Bend at the Knee is Such Good Advice

Philippians 4:6  Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Share with Him every detail of your life. TPT  

Elizabeth Hasselback said that we all learn that when we have a heavy load to pick up we need to bend at the knees. This is true also when we have a heavy burden in our lives. We must bend at the knees in prayer to carry the weight of our circumstances. Rather than trying to carry our fix it sticks and strategizing the best solutions we need to bend down, hands turned up and pray. Answers will be more effective if we first pray. His will not our will. Struggling and wringing our hand just doesn't have to happen if we get this order straight. 

It is so frustrating to search when we misplace something in our home. Tearing the house apart is exhausting. If we would take a moment to reconstruct the events of where we had it last the search is more focused and the finding is made easier. Likewise, when we pray first rather than waiting until we are frustrated and emotional we receive direction. 

We all know this in our heads yet over and over we try to handle life on our own or don't trust God's timing. Finally, we think to pray and then shake our head once again that prayer wasn't our first response. 

Often I find myself struggling with how to help my adult kids through the struggles they walk through. My first instinct is to grab my fix-it wand and ride in on my white horse. But when I take the time to pray first, God often reveals to me that there is growth in their walking through their circumstances with Him by the side. There is no need for them to bend at the knee if I am constantly trying to carry their load. The past few weeks I have been more intentional about praying for my children and their families rather than running for my wheelbarrow to haul what they are going through. God is reminding me that my help can be a form of not trusting their abilities or His love which is so much larger than mine. So daily I am reminding me throughout the day to lay down my wand, bend my knees, turn my hands up and trust His love for me and for those I love. 

So here is to wearing out the knees of our pants and saving the wear on our shoes under a weight we were not meant to carry.

 In Him,

Joyful

9-16-21