Parking Lot Prayers

Shifting Our Focus from Surroundings to the Savior

by R. Harris - 8 min read - April 2026

Many of us have been there- driven by self-will and white-knuckling the steering wheel of life. Eventually we get to a point where we feel gassed out, broken down, and deserted. But what happens when we shift our focus from our surroundings to our Savior?

In an episode of our Seeds & Roots podcast, we sat down with Obadiah Frazier. Obadiah shared raw moments from his personal and professional life that formed and refined his faith. As a military child his location and church changed regularly. In becoming a young professional his spiritual walk became more conceptual than practical. With life experiences weighing down on him, it was in an abandoned parking lot where his reformation began.

In this blogpost I’d like to unpack some of the seeds from that conversation and offer mindsets, principles, and practices that help us sprout godly roots in our lives.

Seeds: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Ephesians 4:23-24, Hebrews 11:1, Romans 8:26-28

Roots: Prayer, Humility, Preparation, Trust 

The Vicious Cycle of Self-Will

Living by our own strength and desires can often be associated with a persistent, sometimes subtle, sense of unrest. We are surrounded by influences with varying agendas, encouraged to chase milestones, and our minds hunt for “what’s next” once a goal is achieved.

This self-directed path is not necessarily "bad"; it can be filled with ambition, accomplishment, and busy activity. However, the pain points we inevitably share often center on a lack of fulfillment, purpose, and identity. I highlight some pain points below, it may serve you well to reflect on them.

• Fragmentation - Our influences can be scattered and inconsistent. Like a military kid bouncing from base to base, we can absorb diverse worldviews, but lack unifying principles to guide our core decisions. We may adopt pieces of a faith or moral code, but without a central anchor, our standards and identity will lack congruence.

• Disorientation - In Western culture, the facets and responsibilities of life seem to multiply exponentially as we mature into adulthood. A leap into responsibility can cause a person to shift their focus, which will affect their priorities. Over time belief systems can take a backseat to convenience, comfort, and urgency.

• A Lack of Digestibility - Depending on our own understanding requires us to process and navigate many things alone. The weight that comes with our past, present, and future should not and cannot (in my opinion) be managed alone. Biblical principles, practices, and prescriptions can seem distant and impractical to a soloist because they “already have enough on their plate.” Partial processing hinders healthy progress.

A self-willed life journey is often a hyper-reactive, always-shifting terrain. If we choose to be led by our desires and stand on our abilities, we will become subject to our desires and limited by our abilities. Desires and abilities can shift and fail. They’re not dependable enough to define or produce fulfillment, purpose, or identity.

Shifting our focus to Jesus Christ gives us a firm foundation that brings integration, direction, and a partner to “carry the load" in life. No longer fueled by self-will or redirected by circumstance, we can walk securely on a path that leads to eternal peace. Sometimes it’s helpful to hear how this plays out in “real life” in order to apply it to our lives, so listen to Obadiah’s story to see if anything resonates with you.

The Transformative Cycle of His Will

Godly transformation is a refining process that cycles through the length of our lives. Some (myself included), frame the components of the cycle as seasons. It takes humility, patience, grace, and everything God says we need to become refined and finish well. In short, we need to know that we need God.

• Wiser Execution - If we say we want God’s will to be done in our lives, we need to receive His process for His will to be done in our lives. This may sound obvious, but our desires can shift, which can skew our perspective and numb our self-awareness. The good news is that anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-11) will no longer have to rely on their abilities to “make things happen.”

• Divine Direction - The beginning of our transformation or shift starts with prayer. Prayer is to engage in an intimate conversation with God. He is always present and there is nothing too big or small to bring to Him. Sophisticated vocabulary, mindless repetition, and theatrics are wasted efforts. He knows you. An honest and open heart is the way to go when communing with God. Connecting with God is what changes us, not religious practices or behavior modification techniques.

This is where the concept of a parking lot prayer comes in handy. A parking lot is a place of transition. Most people are coming or going in parking lots. It’s a place that can bring real-time awareness of our journey. We can seize those moments of transition to ask The Father to form us according to His desire and lead our direction.

• Integration - When we pray to be formed by Him, He informs us of our thinking and motives (aka heart posture). These attributes influence our habits. He also informs us of His way of thinking, His heart, and His ways through prayer, Bible study, and being in community with other believers. Those are all foundational practices to understand and receive what He offers. As we begin to open ourselves to Him, we become aware of the thought patterns and heart postures that don’t serve us well. That awareness comes with a feeling called conviction.
  
