Why I Pray for Myself and Why You Should Too
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Everyone knows how important it is to pray for others but should I pray for myself? As you go through your self-love journey, it is important to pray for yourself because only you truly know what you need prayer for.
It’s a beautiful thing when your loved ones pray for you, but you have been given the power to pray for yourself as well.
What is Prayer?
Prayer is simply having a direct conversation with God. Prayer is praising God, thanking Him, and expressing your love to Him. It’s talking to God about your needs, asking Him for His wisdom and instruction, as well as interceding for others.
The heart of prayer is fellowshipping with our Heavenly Father. Prayer also helps us to make sure our will is in alignment with His will for our lives.
The Bible describes prayer as being used for many different purposes. In Exodus 32:11 (But Moses appeased and entreated the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?) prayer is used for seeking God’s favor.
In 1 Samuel 1:15 (But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman with a despairing spirit. I have not been drinking wine or any intoxicating drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord.), it is used to pour out one’s soul to the Lord.
2 Chronicles 32:20 (But Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven [for help].) talks about prayer being used to cry out to Heaven.
In Psalm 73:28 (But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God; I have made the Lord God my refuge and placed my trust in Him, That I may tell of all Your works.) prayer is described as drawing near to God.
As you can see, prayer comes in many forms and is used for many things, but it always points back to communicating with God.
Why I Pray for Myself
I pray for myself because I know what I need, I know what I’m going through, and I know that I need to hear God for myself. As I walked through my journey of self-love it was important for me to spend a lot of intimate time with God because I needed His help.
As I started reading the Word of God, I learned that there is power in my tongue. Proverbs 18:21 (AMP) says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”
This tells me that the words I choose to speak can affect what happens to me.
Matthew 18:18 (AMP) says, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.”
This tells me that I have the power to either forbid or permit things to happen in my life depending on the words I choose to speak.
As I started to spend more and more time with God, I started to learn more about who I was. When I began to know who I am, I began to use God’s word to speak things into my life that He desires for me that I was previously ignorant to.
Check out this article about Who God Says I Am.
Spending time in His word allows me to know the plans God has for us, His children. It teaches us everything He has said about us; every promise and every blessing. Knowing this helps me to understand what I should be praying for.
As I progress on my self-love journey I know what I should be praying for myself and I know that I have the authority to pray for myself. I can talk to God about every area of my life to see what He has to say.
This intimate time with God gave me a lot of revelation, healing, and words that I needed to hear even if I didn’t want to hear them.
One time as I was driving to my sister’s baby shower I got into a car accident merging onto the interstate. I had gotten behind a van going (in my opinion) too slow. I decided to go around them and thought the lane was clear. I ended up getting sideswiped by another vehicle.
After exchanging insurance information and driving off again, very clearly I heard God say, “That’s what’s going to happen to you if you try to rush into a relationship.”
I was completely taken aback by this, but I understood what God was trying to tell me. I still had some healing to do and if I tried to rush into a dating relationship I would make a mess of it.
I knew that I had to turn my focus back to God so I could stay on track as I learned how to love myself first before any other relationship.
How to Pray for Yourself
One thing I use for prayer is a notebook. There are also a variety of prayer journals you can use as well. I write down a list of every area of my life that I needed to be praying for myself for my own needs.
Click here to purchase one of my favorite notebooks to use.
I would even write out some of my prayers in that notebook so I could express every detail. This allowed me to go back to that notebook and read what I had written. There are times I go back and read things from a few years ago.
It amazes me how far I have come and how much I have healed. Sometimes I forget how broken I used to be, but I’m grateful for the restoration and the lessons that I learned in the journey.
Don’t get caught up in the mindset that you need to spend one whole hour with God praying in the morning before you start your day for God to hear your prayers. This thinking can lead to your prayers coming from a place of obligation, versus a true desire to be in communion with God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” That tells us we should be talking to God constantly throughout the day.
As you continue to progress through your self-love journey, remember to keep your focus on God. Also, remember that you have the authority to pray for yourself and that there is power in what you speak out loud.
