I was talking on the phone with my adult son, who lives in California (I live in Ohio). He was describing a difficult decision he was facing, and as we discussed it I found myself saying, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you pray your values regarding this decision?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cPray your values.\u201d I had never quite thought of it in those terms before but found the idea taking shape even as I spoke the words out loud. \u201cYou know, we usually pray things like \u2018Help me get this job\u2019 or \u2018Make the pain go away.\u2019 And those are totally fine ways to pray. But maybe in this area it might help a little more if you pray your values.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure, but maybe a prayer like, \u2018God, you know how important my marriage and family are to me; bring about a solution that strengthens those relationships.\u2019 Or, \u2018Father, I\u2019m not sure which direction you want me to go in this decision, but I\u2019d like nothing better than to be a man of integrity through it all.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d my son said. \u201cI see what you\u2019re saying. That means I need to define my values in order to pray them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, that would make sense, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Praying your values will require you to identify and articulate what matters most to you in a given situation, rather than impulsively telling God what you want Him to do. For example, you may pray for your friend to be healed . . . but you may more highly value an awakening of faith in her.<\/p>\n
Or you may really want your supervisor at work to get off your back . . . but if you stop to think through your values, you may end up praying for a more constructive and peaceful work environment altogether.<\/p>\n
Praying your values doesn\u2019t have to take a long time but it does require at least a moment or two of reflection: What are truly my values? What do I value most in this situation? And are my values Godly values? <\/p>\n
Sometimes praying your values will lead you somewhere you didn\u2019t expect to go . . . but it can often be the means God uses to reveal and fulfill the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).<\/p>\n