“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7 NLT

One of the biggest shifts that has ever come into my life was when I changed what I was asking for, seeking, and knocking on the door to receive. My prayers used to be filled with problems and issues I was struggling with, and I was practically begging God to fix them. Over and over, I would pray the same pleading prayers, all the while stressing and worrying over those same issues after I said Amen. I guess on some level I felt that if I just kept begging, maybe God might fix it all for me. In hindsight though, my prayers were lacking in belief.

But when I fixed the focus of my mind to Jesus and who He is, my prayers changed and so did my outlook. Instead of asking for God to take away the anxiety, seeking purpose or meaning in the struggles, and knocking on the door hoping for His help to end the spirals I would go down. I started to ask for more of Him, to seek who He is, and to knock on the door to just be in His presence.

I took the focus of my prayers off of ME and directed them to who HE is and the power He possesses. I shifted my focus. Concentrating on ourselves, while it may sound reasonable, leads to just more self and more issues that come along with it. But focusing on Jesus leads to a rich relationship that will be the greatest blessing we could ever hope for.

Now don’t get me wrong, being able to bring our specific requests to God about particular struggles we are having is a gift for us. We have the ability and access to God to present our cares and concerns. But once we lay our troubles at His feet through those prayers, let’s not continue to let them dominate our thoughts.

So today, let’s instead focus on the One who can turn it all around, who can ease the pain with His presence, and heal the hurts with His nearness to our hearts. Focus on the One with the power, and don’t let the problems steal anymore of your energy.