Praying in the Will of God

When people ask you to pray for them as I have you, do you wonder how to pray in the will of God so you know your prayer is heard and therefore answered?    Here is a prayer I wrote from the Word of God to pray for the people I love.  I share it with you only as a guideline or an example.  I would greatly appreciate knowing that someone was praying this Biblical prayer for me and I pray it now for all of you who are reading this today.

Prayer for My People                  written on February 12, 2013                                                                            

Lord, my Adonai, I bow my knees to You this morning asking that You will take us to your secret place and teach us to dwell there with You under Your shadow!  What a picture!  If we are in the shadow of something then we’re about as close as we can physically get but from that place we can go further in the Spirit!  From that position, we can trust in You, that You will be our refuge and our strength!  Such secret place dwellers will be able to remain stable and fixed even when all the world around us is in a tizzy!  We all need that desperately!  (Psalm 91:1.2)

Jesus, you said if we would abide in You and Your words would abide in us that we could ask whatever was within your will and know that you would hear us and that we would have that for which we asked.  Teach us to abide in You, to settle down and be at home in You as the True Vine and the only One to Whom we can dare to be so fully attached.  But, Lord Jesus, help us to remember that it is only from that position that we can do anything.  Make it crystal clear that anything we attempt to do from any other position, even our very best, will only be wood, hay and stubble.  Lord, we truly want gold, silver, and precious stones to present to you someday. (John 15:4,5; 1 Corinthians 3:12)

Dear Father, great and mighty Source of all, grant to us according to Your riches to be strengthened with might through faith like Paul prayed for His people and Your people!  And, Lord, we ask that You also grant that we be rooted and grounded in Your love and be able to comprehend the mighty parameters of that love which You expressed through the death of Jesus Christ and which surpasses all knowledge.  Also, Holy Spirit, we desperately need to be filled with all the fullness of Yourself and delivered from the unhealthy preoccupation we often have with ourselves and others.  We acknowledge that You are the only One Who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power which works in us – that same power which raised Jesus from the grave.  Only You are the source of that life-giving resurrection power that we all need so much.  (Ephesians 3:14-21) 

Now, to You be glory to all generations meaning I am praying not only for those of us who will read and pray this prayer for each other, but for all of those with whom we will share our journey.   That’s how Jesus prayed in John 17.  So, Lord, we can know that what we are asking is according to Your will, right straight out of Your Word.  So now also please give us gifts of faith to believe and receive the answer.  Truly, may your will be done and Your kingdom come on earth, right here wherever we are today, in our lives and the lives of our loved ones, as it is already being done in heaven.  AMEN! (1 John 5:14,15)  This is my prayer for my people and your people today!  Please pray this as often as you have opportunity for all of us!

Scriptures:  Psalm 91:1 ,2;  John 15:4,5; Ephesians 3:14-21; 1 John 5:14, 15; John 17

Suggestion:  print this off and stick it in your Bible or post on your bulletin board or fridge and as often as you see it just say Amen!

I pray that the Son of God will shine brightly into our world today to fill it with His presence and that we will be paying attention in a way that will allow Him to then shine through us and touch the lives and hearts of all others around us who are so desperately longing to see hope in the world again.  Above all, keep praying because He is listening for the sound of our voices!

Returning to Our First Love

 Guess what?  It is snowing again!  I could not help but think that the Lord so enjoyed my blog about the peace of the snow, He just decided to “do it again!”  That’s some real grandiosity, I know, but I have come to believe that my God really does know me that well and cares about every little thing in my life.  Scripture says He knows how many hairs are on our heads. (Matthew 10:30)

Have you ever tickled a little one and had them giggle with delight saying “Do again, Momma, do again?”  I bet every one of us has a sweet memory of that tucked somewhere in the back of our minds or hearts.

Recently, I have been asking my Lord to “do again” in my heart the work that He did in the beginning.  What I have heard is for me to “do again” the things that I did in the beginning.  That’s what Jesus told the church at Ephesus who had “left their first love”.  He instructed them to “remember” and “repent”.  (Rev. 2:4 ,5) 

I have repented of not paying the attention to the Lord that I did in the beginning of our love relationship.  Oh, it’s not that I had stopped reading my Bible, praying or otherwise going through the motions because I have continued to do those things.  But, when I “remembered” how it had been at times in the past, I know that in my busyness somehow He slipped out of first place in my life.  And by this I mean Him, relating to the Lord Himself personally!

Sometimes we do this to people that we love too.  We don’t mean to do it and it is so subtle that we almost miss it.  But we stop paying attention in that way that means so much to the recipient.  Oh, we are still around; we are still talking and doing things together, but that intense interest has waned, and at the same time the fire and passion of the love is being diminished like embers dying in an unattended fireplace.

