This is a prayer-promise that I stand on almost every day for myself and my loved ones. When I get into my car, I pray, "Bless all my driving skills, O Lord, and be pleased with the work of my hands." I want God's help to make me a safe, skillful, and responsible driver, especially when I have passengers in my car. I also pray and apply this promise to my writing and ministry skills. I not only want the Lord to give me supernatural skills, but I also want to speak and write in ways that please Him most.

When my sister was having the front steps of her house completely reconstructed, she was understandably concerned, and she asked for my prayers. I shared with her the scriptural prayer above, and I encouraged her to pray it on behalf of the men who would be doing the work on her house. She did exactly that, and when I saw her new front steps, I was amazed at the extraordinary skills and efforts that must have been involved to produce such beautiful results.

Next, we must "pray continually". (v. 17) Think of being on the telephone with God. We should never hang up the phone, but we should stay on the line with Him at all times. Constant communication is what is called for in this Scripture. The more we practice this principle, the more sensitive we will become to the subtle promptings of the Holy Spirit. When He prompts us to pray about something, we won't put it off until a later time, but we will do it right then and there, because we are already in a prayer mindset. Consider Nehemiah. The Bible says that while he was in the middle of a conversation with the king, he whispered a prayer to God. (Nehemiah 2:1-5) When we adopt a prayer mindset, we will find ourselves doing the same thing. Our praying should be like breathing. We shouldn't have to think about it. It should just naturally flow out of a vibrant, intimate relationship with our God. Being in tune with the Lord in this way will make us more likely to hear from Him the moment He is prepared to reveal His will for our situation.

The Scriptures make it clear that God wants us to ask Him to be involved in all our efforts, not just so that they will succeed, but so that they will please and glorify Him. Proverbs 3:4-6 (TLB) reads: "Trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you, and crown your efforts with success." I know from experience that this promise can be applied to everything we do, including our food preparation. I am "famous" for my manicotti, my deviled eggs, and my apple crumb pie because before I begin them, I pray and claim this promise as my own, trusting the Lord to guide and bless my efforts. And I believe that it honors Him when others are blessed by my culinary skills.

When God created you, He gave you skills and gifts that are unlike anyone else's. He not only wants you to ask Him what they are, but He also wants you to seek Him for His divine blessing upon them. When you do, you will touch the lives of others, and give Him great glory!

Prayer: Lord, reveal to me the special gifts and skills that You have blessed me with. Show me how to do my part to perfect them and make them more valuable all the time. I want to use them for the good of others, Lord, as well as for Your glory. Today, I choose to invite You into all of my work, and to seek Your blessing on all that I do!

Promise-Power Point: When I commit my work to God, and ask for His guidance and blessing, He will cause my efforts to succeed and prosper in ways that honor Him most.

- J. M. Farro