Those folks that know me know I am ALWAYS going to overcomplicate something.  I think too much.  I read 'into' too many things that are just black and white.  I worry when I don't need to worry.

 

A lot of my thinking lately has been on praise and worship and prayer. 

 

Now, I get praise, I think.  

 

(see, I'm already THINKING too much about it!).

 

First though, is my wrestling with prayer.  I'm a 'new' Christian, and I came from the school of thought of very rigid ways to pray.  I feel self-conscious when I hear/read other Christians and their prayers - they sound SO MUCH BETTER than what I fumble out.  It's not to say I let that keep me from prayer, but the Lord told me yesterday that I just need to 'let it roll' and not worry if I don't follow a standard way of talking with Him - He GETS it, even if I don't fully  :) Amen for that!

 

God spoke to me to KISS (Keep It Simple, Silly!) 

 

Now, back to praise: 

I praise the Lord for all He's given me.  All He's created, all He wants for me and provisioned through His son dying for my sinful sins.  Giving me a way to redemption!  Simple enough, right?

 

TRUST sometimes gets a little harder.  I think I can do it on my own...that's where the praise part trips me up.

 

God has given me a vivid imagination and a very VISUAL means of understanding the things He tries to tell me.

 

Am I standing there in a friend's kitchen, where he's made up a beautiful plate of food and said "Thanks for this this food!  It looks so good!"  And as I'm saying this, am I putting the plate down and heading for the fridge to make up a meal of my own?  

 

How would that person take that?

 

Thanks, but no thanks?

While it's not what I intend when I try to wrestle with life issues on my own, it IS what is conveyed by my actions or following MY will.

 

Be still.

Be quiet.

Pray.

Trust.

Praise.