Prayer | itsawonderfilledlife

Posts Tagged ‘Prayer’

Reminder to Never Stop Praying

Posted in WONDER, tagged brother lawrence, godliness, Prayer, presence of the father, reminder to never stop praying, sanctus real, the practise of the presence of god, the river walk, tworiversblog on October 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »

It seems that the theme of prayer and praying is stalking me in the past number of days. Whenever I have that feeling, that everywhere I turn, a certain theme follows, I know to wait …

because God does not work in random (though it might seem that way to me), but in deliberate order. So, I know that if God keeps knocking on the door of my heart with a theme, it is one that He wants to teach me something through.

Today I am featuring a blog post written by BJ, for The River Walk, (http://tworiversblog.com). Two Rivers is a church in Binghamton, New York.

This blog has been feeding my soul since I subscribed a few weeks back, and this post spoke most intimately to me. I pray that it does the same for you.

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14, 1Thessalonians 5:4-28, Psalm 82:1-8, Proverbs 25:9-10

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Relate: One of the most life changing books I’ve ever read is a book that took me maybe an hour, cover to cover. Now, I’ve read lots of books. Some of them are really good. Some of them are really popular books that I personally thought were terrible (Hunger Games, Twilight, Harry Potter, etc). Outside the Bible, though, I think the greatest book I’ve ever read was actually the collected sayings of an illiterate monk who died more than 300 years ago. If you’ve never read it, you can grab a free kindle version or a paperback for less than $5 here.

The book is about Brother Lawrence, born Nicolas Herman, a laymen in a Carmelite monastery. For 53 years of his life he never left the monastery as he worked as a cook and, later, as a shoe repairmen. What made him famous was that he did his best to make his life such that every action, every thought, every task was an act of prayer. Think about it: this man was a cook for ascetics and a shoe repairmen for an order of barefoot monks. He couldn’t read and write and never got a promotion in over 50 years of faithful service. Yet he was visited by Archbishops, Dukes and Barons. His thoughts and testimony has been printed in dozens of languages in millions of copies and has influenced the lives of men like Wesley and Tozer.

React: I used to equate my godliness with how much time I spent in prayer. I’d read about men like Praying Hyde and comments Luther made on prayer and made it my goal to spend 3 hours every morning in prayer. Those days I did it, I was only doing my duty, those days I didn’t… I was living in guilt. This book was huge in changing my mindset. It wasn’t just about how much time I spent on my knees. It was also about how I spent my time once I got off them. Brother Lawrence said there was no difference for him between his time in the kitchen and his time in the chapel. Every moment, every act, he would strive to live in the presence of the Father. That is what a life of prayer is about. That is what Paul means when he says, “Always be joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants for you.”

Respond:

Dear God, help me to live in Your presence. Help my every thought to be one pleasing to You. Help every action be one of praise to You. Help me to be aware that my every moment can be spent in communion with You. As I go from this place, go with me.

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Pray … Really Pray

Posted in WONDER, tagged cs lewis, god's will, james 5:13-16, pray ... really pray, Prayer, Prayer Changes Me on October 18, 2013| 4 Comments »

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Have you ever thought about prayer … in the midst of it?

Have you ever been at a meeting, a small group, a dinner table, a church service and felt the weight of all that you (or others) were bringing to prayer?

Have you ever lifted your head, after that short, goal-oriented point of the meeting, the small group, the dinner table, the church service and felt like you (and others) had just not done the prayer requests justice? That you had just not felt the weight of what you were laying at God’s feet long enough to allow that request to change, to alter you … your soul … just a little bit?

Have you ever wanted to simply shout out :

“we take more time to describe our prayer praises and requests than we do praying!”

Prayer is not a checklist, not simply a mandatory start and finish to a meeting, a meal, a small group. Prayer is about allowing the God of the universe to reign in our hearts, in our lives, and our allowing Him to have dominion over us in totality … whether in want or in plenty.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about how Prayer Changes Me., and quoted C. S. Lewis, who said of prayer, “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me.”

It is not that we pray so as to change the mind of God, as though he is some sort of puppeteer moving our bodies and our lives as if we are inanimate objects. We pray, so that our minds, our hearts become more in tune to the will of God, so that His will becomes our will … so that His plans become our plans. Prayer is the practice of changing the heart of the one who is praying, towards the heart of the one being prayed to.

“Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.” James 5:13-16

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When Your Circumstances Are Too Far Gone

Posted in WONDER, tagged difficulties, give up, Hopelessness, Jarius, Jesus, Prayer on July 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As I read the following post, by Kristen Strong, I felt I were hearing words and thoughts that have been my own at various times, concerning various relationships and situations of life. I think we all can relate to what she has communicated.

We have all had those hopeless thoughts, those hopeless moments, those hopeless seasons when our view of the future is hidden by a black veil. Moments when all hope seems lost.

In the following post, from (in)courage, Kristen reminds us of the hope that is always available to us … and it’s truly not a bother.

“I make my way to the bathroom after yet another frustrating conversation. I shut the door and lean hard on the pedestal sink as I look at myself in the mirror. Weary words swirl like smoke around me,

Why must this relationship be so difficult?

Why can’t it look different?

And really, why do I even bother?

I close my eyes, open them again. I wish for my daughter’s magic wand and a fairytale fix to this real life mess. After all, there’s not a chance in the world things will ever change. We’re at a dead-end country lane, and all we can do is back up and travel the same gravel over and over.

It’s too far gone, too hope-gone.

My attitude resembles that of the man from the house of Jairus as told in the book of Luke. Jairus, a synagogue ruler, pleads with Jesus to come to his house because his only daughter is dying. While Jesus and Jairus are still en route, a man from Jairus’ house meets them along the way and tells Jairus,

“Your daughter is dead…Don’t bother the teacher any more.” ~Luke 8:49

Jairus’ daughter died.

With circumstances too far gone, why bother Jesus?

My own frustration asks the same thing. This relationship is too hopeless, too broken, too dead. Why bother Jesus with this anyway? So I give up on my prayers, on Him.

And then I’m smacked upside the head with a startling reality: In cherry picked difficulties like this relationship, I’m an unbeliever. Or at least, I’m acting like one.

I know this is completely wrong because I know Christ can do all things. And indeed, He did with Jairus’ daughter.

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”…he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. ~Luke 8:50, 54

With one touch, Jesus raises the dead. With one sentence, He breathes new life into relationships.

So I don’t give up on prayer, but I give my prayers up to the throne of God, to the One who asks us to always pray and not lose heart.

We can’t always talk to people about God, but we can always talk to God about people. Don’t underestimate the real mountain-moving, ground-breaking, relationship-changing work your prayers can do to water cracked deserts, chisel granite hearts, and bridge broken relationships.

It is never too late for Jesus to move. Nothing is too far gone. We may not see healing at work on this earth, but we trust the Healer at work.

No, my broken relationship doesn’t look different, but my heart does – if only a little. It sees a new picture, one changing from hope-gone to Hope-dawn.”

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Summer Prayer

Posted in WONDER, tagged direction, Dreams, Hope, Prayer, Refreshment, Summer, summer prayer, thanks on June 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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A prayer for this summer …

Because we could all use a prayer …

to give us hope,
to give us dreams,
to give us direction.

Dear God,
Thank-you for summer …
for it’s heat
for it’s light
For warm nights
and bright early mornings
Thank-you for the unique rhythms of each day
and the bright stars at night
For the days at the beach
and the days cleaning a closet
For the times with friends and family
and for the times with only You
For the meals juicy and tender off the grill
and the marshmallows burnt to a crisp
For the summer parties
and the lazy days
For adventures in places near
and trips to places which are far.
God,
Please great me these things, this summer :
refreshment from my soles to my soul
challenges to make me stretch
memories with my babes
joy with my love
and excitement to start the insanity all over again in September

Oh, and soft rains to fall asleep to at night.

Amen

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A Prayer for Those Doing Exams

Posted in WONDER, tagged a prayer for those doing exams, exams, finals, Prayer, School, Students on June 17, 2013| 2 Comments »

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This is the big week for exams at the school I work, as well as for those living in my house.

In our house the stress of writing exams comes out in as many ways as there are individuals under the roof!

There is the chocolate-lover, the study avoider, the tummy-acher, the movie watcher, the mom and dad chatter, the bedroom-cleaner, the carb-eater, etc., etc,. etc.

In my job in a high school, I love when I get to supervise, read or scribe for a individual or group while they are doing their exam. For me, the best part of this task is that I get to pray for the students before they start their exams (I work in a Christian school, so I have the freedom to do this).

