4 minute read
“Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.” (Psalm 143:7 NIV)
Ask God to answer quickly.
Christmas Eve comes with a level of stress felt no other day of the year. For some, the day emphasizes feelings of loneliness and despair. Others deal with quarreling families and tense filled moments. And for some, the financial burden of gift-giving steals any remnants of joy left. Whatever the distress, ask God to answer your pleas for help quickly. If you feel like you’re sliding into a pit, pray God swiftly pulls you out.
Whatever situation in your life is causing you the most distress, develop a prayer to address it. Make the phrase into your mantra for the day, counting on God’s quick answer. By thinking ahead, you can create a strategy to win the battle.
Battle with belief.
Creating a prayer mantra for the day ahead is battling with belief. For instance, when dealing with someone who makes my blood boil, I pray the same prayer—grace, not anger. Then trust, when my anger begins to rise, God replaces it with grace. So far, He hasn’t failed me yet. If feelings of envy arise, pray, joy, not jealousy, knowing God will give you what you need. Other prayer mantras I use in the moment that help me battle believing God will answer quickly are:
- Love not hate.
- Faith, not fear.
- Forgiveness, not justice.
- Peace not anxiety
- Self-control, not greed.
- Margin, not excess.
- Good, not evil.
When you develop a prayer mantra to tackle the day ahead, God will answer quickly. He will give you what you need to move through your circumstances. Control your thoughts with words you choose to focus on that will uplift and encourage you. If we don’t tap into the source of our greatest strength, we’ll never receive it.
The beauty of developing a prayer mantra, they are easy to remember and always accessible. Some days, I use every one of the prayers listed above. Other times, I only use one. Different days require different prayers. Once we travel through one situation, we move into the next. Having go-to prayers make the transitions easier.
Every prayer mantra is something God wants for us. He wants us to love, not hate. When we pray that simple prayer, He will always answer quickly. God pours His love into us when we open ourselves up to receive it. But if we never ask God for His love, we can’t accept it. Instead, we’ll respond in hatred, something God never wants. Short and sweet doesn’t mean weak . The length of a prayer isn’t what determines its strength.
Pick your mantra for the day. Pray, believing God will quickly answer.
Question of the Day:
What is your prayer mantra for this day?
Further Reading: Zechariah 6:1-7:14 NIV, Revelation 15:1-8 NIV, Psalm 143:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 30:24-28 NIV