Well, you may be saying that happens to everybody as time goes by and you would be right, but my question is does it have to be that way?  My answer is no!   Not with the humans around us and not with the Lord!  As we turn again and do the things we did at the beginning, it can be like blowing gently on those coals which are dying.  They will begin to glow again and can even burst into flame pretty quickly!

Do you have a relationship that needs some new life breathed into it?  Stop and ask yourself what you did at the beginning and do it!  I have found this to be amazing as I have chosen to spend time with the Lord Himself over all other things, just sitting and paying attention to Him telling Him how much I love Him and how I missed Him.  

This is very different than just saying we are sorry.  It is not just asking forgiveness for my inattentiveness, but actually “doing again” the acts of love I did at the beginning.  He comes to be with me and lets me know that He missed me too.  May I encourage you to breathe some life into your relationships today!  It will be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do! 

 I pray that the Son of God will be shining brightly into your heart today warming it and blowing His breath on the dying embers of any relationship that needs new life!

Sharing our testimony is important

Good morning again, Friends:  I hope you had a wonderful day of peace yesterday.  I would love to hear how you were blessed!  It would be well, I think, if we could do that more often, testify to each other of what the Lord is doing in our individual lives.  I want to make this blog more of a place like that where I can share very personally how the Lord is speaking to me and, hopefully, some of you will do the same.  

(Revelation 12:11)  Let’s overcome our enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony...

Some of you may recall that I have been attempting to do some writing, beyond the meanderings of this blog.  I would like to ask those of you who follow this blog to pray for me to be found faithful about actually doing what the LORD is asking of me at this time in my life.  I believe it is to write what He has taught me and continues to teach me or at least remind me of things that I have learned in the past, but for the moment, am not remembering and, therefore, not living out of them.  God, help me!

Yesterday, in my time with the Lord, I heard some good words which I would like to share with you this morning.  My scripture reading found me in the fourth chapter of Ephesians where I was reminded to “walk worthy of the calling” to which I have been called.  Walking, to me, indicates a step by step process toward a goal. 

On that peaceful snowy Sunday afternoon, I had actually written out a goal sheet to help me to get some writing done.  I figured that was a good “first step” on the road to the finished product. You have heard the saying "a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."  As the second step, I shared it with a few intimate friends and asked them to pray for me and hold me accountable to actually do this thing.  Wow, I could not believe the response I got from them in the way of encouragement!  Thank you, my friends!  You know who you are!

Is there something that you and your Lord have been talking about for awhile and yet you are holding back for whatever reason?  Take a first step toward that goal today.  With His help, you can do it!  Believe Him!  Do not believe anyone else, especially the voices in your head that tell you about your inadequacy!  Just agree with them and cast yourself on Him!  You cannot, that’s true!  He can do it through you, but not without you!  That’s what He told me!  We each have a special message to share and it is our part to contribute.  No one else can tell our story!  Go ahead, begin to do what you know is the next step!

As for me, I am going to go and do the same!  Let’s pray for each other today!  I pray that the Son of God with His Life, Light, Love. and Leadership will be shining brightly into all of our lives today and we can overcome all our enemies and be obedient to the heavenly vision which we hear today!

Peace as a gift from Jesus

Good Morning, Blogger Friends!
I hope that you are doing well this morning.  In the world where I am, it snowed enough yesterday that we did not get out to church.  I like that sometimes, because hubby and I will do church together at home.  It was wonderful watching the snow fall for it was a real mountain snow with beautiful snowflakes floating down like feathers. 

I love to watch it snow.  I don’t know what there is about that but one of my favorite places of peace that I call to mind when my heart needs quieting is of being in the den down home looking out through the Atrium doors and watching it snow.  It is even better if I happen to have a little fire in the fireplace and a pot of something warm and hearty simmering on the back burner of the stove and it is all quiet and peaceful because that is how snow makes it feel outside. 

SELAH!  Stop and think about that scene for a minute.  Where is there such a place for you?  Is it at a beach watching the waves roll in and out or on a mountain viewing the beautiful colored leaves or somewhere that you have experienced great peace before.  In relaxation exercises I learned that I can calm and quiet my own body by going to that place in my mind and allowing myself to experience it in my imagination.  Try it!

Jesus wanted us to have peace.  He said “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  (John 14:27) Knowing God’s Word can bring us peace too, even when it is not snowing outside and the world is banging at our door wanting something from us that we do not have to give from within ourselves.

Jesus made it clear that “in this world we would have tribulation”, but we could be of good cheer because He had overcome the world and made it possible for us to do the same.  He told us these things so that “in Him we might have peace.”  (John 16:33)  My problem is that I often expect peace to come from somewhere besides from Him.  It makes me unhappy to have unrealistic expectations. (Ps. 62:5) So, it is better for me if I expect what Jesus Himself said would be the case.

