08/31/2021
God Wants Your Emotional Prayers
By Rick Warren — 08/31/2021
“I poured out my heart, baring my soul to GOD."
Daniel 9:3 (The Message)
Have you ever prayed, “Now, I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take”?
Or how about, “Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies”?
Most people have prayed these well-known prayers at some point. But what do they mean? And do we really mean them?
So often we go through the motions of prayer, reciting words from memory and checking something off our list before moving on to the next thing.
God is not looking for prayers with no emotion or authenticity. He doesn’t care if you can deliver words someone else made up. God doesn’t care how beautiful your prayer sounds. In fact, he doesn’t even care as much about the words as he does the emotions behind them.
Whatever you are asking God for in prayer—whether it’s a physical, material, spiritual, or emotional need—express your desire with emotion. That’s what pleases God.