For so many (I expect for all) who are writing exams the stress can be overwhelming, and praying for those students is the greatest gift and assistance that I can give to them.

I believe that praying does not give the students a better ability to access the knowledge and facts that they have learned, it does not give them a magical power where the control of their pens is removed from their hands, and the right answers all get written on the lines. What I believe that praying for them does accomplish is that it sets the atmosphere for the peace, that only Christ can give, to allow them to relax and remember what is important, and who is in control.

As this week proceeds, this is my prayer for those of you who are about to sit at the seat of examination:

Lord God,

thank-you for this day.

thank-you for allowing us to have breath, and health.

thank-you for giving us the strength and ability to be here today.

God,

these students need your peace,

they need your comfort,

they need to know that you are here with them.

Lord,

help them to relax,

help them to remember what they have learned,

help them to have the time to complete this exam before them.

God,

I also pray that they would remember,

this is just one exam

two hours,

in their entire lives,

pass or fail, it does not determine their value,

nor will their mark change who they are in Your eyes.

Help them to exhale,

hold them close,

remind them they are not alone.

In Your holy name,

Amen

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Before Worship

Posted in WONDER, tagged before worship, Prayer, preparing for worship, Psalm 95:6, Worship on May 16, 2013| 1 Comment »

I sat in the balcony of the sanctuary when I heard the words that brought tears to my eyes …

“God, we ask that You would lead us as we prepare and plan for the worship service this coming weekend …”

On a Wednesday morning, as my student and I were working together, in a church that has opened it’s doors to a work experience placement, I encountered the heart of preparing for worship.

Preparing for worship is often misinterpreted.

It can be misinterpreted as being only about the music.

wrong

It can be misinterpreted as the sermon.

wrong

It can be misinterpreted as the offering.

wrong

It can be misinterpreted as:
the prayers prayed
the communion taken
the announcements made
the people who do the leading
etc.
etc.
etc.

Preparing for worship can be misinterpreted.

To prepare for worship is to prepare the heart …

The heart of those preaching, teaching, leading the service, leading the music, praying, serving communion, taking the offering.

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It is through prayer that each individual associated with worship is prepared. Heads bowed, knees bowed, heart, mind and will bowed to the One we worship. It is not our worship service, it is His … And He is at the center of it.

It is through prayer that ALL who come to worship are made prepared.

It is not just the pastors (although that is essential), it is not just the music teams (although that is essential), it is not just those preparing and serving communion (although that is essential).

It is through prayer that ALL who come to worship are made prepared.

It is through bowing down that we might be lifted up.

“Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”
Psalm 95:6

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My Knight on a Shining Harley

Posted in WONDER, tagged biker, flat tire, hug, my knight on a shining harley, Prayer, rescue, stranger on May 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

It had been a beautiful day!

After spending the Saturday morning preparing, and an afternoon at a speaking engagement, I was heading East to meet up with my my gang at a family camp weekend for our church. family.

It had been a glorious day with unseasonably hot temperatures, and not a cloud in the skies.

I was enjoying the solitary drive, the freedom to choose my own radio station, and the beauty all around me

I had just picked up my favorite tea, a London Fog, and returned to the smooth highway driving, where there was a ‘wrong’ noise coming from outside my hubby’s car that I was driving.

I shuddered, knowing what it could be, turning the radio off in the hopes that it was bad reception.

The noise remained 😦

I pulled over to the side of the road, whispering a prayer of pleading that the noise not be what I knew it was …

a flat tire …

a flat as a pancake tire …

a flat as a pancake tire, and hubby was out of cell phone reception.

So, I did what any mature woman would do …

I climbed back into my driver’s seat and repeated multiple times,

What do I do?

Over and over and over again.

Then I took a big girl breath and said to myself, this is not rocket science, take care of this problem.

After all I had watched a tire being changed once!

So to the trunk I went to locate the spare, and the tire changing paraphernalia.

I was dismayed that there was no ‘Dummies’ book to guide me through this procedure, especially since the sun was about to settle beyond those western mountains.

After fully opening the jack, I realized that I needed to place it under the car frame before extending it … so, I returned it to it’s original size, and searched out a place to … place it. Well, that was torture, and the bright yellow arrow that I was certain should be under the vehicle was nowhere in sight!

Finally I placed it, using process of elimination.

