Adapted Prayers

One of the things that I struggle with spiritually is my prayer life.  I’ve also heard that many, if not most people struggle in this area of their spiritual lives as well.  Over the years, I’ve developed a list of things to help me with my conversation with God.  One of my prayer starters is something I call adapted prayers.  I take prayers from the Bible and use them for my own.  Sometimes I change the pronouns and adapt the words to my circumstances.  This is what it looks like:

O LORD my God,

I am only a little child

and do not know how to carry out

my duties or live out my life.

Your child and servant is here

among the people You have chosen—

a great people.

Give Your child and servant

a discerning heart

to counsel, encourage, and inspire

Your people

and to distinguish

between right and wrong.

For who, except Jesus, Your true child,

is able to lead, guide, and arouse

this great people of Yours?

—Adapted from I Kings 3:8-9