In these times in which we live it seems to be increasingly more difficult to have peace, but I believe we can if it depends on what God says and not what the world is saying.  So, for today, when I feel my peace leaving me, I will call out to the Prince of Peace and ask Him to restore to me His peace, first to me, and then to any other place where it is needed.  (Isaiah 9:6, 7)

That is also my prayer for you today!  May the Son of God who is the Prince of Peace be shining His full strength into your hearts and releasing His peace into your life today!  Just as the warmth of the sun would be melting away that snow, let the warmth of the Son be imparting His peace to you even in the midst of tribulation!

Prayer as Relationship

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He responded with what is known as The Lord’s Prayer.  I’ve heard it said that it would more appropriately called the disciple’s prayer.  No matter what we call it, it appears that it is the first lesson Jesus taught on how to pray.  Many books have been written about using this prayer as an outline.  I choose to start with this scripture because it is the direction of Jesus. He said,

“In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”  (Matthew 6:9-13)

As I said in the last blog, it is all about relationship with the Father!  For some, this throws up a red flag since Father has a derogatory connotation for them.  I pray for these because this is a very real problem.  I pray for them to be able by the power of the Holy Spirit to have a revelation that the Father in heaven is not to be compared to any Father, perfect or imperfect, who ever lived in the flesh!  There is no comparison.

 

(James 1:16-18) “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of all that gives light, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. And it was of His own free will that He gave us birth as children by His Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures—a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself.”   It is about a Father and child relationship.

There is so much that could be said at this point, but I think the main thought is that prayer is about relating to God as a Father from the position of His child.  I have heard so many people say they just have a hard time praying or “doing devotions.”  Devotions are great tools to help people get into the way of prayer, but sometimes they stand in the way of us just bowing our head and beginning with “Daddy, here I am today and I come to tell you that it is my desire for honor to brought to your name through my life."  For many, it becomes a rule to do devotions rather than a way into that precious relationship meant for us.

I love the scripture that says we must become childlike to enter the kingdom of heaven because how could it be simpler than that?  Unfortunately, that is a difficult saying for some who were never really allowed to be children or had negative experiences as children.  Again, I pray for healing for them.  I know this because I was such a one with an experience of an absent father who could not be trusted to do much of anything for me.  I needed a healing of the mind and heart to come to the place where I could believe that my heavenly Father was not like that at all.

I have found my heavenly Father to be almost exactly opposite of the earthly father to whom I was born.  My Father in heaven, to whom I refer as my Daddy Shammah (means the God who is always present) is always excited to see me when I come into His presence, I find Him waiting and ready for me.  I even learned along the way that it was alright to just jump up into His lap and settle in for a warm visit.  I have found that I could come to Him with anything and everything that was of concern to me and He would really care.  In time, my love for Him has grown to immense proportions and, along with it, my trust.

I guess the sweetest thing that has happened over the years is that I have found Him to be that ever present One to whom I can always bound boldly into the throne room to find help in time of need, or to Whom I can come just to spend time with Him in His healing presence.  Sometimes, I come now just to be with Him and tell Him how wonderful I think He is and to give Him my praise and adoration.  It has been a considerably long journey for me to this place of trust but it has been one in which I have found Him always faithful to do His part..

I guess the conclusion for today is prayer must begin like any other conversation with someone you love.  When I say good morning to my beloved husband it is never out of duty but out of the joy of seeing him each day and knowing that we have another day to spend together.  It is with great anticipation that I greet him each morning and, quite simply, it is the same with my heavenly Father.

I pray for those of you who need a fresh revelation of the part relationship plays in prayer.  I ask the Son of God to reveal the Father to you today.  I encourage you to sit down, bow your head, and invite Him to come to you.  He will be there.  Just talk to Him, and then quietly listen for awhile.  Write down what you hear.

May the Son be shining in His full strength upon you today as you seek the Father of us all.  It is the will of Jesus and the will of the Father for us to have such a relationship through the power of His Holy Spirit.  May it be so for you today!

Prayer:  is it talking, listening or both?

Here we are at the first of the year in January 2013.  2012 has come and gone and I barely know what happened to the days and hours that made up the year.  I know I have a desire to write this blog, but there are so many other demands on my time, I hardly know how that will possibly happen outside of the intervention of the Lord.  Today I commit my works and my way into the hands of the Lord, and ask Him to establish the thoughts of my heart in line with His will for me.

Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass!”   And, Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established.”  Our way and our works!  Isn’t that all there is to our lives?  The way we choose to go is the most important decision we will ever make.  I choose to go in the way of the Lord.  Then I believe that my works and thoughts will be established.

