“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Pillippians 4:6-7).

“Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36b).

Pray for the Mariners. They need it. The Mariners fans need it.

Pray for the Seahawks. They need it. The Seahawk nation needs it.

Pray for our divided country. We need it.

Pray for renewal. Our world needs it.

There are no “ungodly” prayers. There are no prayers off limits. Let God know what your heart desires. Be 100% honest. It’s not like God doesn’t already know what our hearts are harboring.

When Jesus was praying in Gethsemane before His arrest, He let God know exactly what He wanted. “Take this cup from me.” Save me from suffering. Save me from the brutalization of the cross. Save me from the heartache of rejection and betrayal. Save me from hell.

Jesus wanted to avoid the cross and hell with all His being. Who wouldn’t?

Yet, He ends His prayer with, “Not my will, but what you will.”

Prayer is not about saying and doing right things to trick and manipulate the Creator of all things to do what we want Him to do. Come on. Just look at how silly that sounds.

Prayer is about letting God know what’s on our hearts AND seeking God’s will. Prayer is about aligning our wants and desires with God desires.

So, pray for the Mariners! I want to know what it’s like to root for a World Series winner!

And remember to seek God’s will in our prayers so we can align our wants and desires to what God desires.

That’s how we pray.