Praying Process Over Product

My mom told me recently that she was not sure how to pray about something. My first inclination was to tell her to pray the Lord's prayer: "Your kingdom come, your will be done" (New International Version, 2011, Matthew 8:9). While it is not wrong to pray for specific things, whether they be the desires of our hearts, or specific convictions, more and more, I am convinced that I need to pray more process than product prayers.

What do process prayers look like? Instead of praying for my man/woman to win the election, I need to pray that they know Christ as Savior. Instead of praying that I will find what I want when I go grocery shopping, I need to pray that I am a good witness. Instead of praying that my husband will do this or that, I need to pray that he becomes the man God wants him to be (Rainey, 2016). Instead of praying for a specific outcome of a situation, I pray that I am (or they are) conformed to the image of Christ. 

Are process prayers always the prayers to pray? No. Jesus prayed for specific things, like that if it was God's will, he could escape the Matthew 26:39). Specific verses in the Bible request prayers for specific things (eg Hannah praying for a son). In some cases, God even told people not to pray (e.g. Jeremiah 7:17, 11:14, 14:11). Many, many of the examples of prayer in the Bible, though are about process: prayer to be delivered from evil, the Lord's prayer (as quoted above), prayer to proclaim the gospel fearlessly (Ephesians 6:19-20), etc. Let us consider that when we pray.

For me, praying process over product prayer helps align my heart with the Lord's. It turns my eyes off what I want onto what God wants, and to what His will is. I think that is where He wants my heart, with His, and as long as he continues to lead this way, this is the way I will pray: with Him, for Him, because only he can produce the products of righteousness and salvation, the things we ultimately, and eternally need.

References:

New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist

Rainey, B. (2016). Letters to my daughter. Bethany House Publishers.

What I Used/What I Used Up (Week 44)

What I Used of My Meal Plan-

Breakfasts:

Egg in an hole
Instant Pot baked potatoes (Platings + Pairings)

Oatmeal in various forms
Super simple granola 
Sunday morning pancakes (The Perfect Loaf)

Lunches:

Carrot and lettuce salads with shredded chicken (365 Days of Crockpot), salsa, and spicy ranch dressing (The Spiffy Cookie)
Curried lentils (Budget Bytes) over brown rice (Add a Pinch)
Instant Pot baked potatoes (Platings + Pairings) and toppings
Red bean, rice, and cheese bowls with cajun spices
Shredded chicken (365 Days of Crockpot), broccoli, and carrot bowls with coconut curry simmer sauce (Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker) 

Dinners:

Chipotle pumpkin pasta (Budget Bytes)
No-knead pan pizza (Budget Bytes)
Pumpkin mac and cheese (Chocolate Covered Katie)

Pumpkin pizza [overnight whole wheat pizza dough (Mel's Kitchen Cafe) topped with pumpkin pizza sauce (Thursday Night Pizza), mozzarella cheese, and bacon
Spaghetti with pesto verde (Good Housekeeping Family Italian Cookbook) 

Party food:

Instant pot vegan chili (Joanie Simon)

Snacks:

Apples
Bananas
Cheese sticks
Healthy pumpkin spice pancakes (A Simple Palate)
Leftover pancakes
Oatmeal in various forms
Pumpkin pie Greek yogurt (Dannon)
Pumpkin spice oatmeal pancakes (Upbeet Kitchen)
Pumpkin oatmeal cream pies (Sally's Baking Addiction)
Roasted pumpkin seeds (The Minimalist Baker)

What I Used Up--

Freezer:

Big bag of broccoli
Chickpeas
Chipotle pumpkin pasta (Budget Bytes)
Coconut curry simmer sauce (Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker) 
Corn
Two bags of frozen green beans
Pumpkin oatmeal cream pie cookies (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Fridge:

Applesauce container
Old apples
Old baby carrots
Five pound bag of carrots
Cream cheese
Carton of 18 eggs
Greek yogurt
Head of iceberg lettuce
Half gallon of milk
Onions
Tomatoes
Zucchini

Pantry:

Crushed tomatoes
Green chiles
Kidney beans
Old lentils
Paprika
Pinto beans
Can of pumpkin
Large can of pumpkin
Pumpkin pie spice
Spaghetti

Tomato paste
Tomato sauce
Can of tuna

What went bad:

Nothing that I know of

What I Prepped for Next Week: 

Brown rice and lentils (Betty Crocker)
Chicken stew (Budget Bytes)
Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs (Omnivore's Cookbook)
Spinach alfredo pasta (Budget Bytes)

What I Froze for Future Me:

Blueberries


Chicken stew (Budget Bytes)


Pumpkin sloppy joes (Natural Deets)


Shredded chicken (365 Days of Crockpot)


Tomato paste