What Can I Do For You?

Lots of people pray. Some cry out in desperate times or in critical situations asking for some help from above. Others pray on a more regular basis, consistently asking God for help on many different fronts. I was praying one morning and had an interesting thought.

Prayer means different things to different people. Some feel good about reciting formal, prewritten prayers. Others may have a list of petitions and requests that they verbalize to God on a regular basis. There are those whose prayer life consists mainly of gratitude to God for the things that He has blessed them with.

But whether one is asking God to grant their requests, or thanking God for the things that He has provided, prayer could simply be defined as talking to God. Different words for prayer in the Bible encompass praise, specific petitions, and gratitude. True prayer is not simply going through some mindless motions and notions, but it is in reality practicing the presence of God.

Some time ago, while I was talking to God one morning, I decided to ask a question. In my lifetime, I have certainly petitioned God for many, many things, and have received many, many answers. I have also spent time thanking Him for the blessings He has given to me. I am in the habit of asking Him questions about my life and situations, mainly asking for wisdom.

But this one particular morning, I asked a very different question. I asked God if there was something that I could do for Him today. Now I am well aware that He is God Almighty and am not so arrogant and presumptuous to I think that I could provide something for Him. That's not at all what I meant in my asking.

Many times in my life, someone has been inspired to do a kind thing for me. You have, I'm sure, seen this in your life as well. In other words, the blessings, help, guidance or direction from God so many times come by way of other people. Can you say that in all of those circumstances that they were all simply coincidences? I think not.

It makes perfect sense doesn't it? People are praying and asking God for His help, which the Bible says that we ought to do. But the Bible also says that God is at work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. Then certainly God could be at work in someone, inspire them or direct them, to help bring an answer for someone else who asked for God's help.

Now I am not at all saying that we should look to people for our answers. We look to God for His solutions. And quite frankly, we should be gracious enough to allow Him to be God and let Him answer our requests however He chooses. But why not, at least once in awhile, ask Him if there is something that you could do for Him?

That morning after I had asked, I began to expect for God to work within me, to show me, to inspire me, to direct me to help or bless someone else. I wasn't doing it so that I could feel more "spiritual" or so that God would think more of me or love me more. It had nothing to do with "works to become righteous," but it had everything to do with continuing to build my relationship with Him.

Yes, we do bring our requests before God. But we also need to take a little time to thank Him and give Him the praise that He deserves. Otherwise, our prayer life can become like a grocery list that we give to God every morning, saying, in effect, "Please take care of these errands for me today."

And, in addition, we can also ask God to work in us to bring help to others. Indeed many people try to live their days being kind and loving to those that they meet. Many look to be of help to someone else. That is a wonderful lifestyle and the world would be a better place if more people acted in that fashion.

But asking God to specifically show you something you can do for Him takes that kind of lifestyle to a new level. Now, you are expecting Him to work in you and direct your steps into a specific situation. It may be a kind word, a loving deed, or even something on a grand scale. Whatever it may be, it is such a rich part of our relationship with Him. It is truly a working together with Him. It really is taking an active part in our Father's business.

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd'><html><head><title>Look For Articles - Articles Directory | What Can I Do For You?</title></head><body><h3>What Can I Do For You?</h3><br><br> By: Michael A. Verdicchio<br><br><p><p>Lots of people pray. Some cry out in desperate times or in critical situations asking for some help from above. Others pray on a more regular basis, consistently asking God for help on many different fronts. I was praying one morning and had an interesting thought.</P><p>Prayer means different things to different people. Some feel good about reciting formal, prewritten prayers. Others may have a list of petitions and requests that they verbalize to God on a regular basis. There are those whose prayer life consists mainly of gratitude to God for the things that He has blessed them with.</P><p>But whether one is asking God to grant their requests, or thanking God for the things that He has provided, prayer could simply be defined as talking to God. Different words for prayer in the Bible encompass praise, specific petitions, and gratitude. True prayer is not simply going through some mindless motions and notions, but it is in reality practicing the presence of God.</P><p>Some time ago, while I was talking to God one morning, I decided to ask a question. In my lifetime, I have certainly petitioned God for many, many things, and have received many, many answers. I have also spent time thanking Him for the blessings He has given to me. I am in the habit of asking Him questions about my life and situations, mainly asking for wisdom.</P><p>But this one particular morning, I asked a very different question. I asked God if there was something that I could do for Him today. Now I am well aware that He is God Almighty and am not so arrogant and presumptuous to I think that I could provide something for Him. That's not at all what I meant in my asking.</P><p>Many times in my life, someone has been inspired to do a kind thing for me. You have, I'm sure, seen this in your life as well. In other words, the blessings, help, guidance or direction from God so many times come by way of other people. Can you say that in all of those circumstances that they were all simply coincidences? I think not.</P><p>It makes perfect sense doesn't it? People are praying and asking God for His help, which the Bible says that we ought to do. But the Bible also says that God is at work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. Then certainly God could be at work in someone, inspire them or direct them, to help bring an answer for someone else who asked for God's help.</P><p>Now I am not at all saying that we should look to people for our answers. We look to God for His solutions. And quite frankly, we should be gracious enough to allow Him to be God and let Him answer our requests however He chooses. But why not, at least once in awhile, ask Him if there is something that you could do for Him?</P><p>That morning after I had asked, I began to expect for God to work within me, to show me, to inspire me, to direct me to help or bless someone else. I wasn't doing it so that I could feel more "spiritual" or so that God would think more of me or love me more. It had nothing to do with "works to become righteous," but it had everything to do with continuing to build my relationship with Him.</P><p>Yes, we do bring our requests before God. But we also need to take a little time to thank Him and give Him the praise that He deserves. Otherwise, our prayer life can become like a grocery list that we give to God every morning, saying, in effect, "Please take care of these errands for me today."</P><p>And, in addition, we can also ask God to work in us to bring help to others. Indeed many people try to live their days being kind and loving to those that they meet. Many look to be of help to someone else. That is a wonderful lifestyle and the world would be a better place if more people acted in that fashion.</P><p>But asking God to specifically show you something you can do for Him takes that kind of lifestyle to a new level. Now, you are expecting Him to work in you and direct your steps into a specific situation. It may be a kind word, a loving deed, or even something on a grand scale. Whatever it may be, it is such a rich part of our relationship with Him. It is truly a working together with Him. It really is taking an active part in our Father's business.<br></P></p> <br><br> <b>Author Resource:-></b>  Michael A. Verdicchio offers a FREE LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP to, "Enriching Your Life Now!" as well as a FREE NEWSLETTER at <A href="http://www.confidenceandjoy.com/">http://www.ConfidenceAndJoy.com</A> He also offers a FREE series of articles on success at <A href="http://www.reducingstressatwork.com/">http://www.ReducingStressAtWork.com</A><br>Michael is a husband, father, minister, author, and broadcaster. He has also been the voice on numerous projects and productions including Mike's Pep Talks!<br><br><br><b>Article From</b> <a href='http://www.look4articles.com/'>Look For Articles - Articles Directory</a><br></body></html>