FEBRUARY 16

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

PRAY SPECIFICALLY...

"God bless everyone. Amen." Yin Leng ended her brief prayer as she and her mother had devotions one morning. Opening her eyes, she saw a slight frown on Mother’s face. "Is something wrong?" Yin Leng asked.

"What do you mean when you say ‘God bless everyone’?" she asked.

"Exactly who is everyone?""Well,"replied Yin Leng,"I mean Grandma,Tze Ern, my friends, missionaries – everyone." "What do you want God to do for them?" asked Mother.

"Bless them, "answered Yin Leng."You know–-friends with studies,Tze Ern’s having trouble sleeping. Those kinds of things."" Then don’t you think you should tell God that those are the things that concern you?"asked Mother.Yin Leng shrugged. "I could ,but I guess it’s easier to just say ‘bless everyone.’Besides, God knows what I mean," she said. She jumped up and changed the subject.

After school, Mother and Yin Leng went shopping. When a saleslady approached them,Mother smiled."My daughter needs..."She paused. "Would you please show my daughter something to wear?" "Jeans?" asked the clerk. "Or tops? Or shoes?" "Just something, anything, to wear," answered Mother.

Yin Leng spoke quickly. "I need a pair of jeans," she said, "and a T-shirt, too."Soon she was busy in the tting room." That was so embarrassing,Mom!" complained Yin Leng. "Why didn’t you tell her what I needed? She must have thought we were weird!"

"It was easier not to go into detail,"answered Mother.When Yin Leng looked at her suspiciously, Mother added, "I thought you knew that. I don’t know why, but your quick and easy ‘God bless everyone’ prayer came to my mind when the clerk spoke to us. I thought maybe my answer to her would show you that it’s important to clearly communicate – both to people and to God. Take your time when you talk to Him. Be specific about the needs of those for whom you’re praying. Express your thoughts and feelings when you bring your requests to Him."

Yin Leng nodded her head thoughtfully. "I guess that will help me recognize God’s answers to prayer, too," she said.

Thought: Are you speci c when you pray, or do you hurry and not bother with details?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for today’s lesson – that I should be specific with my prayer requests. Help me to take time to communicate. And help me to ask my loved ones and friends what are their needs and concerns, so I can pray more intelligently. Through Jesus my Lord –