Prayer

You ever feel like your faith in prayer has been rocked?

I've been there.

I've been on both sides of the line when it comes to prayer. I've experienced times of complete dependence on God, physical humility before God, and have been in absolute amazement of what the Lord has done through the prayers of His people. I've experienced a time when "I'm not sure what I think about prayer right now". It seemed to me that I had done everything I should have done: prayed, with faith, with no doubting; left it in the Lord's hands, trusting that it could be done, but no matter what, everything would be OK. Then I got the "wrong" answer and I didn't know what difference my prayer had made. I struggle with change and injustice, so to get the "wrong" answer is so hard to come to terms with.

The truth is prayer always makes a difference.

I joined a women's Bible study at church two weeks ago. I'm taking a break from meeting with them for now, but I'm still participating in the study, and I believe what it has to teach me has been very timely. We're going through a book called A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George. She's a little old fashioned and silly, but God has used His scripture to teach me anyway. The first two weeks have talked about developing a heart and passion for prayer. We have discovered 10 different ways the Lord blesses us when we pray. What great things to learn at any time, but especially for me right now when I have more than enough time to be in prayer. So, here is my offering to you today...here are ten great answers to the question: "Why do I even need to pray?" ....good question...

When you pray you will experience the blessings of:

• Greater peace (a peace that passes all understanding)
  
• Greater purity (opens our eyes to our sin; confession)
• Greater confidence in decision making
• Greater ministry (we can win battles when we pray for other people)
• A joyful spirit
• A humble heart
• Improved relationships (hard to hate someone who you're praying for!)
• Greater dependence on God
• Contentment
• Greater faith (our faith increases as we see the Lord's answers to our prayers; "right" or "wrong")

I really do enjoy praying with other people, and yes, I will sometimes pray long enough for you to catch a nap. To be honest, I still have an inward struggle every time I read a verse that says something to the effect of, "just pray and the Lord will heal all your diseases..." I know that doesn't always happen. People die despite fervent prayer. So, it is my ever present quest to sort out those verses in my heart and mind. I know it will involve understanding who the verses are written to, taking into consideration the time period, and many other things.

But, thanks be to God who commands us to pray, who listens to our prayers, who cares about what we're saying even more than our own mothers, who takes the time to answer every prayer, who gave us scripture with examples of how to pray/people who prayed and received/people who prayed for change in circumstance, but no change came (Jesus). Thanks for a God who's not afraid of our questions and doubts, who gives and takes away and we still bless His name because His is Good.

That's what I'm thinking about. I am taking all concerns and requests of my own, and of those I love, before the Lord many times a day. He is so good to listen.


UPDATE

Thank you for your prayers, all who are praying! There is ministry in prayer, and it lifts my burden and spirits to know there are so many who are praying for our strength and well being!
Things here are steady. I'm still having contractions every time I stand up and walk, even some when I'm just laying still. However, there have been no signs of further dilation. Praise God! It's hard to tell if the hormone booster shot helped, but I guess that's a little like prayer, huh? What if I weren't getting it (what if I weren't praying)? I'm thankful for that shot and I want to get it four more times. The baby's heart beat is very strong, and so are her kicks. Praise God! I feel the best when I'm laying down (lying down? where's my mom when I need her?). I'm sleeping pretty well at night. I have some angels (family and friends) who are starting to bring food and help out with cleaning. It literally brings me to tears to think of all the goodness the Lord is showering us with through the prayers and help of His people. Luke is doing well. He may feel a little overwhelmed, but he's rising to the challenge. He's been preparing some special breakfasts for me since cereal and milk is no longer an option. (Makes my blood sugars too high.) He's been working hard at WIT despite a lot of congestion and coughing--no fever. I have not caught that bug. I've also not caught his cold sore. That is a blessing. He still has nightly commitments on Wednesdays, maybe Mondays, and will need to work at our old school one night soon. He's working hard. I prepare my lunch, being careful to be gentle with myself. Sometimes I prepare supper too, but most of the time Luke does. The cats keep me company, but annoy me sometimes with their meowing to go outside. I've told them I'm not getting up just to let them out. Every night we say thank you for another day, and every morning we say thank you for another night. And, one very important thing: we remember all those out there who are suffering more than us, who also need prayers, who are committing their lives to serving. My observant retired neighbor is now aware of my bed rest, and I'm sure he'll do things like take the trash/recycling to the curb, and he brings me the newspaper every day.

Again, thank you for your prayers and for loving us. We love you all, too!