Releasing Repetition

“What a glorious Lord!  He who daily bears our burdens also give us our salvation.”  Psalm 68:19

I have a daily routine.  When I arise in the morning, I do my stretches, morning walk, run, lift weights, and then drink my protein shake while reading my devotions.  I spend time praying on my run and listening to God through the words of my devotions.  I read a chapter of the Bible and post on Facebook a verse from the chapter.  My routine has meaning and purpose.  It is healthy for my soul and body.  I look forward to how God will speak to me.  I feel an accomplishment through my physical exercise.  Sometimes through nature – the birds, the sunrise, the deer – I see and hear God’s presence.  Sometimes God gives me a thought or word.  Sometimes a verse of Scripture speaks directly to my heart.  The routine is regular and fulfilling.

But one morning during my morning run and prayer time, God spoke to me and brought conviction to my prayer time.  It had become so routine that it was repetitive.  I was praying the same thing every day as if God was forgetful and I had to remind Him of my concerns and needs.  My prayer was becoming so routine that I was in a rut.  While I was listening to God and God spoke new and different thoughts and ideas to me, I was repeating the same conversation back to Him.

A routine is good as long as it has meaning, value, and purpose.  When it becomes negative and mundane, it becomes a rut.  A rut is dull and unproductive and very difficult to change because it becomes comfortable and familiar even though it is unhealthy.  There is no growth when you are stuck in a rut.  We cannot always change our routine totally, but we can change our attitude toward it and vary it by changing the sequence or adding different touches to it.

So when our prayers become routine and repetitive, it is time to change our prayers.  Praying is being in God’s Presence and desiring to communicate and grow closer to the One who loves us.  So some days, I just sigh and listen to the Spirit within me.  I thank God for the day and what is around me instead of going through my list of concerns.  I still pray for my needs and the people who need prayer, but it is throughout the day.  It is trusting God with those I continue to hold close and claiming His watchful care upon them.  It is thanking God for being with them.  My run prayer time is becoming more a time to thank God and to trust Him for today and to listen to what God is saying to me through His Spirit.

It is releasing the need to keep telling God what He already knows and to trust His will.  It is saying to God, “I am still trusting you in the situation.”  Releasing the repetition challenges us to grow in our relationship with God by being open to new thoughts and guidance from the Holy Spirit instead of going around in circles saying the same thing and never growing closer to Him.

If we can begin to release the repetition in our spiritual life, can we begin to get out of the daily rut of our lives and thoughts?  First, we need to be aware of the rut of our anxious thoughts swirling around in our heads.  The dailyness of life can be changed by doing things differently, focusing on finding God in each moment, and being grateful.  But the rut of worry and anxiety runs deep and familiar.

Anxiety and worry is a repetition of a constant fear of the unknown so we create scenarios of what could happened and keep worrying about it.  Anxiety is thoughts on what is the worst that could happen.  So to begin, we need to release to God our need to plan for disaster and begin to trust that God is in control.  It is relaxing in God’s presence and trust He will lead you each step of the way.  It is surrendering control of the future to God.  He is already there, you are not.  You are in the present, so live fully in the present.