God knows what we need even when we don’t have a clue. I recall a time in my life when prayer was not a priority because I found it challenging to devote the proper amount of time, focus, and patience to the wonderful world of prayer that I know today. Praise God for His faithfulness and ability to provide the perfect solution.
I remember speaking to God about my challenges with prayer and seeking His wisdom. Clearly, within my spirit, I heard the words “prayer bench.” I immediately thought “prayer bench? What is a prayer bench?” I envisioned a Catholic church with people kneeling in their pews. So what did a prayer bench have to do with me? I kept the thought but almost dismissed the message that rang so clear in my spirit.
A few weeks later I’m speaking with Diane, my spiritual mentor, and she says, “George gave me two antique prayer benches and I only need one so I’m looking for an owner for the second one. Do you know someone?” Stunned and in disbelief, I started laughing. I shared the prayer bench story with Diane and she chuckled as well. However, she was not surprised, (which is why she’s a spiritual mentor). She shared that it was difficult for her in the early years and God provided the way to a prayer bench for her. When God hears our prayers, He will give us the solution if we are willing to receive it. How amazing!
There’s more to the prayer bench than meets the eye. The root of my challenge with prayer was my ability to focus. When I started to pray my mind drifted in many different directions which created frustration. Naturally, I wanted to avoid those feelings. For those of you who have used a prayer bench you understand that this is not a comfortable position at all. I believe that it’s designed to take us out of our comfort zone, literally, to get our full attention. The position of kneeling symbolizes the humble surrender to God that we need to practice every day. The prayer bench undoubtedly enables focus and it works beautifully for me. God knows what we need even when we don’t have a clue. The prayer bench maximized my attention on God and took my prayer life to a whole new level. I have patience and a desire to be with God in solitude and complete surrender even though my knees are hurting.
To recap, here’s what the prayer bench has shown me:
- Humility
- Embracing the un-comfort zone
- Focus – putting God first
- Complete surrender to Him daily
- Increased faith (He delivered a prayer bench folks!)
- Peace and joy in solitude
- God is a provider of all solutions and tools for life
I don’t know what you need in your walk with God, but He does. What do you need from him? Just ask – He will deliver even when the answer doesn’t make sense to us. He knows what we need more than we can imagine.
