Praising God for Random Squirrels
There are times my heart longs to deeply connect with God via prayer. The intentions are good but the follow through stinks.
As I can tell, two issues hinder carved out prayer time. Somehow they are complete opposites which probably indicates a wide range of issues. They are:
Falling asleep - I’m talking about zoning out within 2 minutes. “God thank you for today and the.....gift of sleep.”
Distraction - All it takes is the buzzer to go off in the laundry room or a squirrel jumping on the fence. “Squirrel!”
Rarely do I make it to “amen” when doing one of those quietly sit here and pray kind of prayers.
Why God continues to show up for our conversations is a mystery. He must know there is a good chance I’ll be asleep or chasing a butterfly before getting to the good stuff He’s eager to share. Yet, He keeps coming back. That’s who He is and what He has done since Genesis.
So what’s a girl to do? I think I found the trick and call it the “ABC’s of praise”. This prayer method was modeled and taught by a woman I meet with every Tuesday. She has lived (and is living!) a full life that comes with 6 plus decades of ups, downs, and opportunities to experience God’s faithfulness.
Here’s how it works
Each sentence starts with “God you are....”.
Going through the alphabet from A to Z praise and celebrate who God is revealing Himself to be in that exact moment. ABC praising can be done while quiet and still, but the reason I love ABC praising is because it lends itself to an immersive “in the moment” way of being with God.
It can be infused in any situation. Actually, the moments we are in a “situation” are a great time to allow God to remind us who He is.
Facing a significant medical crisis? Listen to what God wants you to know with ABC praying. He may reveal:
A: God you are all knowing. You know how to carry us through and how to allow your glory to shine through.
B: God you are the breath of life and create anew.
C: God you are a caregiver. You know exactly how to sustain us.
Stressed about finances?
D: God you are dependable.
E: God you are everything our family needs.
Enjoying a walk outside?
F: God you are fresh air on my skin and in my soul.
G: God you are glorifying yourself in the clouds floating overhead.
....and so it goes.
Whether I can make it all the way from A to Z before a squirrel jumps on the fence doesn’t matter. In fact, the sight of a random little critter cracking a nut may very well become an opportunity to praise Him.
