November Devotions: Your Prayers, God’s Heart
Photo by Mesut Kaya
MONDAY
Your Heart and Prayers Matter to Your Father
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jer. 29:11–13 ESV)
Your heart is important to your heavenly Father: who you are, how He made you, your true identity. You get to pray out of that place—not out of fear or worry, but out of the beauty of who He made you to be and all your hope in Him. God hears you and deeply values your prayers. They are like gold to Him.
Sometimes we start to think that prayer is just something we do because we’re supposed to. We forget that the Creator of the universe loves the sound of our voice, and each word we speak matters to Him. He is so in love with our heart, and He holds close all the words our heart speaks in prayer.
Today’s journaling question: What are you praying for? Are you praying for your spouse, significant other, job, nation, parents, future? Your heavenly Father is listening, and He treasures what you’re saying. Pray with that in mind. Write down one of your prayer requests, and ask the Lord what He’s saying about it. Spend a few minutes listening for His response.
May your Monday be blessed, and may you experience the Lord’s love in a way you never expected.
TUESDAY
He’s Bigger Than All the Things Troubling You
He picks up the whole earth
as though it were a grain of sand. (Isa. 40:15 NLT)
If God can carry the fears of the entire world as if they were a grain of sand—all of them, all at the same time—think about that in terms of your fears. What concern are you carrying that He can carry for you? It will not tire Him out. It will not drag Him down. You can trust Him to carry it well.
This fear, whatever it is, likely feels overwhelming to you, but it is not overwhelming to Him. Not even a little bit. It does not have any strength compared to who He is.
Today’s journaling question: Write down a fear you’ve been dealing with lately, and ask God to give you a Scripture that is His truth about this fear. Write down what He shows you. If you don’t hear anything, keep your “spiritual ears” open and see what He says over the next few days.
May your Tuesday be blessed, and may you realize the truth about God’s love and become fearless.
WEDNESDAY
Praying Like a Child
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt. 19:14 NIV)
As adults, we know that our words are important and they matter.
However, sometimes when we’re praying, we can get trapped in “word choice” and trying to sound like a grownup. Instead of resting in His love and huge strength, we focus on saying all the right words because we think we need to.
But this beautiful God of ours loves childlikeness and simplicity. Children speak openly, and they aren’t concerned with having everything perfect and in order first. So don’t be afraid to be simple with Him in your prayer times. What’s on your heart? Say those words even if they’re messy. He can help you sort them out later.
Today’s journaling question: Think of your future and choose something to pray about. Maybe a job, your spouse, the house you want to have one day, etc. Ask the Lord how He wants you to pray, and then pray what’s on your heart without worrying about having all the right words.
May your Wednesday be blessed, and may you come to see Jesus more and more clearly.
THURSDAY
Praying His Will
And we are sure of this, that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us. (1 John 5:14–15 TLB)
Is prayer difficult for you? Do you wonder if maybe God won’t do this thing you’re asking for?
The key here is to pray what He wants to do. When we know we are praying according to His will, that’s a game changer. The doubt begins to fade as we stand up in faith, holding on to what He’s told us. “This is what God has told me. I know what He wants to do in this situation, and that is how I’m praying.”
The more we know who God is, what His heart is like, and what He says He wants, the more we can pray with boldness.
Today’s journaling question: What are you asking God for? Do you know what He’s saying about that thing? If you do, pray accordingly. If you don’t, ask Him.
May your Thursday be blessed, and may your heart rejoice at the sound of God’s voice.
FRIDAY
Pray with Faith, Even If the Promise Looks Impossible
By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. (Heb. 11:11 NASB)
Believing what God says is the difference between abundant life and no life. It doesn’t matter if what He said looks impossible in the natural. If you have a promise from Him, pray into it—and keep praying into it, because He keeps His promises.
Sarah could not have children physically. This was impossible for her for more than one reason, but at the end of the day, the impossibility didn’t matter. She had the child God promised because she believed He would do what He said.
Today’s journaling question: Has the Lord promised you something that seems impossible? Do what Sarah did and believe with all your heart that the Lord will keep His word to you. Because He will.
May your Friday be blessed, and may your confidence in the Lord rise up strong.
SATURDAY
He’s Your Father and He’s Good
I thought to myself,
“I would love to treat you as my own children!”
I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—
the finest possession in the world.
I looked forward to your calling me “Father,”
and I wanted you never to turn from me. (Jer. 3:19 NLT)
To pray well—according to truth—we need to remember who the Lord is and who He wants to be in our life.
Jeremiah 3:19 reveals a beautiful picture of what God’s heart looks like: “I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father.’” That’s how He feels about you. He loves being your Father, and you get to pray to Him from that special place of being a beloved child sitting on His lap. Every word you say is precious to your Father, and He is so delighted with you.
Today’s journaling question: Do you have a hard time trusting the Lord with the prayer requests that are dear to your heart? It’s okay if you are still learning to trust Him. Write down the prayer that scares you a little bit, and ask Him to show you His heart.
May your Saturday be blessed, and may you know how much the Lord values you as His child.
SUNDAY
Let the Lord Have All Your Cares and Worries
So here’s what I’ve learned through it all:
Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord,
and measureless grace will strengthen you. (Ps. 55:22 TPT)
Cast your burden on the Lord [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail). (Ps. 55:22 AMP)
Fear is loud. When you’re afraid or anxious, it’s the hardest thing in the world to set the fear in God’s hands and trust Him with it.
But He is faithful. In fact, He’s much more faithful than we are, which means that this thing we’re worried about is safer with Him than it ever would be with us.
Don’t allow the fear to shout at you and force your thoughts and decisions. Use your faith and tell the fear “no.” Then set the fear in God’s hands and believe His Word, which clearly says He will take care of you.
Today’s journaling question: Write down a worry, big or small, that you want to leave in God’s hands. Pray about this thing and tell Him, “I am giving You this worry. I am putting it in Your hands. Please take care of this thing for me. I am choosing to trust You.” Then believe that He is looking after it—and after you, just like He said.
May your Sunday be blessed, and may your heart overflow with confident hope.
Does your heart need to remember who God is? Check out these other devotions:
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