7 Reasons You Should Pray For the Small Stuff

by Linda Evans Shepherd @LindaShepherd in Leading Hearts magazine

“STOP! YOU CAN’T PRAY THAT!” A YOUNG WOMAN ORDERED.

She had just expressed her extreme fear of snakes as we walked through a wooded area.

I had responded by bowing my head and praying, “Dear Lord, please protect us from snakes. May they not harm us, bite us or be seen by us. I pray this in the name of Jesus.”

After being shushed by Ellie’s command, I turned to her. “Stop my prayer? Why?”

“God is too busy for such an unimportant thing.”

“But our fears are not unimportant to Him. Prayers like that are not praying in His will.”

My jaw fell open. “You think God wants snakes to bite us?”

“What I mean is, it’s not His will for us to pray about such small things.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.

Ellie couldn’t answer, because my friend believed a myth: God can’t be bothered and will even refuse to answer us if we ask for small things.

My experience with God is so very different from Ellie’s. My prayer life is so personal, so precious and often, so inconsequential to all the important things happening in the world.

God wants you to enjoy a personal relationship with Him. But I know that the God of the universe stands outside of time, longing for me to include Him in even the inconsequential moments and needs of my life.

True, He’s God of the whole universe, but a loving God who has the time and desire to make small talk with me.

That is amazing. And it’s in line with Scripture: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God” (Philippians 4: 6).

If you want to sharpen up your prayer life, here are seven secrets you need to know:

1. God wants you to enjoy a personal relationship with Him.
2. Approach God on the small matters.
3. God loves you and has time to listen.
4. God will answer; in His time and in His way.
5. The more you bring the little things to God, the more you will build your relationship with Him.
6. As God answers your prayers about the little things, the more you will understand that He really does care for you.
7. The more you practice prayers about small things, the more faith you will have to pray about the big things.

Dear Lord, Teach me how to bring You the small things in my life, so that I can enjoy a deeper relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Jennice

    I’m teaching my daughter about praying and the first thing Intold her was that the little things count. I skmetimes hear her before school asking God things like ” “Please help me not lose my pencils” or “Dear God, I pray that lunch is good today “. Our children dont hey have the large adult worries we have but they have their own kid worries. We should teach them that God is not to busy to take care of those issues either.

    1. Linda Evans Shepherd

      Jennice that is so true. A friend of mine has a two year old granddaughter who prays prayers like, “Jesus, help my Nanna find her keys!”
      That is so dear!
      Then the child claps her chubby hands and thanks Jesus when her prayer is answered.
      I’m so glad your daughter is learning to pray for her needs too. Seeing that God cares about the details of our lives, and helps us overcome in small things, will help our faith to grow so we can face our ‘grown up’ worries and overcome the big things.

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