The sun was really sinking quickly now!

I cranked the jack, all the while praying over and over and over again, that God would send someone to help me!

After raising the vehicle, I felt great success, but continued my prayer for help.

I happened to look to the west, to note the whereabouts of Mr. Golden Sun, and there was a vehicle turning off of the highway, and heading towards me.

Mixed thoughts crossed my mind as this knight was getting closer …

“I am going to die”

“Seriously God? This is how you answer my prayer for help.”

You see the knight that God had sent me was covered in black leather, and driving a Harley!

harley-davidson

He barely spoke a word, and went right to work, saying that he would explain everything he was doing so that I could do it myself if need be in the future. He was a fantastic teacher! He explained every part and tool, and every step he was taking. He seemed to be a kind and gentle man, and I was pushing my fear of being murdered on the highway out of my mind.

I decided to make small talk, and asked where he lived … a simple question, right?

Then, very matter-of-fact,

he told me his wife of thirty years had told him that morning that they were done

that she had met someone else on the internet

that she did not love him anymore

that he still loved her

that he had been biking all day trying to clear his head.

I asked if it had worked … clearing his head.

He said, “not at all, I still love her.”

He finished changing my tire. He put all the tools and my flat away.

I told him I wanted to give him something to thank him for his generous assistance.

He said, “if it’s okay with you, I really could just use a hug.”

So I paid my biker hero in the currency we all need more, a hug.

Throughout our meeting I wanted to pray for him, and each time it felt as though my lips were glued shut, as though that was not what he needed to hear.

My prayer for this kind-hearted stranger:

That God would guide him home.
That he would not give up on his marriage.
That he would pursue his wife, perhaps as he has not done for years.
That his wife would give him another chance.
That his two young adult sons would be protected through this season.
That he would realize that just as he came to my rescue,
I am praying for his rescue.

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Top 10 Goals for 2013 – Children

Posted in The Kids, WONDER, tagged 2013, Blessing, Boxing Day, Children, Dreams, gifts, goals, GOD, hopes, Intentional, Love, maturing, New Year, new years resolutions, plans, Prayer, pride, Resolutions, responsibility, top 10 on December 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

If you are reading this, then yes, you have survived the chaos that can be associated with Christmas Day.

For me, Boxing Day means two things; one is that I am ready to take down the tree, and clean up the house, and the other is that I start to think about next year.

Over the next few days, my posts will be related to my thinking about next year. Each day I will share Ten Goals that I have for myself, my children, my marriage and my relationship with God.

Today, I am starting with my ten goals for 2013, related to my three children.

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God has blessed hubby and I with three healthy, productive, God-fearing/loving children. There was a time when we wondered if we would even have children with our own DNA. There was a time when we understood contentment with one, believing that our chances of carrying another to term would never be. There were dark and sorrow-filled times, times when we cried out to God, times when we grew to understood that today we only see a part (1 Corinthians 13:12) …

As parents we have taken those experiences, that pain, of the past and promised to not forget the gifts that these children are to us. Oh, we fail – daily we fail as parents, but our hearts desire is to not take them for granted, not forget our responsibility to be active in their lives, and to daily hand them back to their Creator.

My goals, as their mom, for 2013 are:

Be intentional in spending at least one time per month with each child – they are individuals, and I need to know them individual
Pray with each more often – so easy when they were young, but it is still such a beautiful thing to lay our burdens at His feet together
Be more involved in assisting them with school work (even unsolicited … mostly unsolicited) – I often am so desiring that I give them independence in their school responsibilities that I forget that they still need help, and I am able to help them!
Tell each child, every day, that I love them – I cannot just think it, for their benefit I need to give wings to my thoughts
Do not end the day, or go apart angry – this applies to so many relationships (every relationship). There is wisdom in “do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26)
Laugh with them – Oh how sad to spend a day living under the same roof and not sharing a laugh together … what sweet memories laughter provides!
Tell them why I love them – not just ‘I love you’ but ‘I love how you ….’, ‘I love that you ….’
Tell them that I am proud of them – I do believe that success breeds success, and if I let them know of the successes I see in their lives, I believe that it will magnify their ability to do even greater things
Praise their father, in their presence – although hubby and I do not parent exactly the same, we are one, united front when it comes to our kids, and our kids need to know that we love each other, and that we respect each other … and thinking it is not enough … I need to give words to my thoughts.
Give them wings – I cannot hold them too tightly, I need to hold them with enough flexibility that they can come and go. God’s example to us is to give us the choice to come to Him … there is no better parenting example! And there can be no greater gift than having my child choose to share their life with me.

