“The Lord looks down from heaven to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” ~Psalm 14:2

As Christians, we know that God knows best. We know that we need to check in with Him for guidance on our decisions and His plan for us.

But what about our prayer lives? How many of us talk about God’s plan and seeking Him, only to pray for the things we want to happen in our lives? When we’re sick or stressed or in a difficult situation, we pray for God to make it go away. We know He can fix it, and so we ask Him to. And that’s not a bad thing; in fact, it’s amazing. We have things we can thank Jesus for every single day.

But before you pray, stop and ask yourself whether you’re praying for things that you yourself want or whether you’re praying for things that God wants to do. He wants to move in your life, and your belief and your prayers open that door. So what happens when we pray for the wrong things? What if we pray for a healing when we’re sick, but God really wants us to go to the doctor because there’s somebody there that day who needs to hear His word?

God has been telling me lately how important it is to just spend time with Him before even beginning focused prayer. Seek His face and His voice and His guidance. Seek His will to be done in your life rather than just a solution to a problem. Seek Him fully. He’s been calling me to this place of “pre-prayer”, because prayers do have power and He wants me praying into His will.

So today I just remind you all to check in with Him. You know what you want for your life, but He has such a broader view of who you are and what your role is. So take that time to pre-pray. Take that time to seek Him first, even in your prayer life. He will guide you to a new level, a new heart, and a new identity in Himself.

~Rebekah A