attributes. Write them out.
4. Next, make a simple declaration about Gods name and character.
For example,
“My God is the God who sees.”
Or
“My God is the God who fights for me.”
5. Pray a prayer of ADORATION that directly addresses your issue with Gods character! Journaling your prayer is super helpful!
So transparently, here’s my real life example:
I was struggling with some intense anger. I got out my bible and my blank journal. I filtered my feelings down to their core and realized I wasn’t mad, it was fear! My anger was a flex of pride to battle a fear of being left alone and rejected.
Now, what’s the truth? Who does God say He is in scripture?
The truth is, God is my shield, my rock, my power, refuge, and my savior. (2 Sam 22:3)
The truth is, God is the shield around me, the One who holds my head high. (Psalm 3:3)
The truth is, God will strengthen and encourage me though I have tired hands and weak knees. (Isaiah 35: 3-4)
The truth leads to a declaration of adoration! “My God fights for me!”
And my prayer of Adoration that day in my journal reads,
“Lord God, you are my shield, my protector, and the one who fights for me. I am not left alone. My anger serves no purpose here. I do not need to fight, but to only be still.
You are my defender, my savior. Most days, my greatest enemy is the fear inside me. As I run to you, fear dissipates. Communicating with you is what I need. I need not to build a wall of self protection. I need not flex my independence. I can depend on you. You are my hiding place.
I adore you God for fighting for me, so that I don’t have to fight for me. I come to you and the weight of fear lifts. Help me remember this today.
Amen!”
Hope this process of praying with Adoration helps you in your journey as well, Sister!
We are Better Together!
Paula
I recently attended a gathering with women where I learned more about the power and practice of ADORATION to God. Since then, I have been intentionally practicing this type of prayer and have noticed how much it helps me with my everyday human “problems” and feelings.
Adoration is simply a type of prayer that involves praising God for WHO He is… a way to recognize and worship His character. It’s a little different than general thankful praise in that it is reserved for God’s character traits alone.
Before you conclude that my method sounds too crazy or hyper spiritual, consider this simple and powerful practice to deal with your emotions or issues. It’s been super helpful for me!
1. Go to God. Invite Him into the moment.
2. Identify your feelings as clearly as you can by filtering them down… for example, ask yourself am I really mad about the dirty dishes? Or am feeling overwhelmed or unseen? Am I super upset about canceled plans, or am I struggling with a fear or doubt that I’m not worthy of a person’s time? Write down your filtered down feelings to the best of your ability.
3. After identifying the feeling(s), hold it up next to the Truth of who God says He is (with scripture to back it up). Use the internet or concordance in your Bible to locate stories and verses based on Gods character- how He describes himself and how his people describe his attributes. Write them out.
4. Next, make a simple declaration about Gods name and character.
For example,
“My God is the God who sees.”
Or
“My God is the God who fights for me.”
5. Pray a prayer of ADORATION that directly addresses your issue with Gods character! Journaling your prayer is super helpful!
So transparently, here’s my real life example:
I was struggling with some intense anger. I got out my bible and my blank journal. I filtered my feelings down to their core and realized I wasn’t mad, it was fear! My anger was a flex of pride to battle a fear of being left alone and rejected.
Now, what’s the truth? Who does God say He is in scripture?
The truth is, God is my shield, my rock, my power, refuge, and my savior. (2 Sam 22:3)
The truth is, God is the shield around me, the One who holds my head high. (Psalm 3:3)
The truth is, God will strengthen and encourage me though I have tired hands and weak knees. (Isaiah 35: 3-4)
The truth leads to a declaration of adoration! “My God fights for me!”
And my prayer of Adoration that day in my journal reads,
“Lord God, you are my shield, my protector, and the one who fights for me. I am not left alone. My anger serves no purpose here. I do not need to fight, but to only be still.
You are my defender, my savior. Most days, my greatest enemy is the fear inside me. As I run to you, fear dissipates. Communicating with you is what I need. I need not to build a wall of self protection. I need not flex my independence. I can depend on you. You are my hiding place.
I adore you God for fighting for me, so that I don’t have to fight for me. I come to you and the weight of fear lifts. Help me remember this today.
Amen!”
Hope this process of praying with Adoration helps you in your journey as well, Sister!
We are Better Together!
Paula
