Lord, I have heard the report about you; Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds. —Habakkuk 3:2
Our hearts are changed as we pray, and sometimes that change turns our prayer in a better direction. We may start out praying to receive one thing or to be relieved of another, and after spending time in the Father’s presence, find ourselves praying instead for Him to fulfill His purposes for His glory—even if we must endure hardship in the process.
A prayer for healing may become a prayer for endurance. A prayer for forgiveness may grow into a prayer of repentance. A prayer for relief may become a prayer of surrender. God lovingly opens our hearts to see that what we’ve been asking for is really a shortcut to the deeper work He intends.
Such was the prayer of Habakkuk. Though he had been pleading with God to reroute the Chaldean army, sparing himself and his people the sufferings of war, he now recognizes the rightness of God’s plan. Relief came through surrender.
Make it Personal
Are you willing for God to change the way you pray and what you are asking Him for?