Are you satisfied merely with Turbulence Prayers?

We flew home early from Texas last weekend to be here for senior Sunday at church, since our third child is nearing graduation.  I wanted to tell you just a little about our flight because God really worked in my heart through it.  I hope He encourages yours as well… without your having to fly straight into a thunderstorm.  😊

The plane was loud— people were talking and laughing, and it had been an incredibly pleasant flight.

That is until about 3 minutes after the pilot said that we were about to hit some bumps as we flew through a series of storms en route to Atlanta.

There were a couple of little bumps, and I turned to David and noted that I love it when they warn us, because I don’t think a thing about the bumps when the pilot can see them coming.

But then… something changed. We encountered bumps and drops unlike I have ever experienced. I had my seatbelt around my waist rather loosely, and I went out of my seat as high as it would allow– everyone did.

After that, the plane got silent and stayed that way until we landed as the plane struggled and tossed to and fro against the force of the storm we must have been encountering.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many were praying in those quiet moments, and if that was actually a regular part of their lives or simply a reflex when things got dangerous and completely out of control.

My mind then moved on to my own life. How often have I been content merely with turbulence prayers?

You know those, right? They’re basically desperation prayers… a last ditch effort to try to gain a measure of peace and hope in a difficult situation.

What a waste that is since I can really KNOW the One Who is directing my path and Who sees those bumps before they come. He asks me to draw near to Him, and He promises that He will never leave me nor forsake me.

I don’t need to wait until I’m desperate to talk to Him– in fact, the more I talk to Him, the less desperate I actually become!

We all have those scary, mega-drops in our lives, so it’s really important that we take the time every day to get to know our Pilot better— He sees it all coming, and He knows how to guide us through it.

If you’ve been content with only turbulence prayers, I encourage you to join me  in TTD365 where we have talked about prayer quite a bit recently and how to strengthen our relationship with the Lord which immediately will strengthen our prayer lives.  If you’re already a member, check out this audio to see how the way you pray will profoundly impact the way you parent and how you live.

I invite you to start practicing praying strategically using scripture as your guide since God has given us every resource we need to know Him better right there in His Word. I’ve written a daily email series that will walk you through praying for your children. I think you’ll be amazed at how that impacts your life. (I’ll be talking about that in Sandusky, OH if you’re able to join us there.)

No matter whether you choose to take advantage of any of those resources or not, I pray that you will draw nearer to God, get to know Him better in the days ahead, and that you will see your prayer life grow sweeter and more powerful every day you live as you walk with Him. May none of us be satisfied merely with those turbulence prayers.