Being Specific

I have learned over this last week that being specific, I mean really specific is important. It is exhausting to be so specific - it requires a LOT of effort, preparation, patience. But it is important.

When I communicate to my husband, to my students, I have to be specific. I have been caught a few times lately in the middle of what I thought was very clear communication. Being more specific is helpful.

My daily devotion "Power of a Praying Parent" said that we need to SPECIFICALLY pray for our children, not just their well being and dreams, but to go to our knees and enter into battle with the Lord in each aspect of their life. Powerful.

I realized this week that I am often in global prayer for people and situations (our new president, for example). But I need to specifically pray for those little details for people (for wise decisions, for selection of a powerful cabinet, for the daughters of a president, for God's will, for the impacts of each decision) - those things that can really change a day, a meeting, an encounter...and knowing that being specific will require a much more diligent approach to prayer, I can enter into a much more powerful relationship with my God.

People I know well were hurt this week. People I know were frustrated this week. People I love were in a "funk" this week. People who I admire were "lost" this week. Me too. I pray for these specific relationships and situations. To be in them takes a fair bit of acknowledgement, but I am not alone. And neither are these friends.

So be specific...that is the goal as we get ready for another week. To pray for each situation I encounter, for each person that I encounter...to be specific. Can I pray for you today? Let me know how!