Play the Blonde Card This Instant!

Play the Blonde Card

I'm not the best driver. In fact, passengers tend to radiate with joy when we reach our desired destination. Not because they're having so much fun, but because we've arrived. Alive.

If you rode with me and witnessed my rolling stops, my "Oops! You mean I didn't have the right of way on that one?!", my ability to find unexpected medians randomly placed in the "middle" of the road, and the suave way that I can play the blonde card when law enforcement officers are involved, you would be impressed to learn that I only have a couple of fender-benders on my record. (Nevermind those freak deer accidents.)

So, what's the secret? How can I hang on to a driver's license, keep my car in one piece, and preserve my own life, the lives of those I love, and countless millions of other lives with whom I share the road? The answer occured when I turned 16.

When I held that precious credit card sized ticket to freedom in my hands for the first time, my parents and friends knocked on heaven's door. They asked God to protect me and every vehicle in which I would ever get behind the wheel. They asked that He go before me, with me, and I'm sure they asked that He follow me (should I have to suddenly brake). It wasn't a long, drawn-out prayer, it simply asked God to provide for me that day and in every single future trip I would ever take.

Do I pray for safety every time I turn on the ignition? No.
Is there someone else praying for me every time I get in the driver’s seat? No.
Just because my life has been protected on the road thus far, does that mean it will always be? No.

So, what’s the point? The point is in the power of a single prayer.

Praying honestly, sincerely, and from the heart means it’s no longer our concern. Prayer transcends time. God is not hard of hearing. Repetition does nothing for Him. (Did I mention that repeating things doesn’t help Him?) And when we "worry" our prayers...perhaps we are just glorifying our worries...

Do you tend toward repetitive, “worried” prayer because you think one isn’t enough? Do you re-hash and repeat the same request, the same words, the same issue over and over, never reflecting a changed heart or growth in your relationship with God? What if He told you, “Rest, my child. I hear your request, and I will respond as I perfectly please. This isn’t your burden to bear anymore. It’s mine now. Let go. And, by the way, do you realize you are living out TODAY My answer to your grandma's prayer for your health more than twenty-five years ago?"

Ah, the power of a single prayer.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philipians 4: 6-7

"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!"
Matthew 6: 7-8 (NLT)