Prayer

Life is a prayer


God doesn’t care if we use big words when we pray,
He already knows the biggest words anyway.
Sometimes silence is prayer because we run out
of words, but God knows our heart.

Sometimes I fall asleep right in the middle
of a prayer at night, and I think that is okay.
I think He smiles at that. Sometimes you aim
for Heaven and that is enough.
He likes that I am thinking of Him.

Don’t worry if your tongue stumbles over itself,
To His ears it is eloquent, because
You are His child.

And sometimes, the burden of life is just too
overwhelming, that is when I can pick up the prayer
where you left off…
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).

Why church?


‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord”’(Psalm 122:2). Why do we go to the House of the Lord? We go ‘to give thanks to the Name of the Lord’(Psalm 122:4). We seek His mercy for our past sins: ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!’(Psalm 123:3). We seek His help for our future temptations: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord…’(Psalm 124:8). As we receive mercy and help from the Lord, we worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord’(Psalm 124:6). In our worship, we ‘look to the Lord our God’, drawing encouragement from His Word: ‘The Lord is on our side’- In Him we have the victory (Psalm 123:2; Psalm 124:1-5). Rejoicing in God’s blessing, we pray for others: ‘May they prosper who love You’(Psalm 122:6).

So often we leave church with the same burdens we had when we came in. This should never be. We turn and greet the person behind us, shake their hand, maybe a hug and smile, maybe give our name. All the while our hearts are aching. God never intended that. “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42

I attended a prayer service last night and it was really a blessing. Just getting together to talk to God, lift each other up. That is when it gets real, and sometimes that can be scary. Emotions show up, and tears….but after all is said and done, burdens lifted, hearts lightened, strangers grow closer. Real change happens from the inside out…..

Today I am thankful for the circle of prayer that reaches around the world. Heads bowed, hands clasped….in homes, churches, battlefields, sporting events, commuting cars, hospitals, in hearts and heads. He keeps them all in His bowl of gold.

“And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Rev. 5:8

Thankful for the promises of God today, my gratitude list grows:

57. All our needs will be met. Phil. 4:19

58. We will have enough Grace to do whatever He asks. 2 Cor. 12:9

59. Blessings are ours through the promise of Abraham and the redemptive work on the cross. Genesis 22:18

60. We have deliverance from ALL temptation. 1 Cor. 10:13

61. We have victory over death itself. Acts 2:32

62. If we keep trusting Him, ultimately everything will work out for our good. Romans 8:28

63. We never have to be alone. John 14:26

64. Peace in every circumstance. Phil 4:7

65. Assurance that our prayers are heard. 1 John 5:14

66. With God there is always hope. Heb. 6:19

Continue counting your blessings with Ann here:
holy experience

Heart to heart prayer

Some days my prayer sessions with God go something like this, I open with praise. Thanking God for who He is and all the things He continues to do in my life. Then I go through my list of “people” that I am praying for; sometimes that leads to looking up a certain verse of Scripture, which leads me into, “now where is that verse anyway?” Sometimes I have no words at all, just sit in the silence and know that He is near.

Sometimes it turns into something like bargaining with God, sometimes my prayers edge dangerously into manipulation territory, sometimes I sound like a whining child. Sometimes, He surprizes me with something I never expected! But always He is there. Always, He hears me, and always He loves hearing from me.

Today, I just handed Him my wadded up tangled mind, “Here you take it!” My thoughts were scrambled today, and I felt unfocused. Finally I just told Him all that was on my mind. I sensed Him saying, “I already know all this, but it will make you feel better to share it, so just climb off your prayer pedestal and talk to me.”

So I did….After that I reflected on a study I had awhile back, that impacted me greatly.(Thank you Lucy for answering Gods call to lead it) It was on the names of God. The Holy Spirit reminded me of how He has been all those names to me at different times in my life, and I cried as I remembered.

YAHWEH-RAPHA: “The Lord Who Heals” (Exodus 15:26) After the death of my husband, and dear sister in law….and the morning long ago when I woke up and knew that God had healed my anorexia.

EL ROI: “God of Seeing” (Genesis 16:13) – The name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14), when she met the Angel of the Lord and realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all. How many times I have felt alone, and have been comforted by the “God who sees”

YAHWEH-JIREH: “The Lord will Provide” (Genesis 22:14) – The name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. I reflect on all the years God has so wonderfully provided for my needs by giving me good jobs, and without a college degree!

I left my prayer closet with a very thankful heart and a renewed sense of God’s power today. I will post the full list of the names of God tomorrow!