When you don’t know what to pray
|
Hello Reader, You know prayer matters. But some days, you sit down to pray… …and you don’t know where to begin. Your mind wanders. The words feel forced. And after a few minutes, you walk away wondering whether you really connected with God at all. That struggle can feel especially confusing in a world that talks constantly about being “spiritual.” Meditate until you reach transcendence. Align your energy. Look within yourself for the answers. But Scripture points us in a completely different direction. The answer isn’t hidden somewhere deep inside us. We don’t need to discover ourselves. We need Jesus. He is “the way and the truth and the life.” No one comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn’t live. He willingly died for our sins. He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death. And when we place our faith in Him, we receive forgiveness, hope, and everlasting life. But like any relationship, our relationship with God also grows through conversation. That means prayer. The problem is, knowing prayer matters doesn’t always make it easy. That’s why I created a simple framework I use when I’m not sure what to say. I call it PASTA. No, not the Italian food. PASTA is a simple way to guide your prayers: P — Praise Begin by telling God who He is and why He is worthy of your praise. A — Acknowledge Be honest about where you’ve fallen short and where you need His grace. S — Supplication Bring your needs to God—and pray for the needs of your family, friends, and community too. T — Thanksgiving Remember what God has already done and thank Him for His goodness and faithfulness. A — Amen Close your prayer in the name of Jesus, trusting God with everything you’ve brought before Him. This isn’t a formula for saying the “perfect” prayer. It’s simply a way to slow down, focus your heart, and spend meaningful time with God. And to help you put it into practice, I created The PASTA Prayer Journal. It will walk you through seven days of guided prayer so you can stop wondering what to say and start building a more consistent daily prayer habit. You don’t need perfect words. You just need a place to begin. You can download The PASTA Prayer Journal for free here. Use it the next time you sit down to pray and your mind goes blank.
|
Dream Root Wellness
Hello Reader, Most plans don’t fall apart when everything is going well. They fall apart when something changes. You work late. You get home hungry and realize dinner isn’t ready. You’re tired, irritated, and standing in the kitchen thinking about how much easier it would be to grab fast food and start again tomorrow. Suddenly, the commitment you made yesterday feels negotiable. The worst time to decide what matters is when pressure is already deciding for you. That’s why one of the most...
Hello Reader, You can have a clear goal, a good plan, and every intention of following through. Then one bad day starts changing the way you talk to yourself. You get tired. You make a mistake. The plan takes longer than expected. And almost immediately, a thought starts interpreting what happened: “I can’t do this.” “I always fail.” “This isn’t worth it.” “I’m too exhausted.” The problem isn’t that every negative thought is completely false. You may actually be exhausted. You may have...
Hello Reader, What if something that sounds a little “New Age” actually points to a much more grounded biblical principle? I’m talking about visualization. There’s a well-known basketball study often attributed to Dr. Blasiotto at the University of Chicago. One group physically practiced free throws every day. Another group didn’t practice at all—but spent time visualizing themselves successfully shooting free throws. A third group did neither. The results? The physical-practice group...