Father, in Jesus' name, thank You for giving me a heart and mind to quiet my soul from the noise of the world and to get alone with You. To be honest, I have no clue as to what it means to rest in You. I feel like I must always be doing or thinking about something. At times, it is so hard for me to just be still, to know that You are God, and to cease from my striving. Sadly, I often think that my human effort is needed to bring about Your will and purpose. Yet Your Word clearly states that it is not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit.
God, when it comes to prayer, I often feel like I must always be speaking. But the truth is You do not need to hear what I am going to say, which You know even before I speak, I need to hear what You are saying. My words have little to no weight, power, or influence in the natural and spiritual realms. It is by Your Word that the heavens and the earth were created, are sustained, and all things are being reconciled to Yourself. In light of eternity, my words are empty and nothingness. Yet Your Word that goes forth from Your mouth shall not return to You empty but shall accomplish what You please as they prosper in the place to where You send them.
Jesus, speak to me as I need to hear from You. For Your words are spirit and life. Open my ears to hear what You are saying. Open my mind to understand the Word of God. Open my eyes to behold wonderful things in Your Word and to see You more clearly. Open my heart, soften and tenderize it to receive Your Word. So that I may respond to You in faith and in obedience. Open my mouth to give You thanks and praise, to pray, to confess my sin, to declare Your goodness, and to proclaim Your gospel.
God, forgive me for so often coming to You only because I need Your help. In doing so, I am only seeking Your hand and what You can do for me. Bring me to the place where I come to You because I recognize that I just need You and want to be with You. Make me one who seeks Your face and searches for You with my whole heart. Take me back to what it was like when I first experienced Your everlasting love and the joy of Your salvation. I just wanted to be with You my every waking moment: thinking thoughts of You, reading Your Word, speaking to You, spending time in Your presence, and singing Your praises. And it did not matter if I were all alone or with multitudes of people. Nothing seemed to get in the way of us. Now it seems like the smallest things so easily distract my heart and mind from You. Lead me to repent, revive me, and help me to return to You with my whole heart. In Jesus' name, Amen!!!