Praying about the Small Stuff

A few days ago a reader asked me who G. Campbell Morgan was. George Campbell Morgan was a well-known British preacher in the early 1900s. His main focus was Bible exposition—in other words, explaining the Bible—and teaching people to study the Bible on their own. The best G. Campbell Morgan story I know is this:

A woman came to Morgan and asked if it was O.K. to pray for the small things in her life along with the big things. Morgan is said to have replied, "Madam, can you think of anything in your life that could be considered as BIG to the God of the universe?"

This is a great story to remember as I go through the day worrying about this or that but failing to pray because my little problem seems just too trivial. God has told us to pray about everything—and the arbitrary lines we draw about what is too small to pray about (or what ought to be within our own control or discretion) are just silly. If it is big enough to cause you any concern at all, it’s big enough to pray about.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything…present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

How are you doing with our newly developed habits? Take time to pray three times a day: before you get out of bed, as you fall asleep and at one other scheduled time that works for you. Read the New Testament 7-8 minutes per day. And try to eliminate excess noise, like the radio during your commute, the iPod as you walk, the TV news as you cook dinner or clean up, etc.