“In order to develop an upward focus, we need to pray. However, whenever we can, we need to pray with joy. That means praying with joy even when you don’t feel like it. . . [because] very often those feelings aren’t there. . . . Sometimes the most rewarding prayer experiences are those we choose to have even when we aren’t in the mood.”- Chip Ingram (emphasis author’s)
“In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy.”- Philippians 1:4 (NIV)
As Chip Ingram moves on in Chapter 2 of I Choose Joy, he outlines the first two keys to help us develop an upward focus.
1. A Choice. An upward focus begins with a choice. And that choice? Gratitude. Hence, we choose to remember significant relationships and thank God for them.
During a weekly prayer time at Living on the Edge, a young staff member handed out index cards. Next, he gave the group twenty minutes to write down everything they were thankful for. But it took Chip a while to figure out why he had a great day.
The answer? Someone made him sit still for twenty minutes and do nothing but think. Yet, Chip counsels, even when our glass almost full, we tend to focus on what’s missing. Because we want more. And that view possesses the potential to distort our perspective.
2. An Action. Furthermore, to develop an upward focus, we need to pray. Certainly, prayer can involve those warm and fuzzy feeling we love. But often, those feelings aren’t there.
Consequently, Chip offers this advice:
“God doesn’t expect you to manufacture feelings or go through the motions. But if you get started with Him in prayer, He will meet you there, and very often you will find joy in those prayers that you would not have otherwise experienced, especially as you pray with gratitude. Whatever you’re going through is not an accident and it’s absolutely not beyond God’s reach.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses support you in praying with joy — even when you don’t feel like it?
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our feelings always follow our focus”