  

Conviction, biblically speaking, is God’s Spirit informing us that we are engaged in something unrighteous according to the only standard that truly matters - His standard. Conviction may not be associated with “positive” feelings, but it does foster a great opportunity to draw closer to God. When He informs us of our misaligned position, we will make one of two choices: continue in our ways or follow His. I’ve made the mistake of continuing in my ways and I can tell you first hand, His way is ALWAYS better; thank God for grace.

I believe it’s my duty to share that conviction and condemnation are not the same. Conviction is a declaration of guilt for a violation. Conviction can be perceived as a form of correction, aka discipline. When God disciplines those who are His children (John 1:12), it’s a loving invitation to get closer to Him. On the other hand, condemnation is the sentence for the violation. Condemnation creates distance and spurs isolation.

Those that are in Christ Jesus should not accept messages of condemnation because we should have faith that Jesus has already served the sentence for us via the cross.

All that to say, God’s refining process is relational, experiential, and sacrificial. His process includes cycles of victories and perceived defeats, joy and mourning, abundance and scarcity. It’s difficult while at the same time absolutely amazing. Agreeing with God’s process transforms us to be the person He created us to be.

"Real transformation happens when we stop anticipating situations and start anticipating God."

Map Your Movement

At the beginning of this conversation we were talking about feeling stuck, and now we can talk about what it looks like when we move with Him.

There are three things that I believe happen to everyone who commits to a lasting relationship with God.

• Your Perspective Changes - Asking God to change the way we think will inherently change our perspective. In the podcast with Obadiah we discuss a very potent point in regard to perspective: Real transformation happens when we stop anticipating situations and start anticipating God. God is the sovereign ruler; He has power over all things. 

When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become His children. It is us inviting God to be our Sovereign Father. A part of a father’s role is to provide and protect. Yes, situations can be seen, felt, and immediate, but God is in control and present. Instead of looking at and speaking to the situation, look to God and speak everything that He says about Himself and everything He says about you. This is why reading and meditating on His word is crucial. Not knowing what He says leaves us unequipped. We cannot know what to say if we don’t read or hear what He said.

• Your Trust in Him Increases - When it comes to trusting God, what I have experienced is that He is sufficient; we are fickle. I find myself shaking my head at myself when my trust starts to fade, and then I get reminded of the things He has already done to prove His trustworthiness.

When I stay committed to what I believe He is calling me to, my trust builds because I get first-hand experiences of His faithfulness. I am continually seeking for my trust in Him to grow because convenience, comfort, and urgency can keep us stuck, and make us question things that shouldn't be questioned. He always shows up. Step towards trust the next time you are tempted to lean on uncertainty.

Before the next point, I want to share the difference between trust and faith. Trust is built by experiences, and it is built by the person or thing that earns the trust. Faith is the preparation for things not experienced, and it is exercised by the person who is putting faith into the person or thing.

For example, an athlete who has never suffered an injury trusts their body to perform because that is their lived experience. In contrast, an athlete who has suffered a severe injury for the first time, but goes to therapy and exercises anticipating full recovery; has faith that they will fully recover even though they have never experienced it.

• Your Faith in Him Gets Challenged - In the beginning, God said He created man in His image. The fullness of this declaration is a mystery to us, but there are things He gives us to let us know that our likeness of Him is not restricted to superficial things. One of the things He tells us is that He wants us to embody His character.

He has proven that He is trustworthy, and challenges to our faith are opportunities to become trustworthy to Him. When He invites us to do the unseen, inexperienced thing, He is asking: “Can I trust you to follow my direction? Can I trust you with this provision? Can I trust you with this person(s)? Can I trust you to believe I am who I say I am?” That last question is the question. The wonderful thing about God is that He helps us get there; we are not alone 

To get to the points where our perspectives are changed, our trust increases, and our faith is strengthened, map your movements.

One of the most powerful practices in my walk is not looking to the next thing; it’s looking back to all the things God has done - All the things He has given and taken, all the things I have and have not experienced, all the things He has done for others, and I praise Him for who He is. My perspective, trust, and faith get empowered in immediate situations when I think of His faithfulness and goodness. When we reflect and meditate on how He has moved us internally and externally, it encourages us to take another step with faith.

Parking Lot Prayers

So I hope this writing encourages you to pray as you come and as you go. Fully engage in your personal relationship with God whether you’re transitioning from a parking lot, airport, career, community, or from sleep.

If we find ourselves lost or unsure in life, we can “park”, and ask God for direction wherever we are. God is omnipresent, omniscient, and love. He will meet you where you are; just ask. If you are willing to receive His way, He will give you peace, love, and direction in your proverbial parking lot of life. There is never a bad time to shift our focus from the situation, to The Savior, Jesus Christ.

What's Next?

Colossians 2:6–7 (NIV):

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

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