The alarm goes off at 6:30am. You have a choice. Do you get up and start your day or hit the snooze button? You opt for the snooze and another 9 minutes of horizontal existence. Again, the alarm goes off and this time you get out of bed. Perhaps you have a routine; bathroom, coffee maker, toast, yogurt, morning news... maybe you don't; some days bathroom first, some days coffee maker first, sometimes you just jump in the shower. Clearly, when you start your day you have a choice.
Our lives are a series of choices and along the way these choices lead us to who we become and what we do. Occasionally, we stop and take inventory of who we've become and think what must be done to maintain course or get back on track. Sometimes these course corrections are minor and sometimes they are life changing! Last week I wrote about the impulsive New Years resolution. It created a stir among readers of this blog and others in person. It caused me to really think; had I been judgmental of others who were trying to better themselves or was I justified in my observation through years of watching people fail to meet their goals? Since the answers were varied based on different experiences and circumstances I asked another question, which I'll propose here...
What causes change?
I received so many different replies to this simple question. Some answered, God while others said it was the person themselves. Some said it was dependent on what required change. While some things are within our control to change, other things are not; what do we do then?
Several years ago there was a popular bumper sticker campaign: Prayer Changes Things! remember that? Several books were written with that title.
So is prayer the answer? If God controls all things then He must be able to change things. Can you really change the mind of God if He is sovereign?
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16b (NLT)
What are the results? Does prayer really change things or does it change us?
I'll wait to weigh in here, I want to hear from you. Let's keep the conversation going. Oh, and remember that thing about choice... getting up in the morning you have a choice... you have a choice.
