The Privileges of a Prayer Reset

Resets. We reset the alarm clock once we’re awake. And we reset the microwave after the aroma of popcorn permeates our house or office. We employ resets in dozens of ways every day, often without giving them a conscious thought.

I’ve been reminded of resets as I pray for the son of a friend. He and his family have been struggling and recently moved in with his mom until they could find housing. Now that they’ve found a home of their own, I’ve been praying they would see their new living situation as a gracious reset from God. A time to start over, to view their circumstances with a fresh perspective in their new surroundings.

As I prayed for this young family, I was also reminded of the value of resets in my own life—specifically the privileges and benefits of a prayer reset every morning.

We talk about the importance of starting each day with time in prayer and reading the Bible. But do we do it—or feel guilty for not doing it—because that’s what good Christians are supposed to do? Or do we start each day with quiet time in the Lord’s presence because we recognize the privilege and the benefits?

We Get To . . .

It’s not that we have to spend time in prayer every day, it’s that we get to spend this time each day. Think about it. We get to commune with the creator of the universe—the one who created all that is seen and unseen. Even more amazing, we get to call Him Father! We get to speak to the one who planned and prepared our restoration to Him before we were born.

We also get to hear from Him through His written Word—His love letter to us, even though it was written centuries ago. And we revel in the relevance of those ancient words to our life today.

I’ve come to appreciate the benefit of these morning prayer resets in ways I hadn’t before.

• I get to reset my perspective, shifting my focus upward instead of inward. The value of this reset helps me lay my cares and worries before God, reminding me He is not only the Creator of all things, He is also sovereign over all He created. And He is always working for my ultimate good and His eternal glory. The release of those burdens enables me to move into the new day with joy instead of worry.
• I also get to reset my agenda. Freedom comes from saying, “Here are my plans, but Father, I want Your plans for my day to take precedence.” Instead of viewing interruptions as obstacles, I’m able to view those interruptions as possible redirects from the Lord. His priorities become my priorities. As someone once said, write your plans in pencil and carry a big eraser!
• Finally, my morning prayer reset reminds me of who I am—and whose I am. I am a daughter of the King, the one who is El Elyon, the Most High God. As Kay Arthur, founder of Precepts International, has said, “Nothing touches you that isn’t first filtered through your heavenly Father’s fingers of love.” Do we really believe God is working out His best for you and me? Or, as C.S. Lewis once observed, do we wonder how painful God’s best will turn out to be? Beginning each day with this reset reminds me God can indeed be trusted.

Best of all, the privileges of a daily prayer reset are freely offered to every child of God in Jesus. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this privilege 700 years before the birth of Christ when He wrote, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost (Isaiah 55:1).

Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy when He said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink, He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38). This is the grandest reset of all: new life and the indwelling Holy Spirit for every follower of Christ!

What benefits and privileges do you see in your quiet time with the Lord?

How might this perspective shift your thinking from have to to get to?