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Prayers for our Kids

Posted in GOD, life, The Kids, WONDER, tagged C. S. Lewis, concern, Daughters, Death, despair, disaster, Future, Grace, Mistakes, Pray, Prayer, Shadowlands, strength on November 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

As a parent who believes in prayer, praying for my kids has been a regular thing since even before they were conceived.

One of the realities of prayer is that it is really more about me, than the one who I am praying for, as I do agree with C.S. Lewis who said, “prayer changes me” in this clip from his Shadowlands story.

But this is not something that I was fully aware of when I was a young mom. In the early days of motherhood I prayed, anticipating that God would grant my every request. Much like Santa with my gift list at Christmas time, I think that I subconsciously believed that if I was obedient to Him (kind of the equivalent to “being a good little girl”) then God would reward me by meeting my every wish and desire that was expressed in my prayers to Him. I may have even believed that I deserved to have my prayers answered.

When my children were young I prayed that they would grow up healthy, would make wise choices, and that they would be opened to God’s leading in their future decisions, especially surrounding their choice of friends, career and their choice of future spouse. These are all good, and I am not saying that I do not wish those things for them, but that I now wish even more for them.

The reality is that character rarely is developed without the exposure to temptation, life is not fully appreciated without the threat of or reality of loss, some of the best choices in life are made on the heels of the stupidest mistakes in our lives, love is rarely long lasting without enduring the struggles, and dependence on God rarely comes without a season of questioning His ways.

Really, the best things in our lives have often been born out of disaster, death and despair. Failures, mistakes and heartbreaks have a way of opening our eyes to what really matters to us, they have a way of drawing us to cling to God like nothing else.

I don’t pray for disaster for our kids, but I also have lived long enough to know that the greatest growth in life can come from the greatest difficulties. I also have lived long enough to know that life is hard, mistakes get made and difficulties will come to everyone in time.

Now I pray that they might have strength, grace and courage when the rough stuff of life happens, and that they might grow closer to their Heavenly Father through it all.

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The Way to a Mother’s Heart

Posted in GOD, life, Love, The Hubby, The Kids, WONDER, tagged Children, Food, Gift, Kids, loss, Love, man's heart, Mom, mother heart, Prayer on May 31, 2012| 4 Comments »

It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The way to a mother’s heart is quite a different route.

There are so many things that one can do to win the favor of one who is a mother. You can make a meal for her family. You can tell her she looks great (even with bags under her eyes from a sleepless babe, or talkative teen keeping her up at night). You can compliment her home, her work, her husband.

There is only one way to win the heart of a mother … say or do something nice, kind, or generous, for her child.

Just the other day, I got a text from hubby, telling me that a man in our church was gone. He was ninety-one years old, had a beautiful wife (just days from their sixty-sixth anniversary), supportive children, and his body had simply given in to the effects of aging. This man was dearly loved, by all who knew him. He was an amazing support to my hubby, teaching, mentoring and supporting him in a gentle, fatherly way. I always received words of encouragement, and love from him.

The thing I appreciated most about this man was that he told us, many times, that he prayed for our kids. In this act of love, he won the heart of this mother.

In hearing of his death, I felt the loss of the dear man who really knew how to love.

I also feel the weight of the loss of his prayers for my kids.

To know that someone is praying for your kids, is to know of a magical-like experience. There is a sense of other-worldly connection with that person. There is a sense of receiving love that is out of this world amazing.

To hear someone say, “I pray for your children” is to have won the lottery. Not because there is anything ‘magical’ about praying (God is not a sugar daddy who delivers all that we want), but because it is the act of love that cannot be adequately thanked for. It is not an act of love that gets acclaim.

It is an act of love that comes from knowing that growing up is not always easy, being a pastor’s kid is not always easy. The time that goes in to spending it with the God of the universe to lift them up to Him in humble prayer is the best gift there is.

In telling us of his sacrificial act, we were encouraged, as parents. This man knew of the intimacy of prayer, the strength that comes from prayer, and the reliance on God for every thing in life. He knew it, because he lived it.

He knew the way to this mother heart, and our family feels the loss of his love.

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