Prayer

It has been so precious to me to see my kids growing in their prayer life. To see them develope from their cute little "lay me down to sleep" type prayers, into seeing their sincere compassion towards those they are concerned for when they pray.

Lately their prayers have consisted of praying for all the places that have been affected by earthquakes, for the parents of their friend Kailee who went to be with the Lord almost a year ago, for those they see standing on the street corners, who need food and shelter. And every night they add something new.

It touched my heart one night to hear my daughter pray for one of her little classmates, Albert, that he would come to know Jesus. Just today, our son heard his daddy sniffling and he asked, "daddy would you like me to pray for your nose?" Jon said yes, and immediately Patrick asked God to help clear his daddy's nose so that he could breath good.

Last Sunday, in the message he gave, our Pastor mentioned how our prayers are like incense to God. "...And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

Lighting up some incense in the church, the pastor said how in time, that scent will just permeate a room, saturating everything with that particular smell. If our prayers are like sweet incense to God, just imagine how much He relishes hearing from us on a daily basis!

Sometimes we grumble and groan about how our prayers seem to go unanswered or answered in a way we didn't want. I remember a Garth Brooks song that talks about how one of God's greatest gifts is unanswered prayer. Which I've found to be true. Somtimes God delays a request or says no, because He has something so much more meaningful and wonderful for us instead and He gives us those answers in His perfect timing. I've found that in my own life and I thank God for some of the "no" responses to my prayer wish lists.

Lately I've found myself sending up little bitty prayers. Like:
"Lord, forgive me for my bad attitude..."
"Lord, place your healing hand upon so-and-so, who's dealing with this....."
"Lord, I need your calming hand upon me on this stress filled day...."
"Lord, thank you for this beautiful sunshine today..."
"Lord, help me not worry about..."

I find that the more I continuously pray throughout the day, the more I draw closer to God and my relationship with Him grows deeper and stronger. By keeping the lines of communication open to Him throughout the day, the better and more peaceful day I end up having. On the days where I noticed I was more lazy in my praying, I had more of a negative attitude about everything, and my day was less peaceful and I felt like a wall was blocking me and God--a wall I had put up there myself.

If you have that same type of attitude or feel distant from God, I encourage you to seek the Lord and say you're sorry for not talking to Him more. Then start praying about everything and anything--for those who come to mind that need prayer for whatever reason. By the end of the day, I think you will find that the wall between you and God is removed and you'll end up having a more peaceful and better day.

Here are a few more verese regarding prayer:

"Be joyful always; pray continuously; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5: 43-44

"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. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:13-16

"On reaching the place, he [Jesus] said to them, 'Pray that you will not fall into temptation.' He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:40-42

There are many verses in the Bible regarding prayer and Jesus himself praying. If it was so important for Jesus to go off to a quiet place and pray, then how much more important it is for us to pray!

So I pray you all have a prayer-filled day as you draw near to God!

Love in Christ Jesus,
Alyssa