We live in a hurting world where there’s always someone in need of prayer. Being part of several different faith-based groups, there are times when I’m bombarded with more prayer requests than I can count.

When my kids were younger and life was so frenetic, I didn’t have the head or heart space for a single thing more. Each time I got a request to pray for someone, the best I could do was throw up a quick “Please, God, bless ______.”

Now that I have less chaos in my life, I want to be more intentional with my petitions, taking the time to expand my blessing so I’m truly investing my heart.