NATURE MAKES YOU PRAY - Your daily prayers can become a response of what you see all around you. You can talk to God with words of Scripture that connect to what you see, to your mind and then your heart and emotions. You can pray that others would experience the light of life in their lives. God’s word is taught that it will have the effect of rain. Pray for the non-Christians that they will know Christ and their sins of scarlet will be white as snow. When you see mountains, you can pray that people would know that their help comes from God. When you see trees, pray for yourself and others, that everyone would be rooted and grounded in Christ and experience fruitfulness. Pray that people would know Christ.

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Does Nature Make You Pray?

Rich Atkinson 

God reveals Himself in nature. This is called “general revelation” and this idea is expressed well in Psalm 19:

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

As you go about your day, do the things you see stir you to pray?

Your daily prayers can become a response of what you see all around you.

You can talk to God with words of Scripture that connect to what you see, to your mind and then your heart and emotions.

If you haven’t thought about praying throughout the day based on what you see, here are some prayer prompts to get started. Try praying a few of these today.

·         Sun – You can pray that others would experience the light of life in their lives. “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’” (John 8:12).

·         Rain – Pray as God’s word is taught that it will have the effect of rain as described in Deuteronomy Chapter 32. “Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew,
 As the droplets on the fresh grass 
And as the showers on the herb” (Deuteronomy 32:2).

·          Snow – Pray for the non-Christians you interact with that they will know Christ and their sins of scarlet will be white as snow. “’Come now, and let us reason together,’
 says the Lord,
“ Though your sins are as scarlet,
 They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18). 

·          Mountains – When you see mountains, you can pray through Psalm 121 that people would know that their help comes from God – the maker of heaven and earth. “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1,2).

·         Trees – When you see trees, pray for yourself and others, that everyone would be rooted and grounded in Christ and experience fruitfulness as expressed in Psalm 1: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2,3).

·          Water – Pray that people would know Christ. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38).

There are other things you might notice that will stir you to prayer as well. Think creatively. For example:

As you pass by school crosswalks and intersections, you can pray that the students would follow Christ. “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me’” (Luke 9:23).

If you see a bakery sign or billboard, pray that people would be satisfied in Jesus, the bread of life. “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst’” (John 6:35)

“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
 And you who have no money come, buy and eat. 
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
 Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good” (Isaiah 55:1,2).

"When you drink milk, pray that people would grow spiritually. “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2,3).

Rich Atkinson began his journalism career as a newspaper correspondent for his local paper in Ohio. He covered city council meetings, wrote features and took photos. Rich served with Worldwide Challenge magazine from 2008-2016. Now, he writes field reports for another Cru ministry. Contact Rich at Rich.Atkinson@isponline.org.

https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/prayer/does-nature-make-you-pray.html