This will take a sheet of paper …

If you want to try an insightful “spiritual experiment” (okay, most people don’t, but give this one a try anyway), do this before you pray your next prayer: Take a piece of paper and list every reason why you are worthy of being blessed by God.

Take your time.

You can use the back of the paper if necessary.

At the end of this activity, you’ll likely come to this conclusion: There is no human being who deserves to blessed. Not one!

Yet, God’s interactions with us far exceed what we deserve. He is a just God who extends His mercy and is even gracious to us.

An attitude crafted with that understanding is the mindset we need to take into any time we enter into prayer with God. Mix that with this powerful teaching from Psalm 103:8-14:

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”

When we approach God mindful that we are but dust, He treats us like children and blesses us beyond anything we deserve.

It’s hard to get demanding with God with that understanding! Instead, you may find your prayer dripping with gratitude and thanksgiving, praise and adoration, as well as a greater, simpler contentment.

Scotty