I remember once studying out the word established.  It has so much rich meaning.  For instance, it means to be established on a firm foundation from which one cannot be shaken.  If my first choice is to live in His way and to have Him be Lord of my life, how can I miss?  He and His word will be my firm foundation and then all else will flow from there.  The Amplified Version of Proverbs 16:3 says “Roll your works upon the Lord, commit and trust them wholly to Him.  He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will and so your plans will be established and succeed.”  WOW!

So my word for this year is “Commit”.  I choose for my life and time to be committed to His will and plans and purposes and I will trust that if I will just daily do such committing I can trust Him to guide my thoughts into the place He would have me to be for that day.  It may be a day of prayer and Bible study leading to an inspirational blog.  Or, it may be a day of being present to the ones God has given me to love and to cover in prayer.

Of this I am certain, there are two very important things in this life of mine.  One is my love relationship with Him including listening to Him and talking to Him in an exercise that most of us call prayer.  The second is like it, it is to love my neighbor as myself and that is those persons to whom I am connected in my world. (Matthew 22:36-40) Scripture indicates that if I am doing these two, I will stand a good chance of fulfilling everything else important.

To my blogger friends, I apologize for my absence for the past month.  First, of course, there were the holidays during which we are all so busy we don’t know if we are coming or going.   Ours culminated in a celebration of the birth of Jesus with our family now known as the “second annual Biltmore Family Christmas”.  It was delightful and worth every effort spent to bring us together in such a way.  Soon after that, I succumbed to one of the bugs that have been flying around and I have been under the weather up til now.  Still not completely out of the woods so I would covet your prayers for complete healing, please.

Let me just state that I do truly believe it is the will of my Lord for me to write and now that I have the direction to “commit” each day and all of my way and my works to Him, we will see what comes forth from this computer.  I have come to the conclusion that both listening and talking are very important to the exercise of effective prayer and so I pray for a way to communicate that in an intelligible fashion that might aid those who would be looking for direction in those areas.

I received words of encouragement from many of you who agreed with me that prayer is the most important thing we can do and that it is one of the most opposed efforts we will ever try to accomplish.  I think the conclusion I came to is that it must issue from a living and vital relationship with Him, the One who answers those prayers because that is what He has been after since the dawn of creation.  It is relationship with us that He desires!  Difficult as that is for us to believe sometimes, it is really true.  He created us for relationship to Him!  There, with Him,  is where we will find our place of rest and fulfillment, meaning and purpose.

I pray the Son of God is shining brightly into your world today and that you will be challenged to commit your way and your works unto the Lord today and every day forthcoming.  Many blessings to you all,

Brainstorming About Prayer

Luke 18:1 Jesus taught quite a bit on prayer and this scripture tells us "men ought always to pray and not faint".  Does that make you feel good or guilty?

Let’s do some brainstorming about prayer!  I’d like to pose some questions and I’d love to hear from some of you with regard to how you would answer such questions personally.  I will share with you my own personal thoughts.

First question, how important is prayer anyway?  Well, most people would say pretty important.  I say it is life and death to the experience of a believer.

Second question, why then does it seem sometimes to be the most natural thing in the world to do and at other times, the most unnatural and the thing we seem least inclined to do?

Third question, why is it that most people can only give you a few times in their lives when they felt that they really got a clear answer to their prayers?

Fourth question, and this is one that I heard over and over again as a Christian therapist, if there is a good God who answers prayer, why are there still starving children in Africa?

Fifth question, is it possible that what we have is a major misunderstanding about what prayer is and what it is not?  Or, could it be that we have not been educated or trained in the life-changing art of prayer?

These questions were triggered within me after reading the following quote from Andrew Murray’s With Christ in the School of Prayer:

“Though in its beginnings prayer is so simple that the feeblest child can pray, yet it is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise.  It is fellowship with the Unseen and Most Holy One.  The powers of the eternal world have been placed at its disposal.  It is the very essence of true religion, the channel of all blessings, the secret of power and life…It is on prayer that the promises wait for their fulfillment, the kingdom for its coming, the glory of God for its full revelation… (For) true prayer, that takes hold of God’s strength, that availeth much, to which the gates of heaven are really opened wide—who would not cry, Oh for someone to teach me thus to pray? pps.8,9.

Last question, does your prayer life fit in the description of Andrew Murray above?  If not, please do not feel condemned.  You are not alone!  In my experience, there are more of us who would say,  I wish!!!  But, for many of us, we would say he had something that we do not.

For today, let me say that I do not believe that has to be the response of the majority of us to his experience of prayer.  I believe that we have been under educated in the whole concept of prayer and we have not matured in what we have been taught.

So, let’s address the first question in the next blog.  How important is prayer anyway?  I’d love to hear from some of you.  If you have a difficult time posting to the blog, email your responses to me at sonshine38@carolina.rr.com . 

Meanwhile, I pray that the Son of God is shining brightly into your world today.  He wants to brighten our world with the light of His great love, so turn your face upward and allow Him to fill you with His warmth!