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“Y” is for Yearnings
So you’ve praised God (P), you’ve asked him to reveal the Truth to you (R), you’ve prayed for the absolution of your sins (A), and now you’re looking at the title of this final lesson and asking, “What’s a yearning?!” (Y) Big words, don’t you love them?
Yearnings are our desires: the things we want most, the hopes and dreams we cling to, the stuff that consumes so much of our attention. They’re not always good, mind you, but God knows how to weed out the good from the bad when it comes to our wants and needs.
You’ll notice I put yearnings at the end of this prayer guide. Too often, even the best of believers reverse the sequence, asking God for what they want or need before first adequately acknowledging who He is. That’s the wrong posture for prayer.
Imagine if you did that with your parents: “Mom, Dad, I need to borrow the car tonight. By the way, you guys are the greatest parents ever, have I ever told you that? But seriously, I need the car.” How well do you think that conversation is going to go? God is no different than your parents in that respect; how you approach Him matters!
That’s not to say He doesn’t want for you to ask Him for stuff. He absolutely does! You are His child, and, like all children, He knows you’re depending on Him. He cares more about you than you can possibly understand. Even some day when you have children of your own, you will only just barely grasp how deeply God loves you and wants to provide for you. So it’s okay to bring your wants, your needs, your every concern to Him in prayer.
He is listening.
Scripture
About this Plan
In Ephesians 6:18, Paul teaches us to “pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion,” to “stay alert and be persistent in [our] prayers for all believers everywhere.” And when he said that, he wasn’t just talking to the adults, the small group leaders, or the seniors in the back row. He meant all the young people, too! (Don’t forget, one of Paul’s closest fellow believers and partners in the ministry was Timothy, a teenager he met in Turkey.) But praying can be tough, especially if you aren’t being intentional about it – setting aside the time to do it, and to do it right. This four-day devotional is designed to help Christian youth, just like you, get in the habit of regular, meaningful prayer. As you’ll discover, life is pretty amazing for those who P.R.A.Y.
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