prayer

Our church has 21 Days of Prayer in both January and August. On weekdays it starts at 6 am.

It is amazing to see a line of cars pulling into the church parking lot shortly before 6 am. I hope that never becomes too familiar that I’m not thankful for it.

This year, the first Monday of prayer was actually the first day of school for many in the area.

Still, the cars were filing into the parking lot.

There was worship, a short message and then we prayed individually for 20-25 minutes. We then regrouped about 6:45 for another time of worship and corporate prayer.

The first day of school. 6 am. And the young people were there leading the way.

Scores of teens were seeking fervently after God.

There were parents with their kids. Dressed and ready for school but starting with prayer.

Prayer is not rote. Webster defines rote as “mechanical or unthinking routine or repetition” and “the use of memory usually with little intelligence.” That is not prayer!

Prayer is a conversation with the almighty God. It is interactive. It is worshipful. It is holy. It is emotional.

I am so grateful for this reset in my prayer life. If I’m honest, most of my prayers had become rote. I repeated phrases but didn’t have any thought or intelligence to it. Certainly there was no emotion.

Watching these people drive in at 6 am, watching the young people raise their hands, watching the parents lay hands on their kids…it reminds me that God is big. He has all of the answers and wants to hear from us, His kids.

He loves us so very much.

Seven Minutes

(Originally published December 2024. Good reminder for me to restart.)

I usually set timers to complete tasks that I don’t want to do.

If I need to clean part of the house (you know, the part people will see), I’ll set a timer for 23 minutes.

If I need to do some purging in the closet, I’ll set the timer for 14 minutes.

You can get a lot done in a short amount of time. I guess it helps to know there is an end in sight.

I have my quiet time in the morning. I’ve been going through the Bible in a year with The Bible Recap Podcast http://thebiblerecap.com. This has been very good and it helps me see Jesus on every page of the Bible.

But I am desperate to hear from God. I know in order to do that more, I need to be proactive in listening. This takes discipline.

So, today, I’m beginning a new routine. I am purposely getting quiet for seven minutes. No music, no podcast, no laundry machine. Just me and God and whatever noise is going on outside that I can’t control.

I got in my chair with my blanket. I leaned back and shut my eyes. Deep breath.

It wasn’t long before I opened my eyes to see what was making noise on the street. (sigh…)

I closed them again and started to pray. I listened and waited.

He gave me the idea for this blog. He reminded me that the number 7 is the number of completion.

I thanked Him. And suddenly the time was up.

Nothing earth shattering. But, being still is a discipline and it’s going to take some time (ha!) to get proficient.

Do you take time to be still? To really get quiet? There is a lot of noise. It’s an art to be still and to be comfortable.

Discipline is important and not easy. But the results will be worth it. Being intentional about anything takes discipline. But nothing changes until you do (until I do.) I definitely have some things I want to change. What about you?

;

It was a mostly normal week. Work. Supper. Sleep (or at least try.) Repeat.

But there was something looming. Two events were approaching on the same day and we didn’t know what to expect. They were on the calendar just waiting to arrive.

I had a lot of questions surrounding the first event. I didn’t know who was attending or what the expectations were. We were invited, given an address and a starting time.

I asked a lot of questions – some just in my head and some to Tim. He responded constantly with “I don’t know” or “All I know is this place at this time.”

We prayed for our attitudes and expectations. We prayed against the enemy and the ‘what if’ scenarios in our heads.

Prayers for the people involved – for blessing and understanding and agreement.

And then it was time.

The hype leading up to the first event was definitely more stress-filled than the event itself. It turned out to be a nice time. Nothing major in the positive and nothing major in the negative.

The second event contained a lot of unknowns too. We didn’t know who would be there or what the format would be. Again, we were given and address and a time. And we knew there would be food.

But we also knew the theme – worship.

Oh, what a sweet time that was.

The worship leader began with prayer. He commented that whatever we walked in the room with – discouragement, unanswered questions, hurt, trust issues, pain – whatever – we could give it to Jesus and just worship Him.

I know I walked in with all of that. I walk with most of that stuff and more on a daily basis. I lay it at the cross and then immediately go back and pick it up again.

Why is that? Discouragement, unanswered questions, hurt, trust issues, pain.

But NEVER from Jesus.

During worship, I tried to keep my focus on God alone. When I was able, it was a sweet time.

A young man, a pre-teen young man, said he thought about the evening as a semicolon. I didn’t understand at first either.

A semicolon separates (and then joins) two distinct thoughts. The weight of my world is heavy at times; I can always lift my eyes to God and worship Him.

The first part of that sentence causes my head and shoulders to droop. After the semicolon, I look up with hope and anticipation. There is peace.

When you have discouragement, unanswered questions, hurt, trust issues, and pain, pause for a moment and put a semicolon in your mind. Then change the narrative in your head by refocusing the direction of your thoughts. Focus it on the only One who is the Source for answers, peace and healing.

Awareness

Our church is one that prays. We gather every Saturday for a prayer service.

On Sundays, people will write prayer requests and we will pray over them during the prayer service. It’s a beautiful time to remember that everyone is going through something. People who are hurting or who are in need of healing. We have prayer requests from members, prisoners and the kids.

The ones from kids are always interesting to read. Some are wanting to do better in school or are praying for their pets. Others are thankful that they have a home, air and that they got out of school for the snow. One girl wanted courage to eat her vegetables.

But then you read one and it just immediately causes your eyes to leak.

It read, “I just want my parents to be happy.”

The child didn’t explain the situation – had someone died? Is someone ill? Did a friend hurt them with their words?

But perhaps the parents love for each other has died. Perhaps their marriage is ill. Perhaps they are hurting each other with their words – and indirectly, their child.

I think I knew my parents were mad at each other one time throughout their marriage. I am sure they were mad at many times but there was only one time when I was aware. I never went to sleep wondering if my parents loved each other.

Children are perceptible. They pick up on words, your tone and the tension.

I certainly was not a perfect parent. No one is. But I definitely want my words to speak life over my kids and grands. I want there to be no mistake that I love them – not because of what they did or didn’t do – but because of who they are. I want them to know that I want the best for them and that I pray that God will continue to reveal himself to them. I want them to know that they can talk with me and I’ll listen.

I also want them to know that I love their father and I will always choose to love them too.

Adulting

Yes, I started this post with slang.

Adulting is an informal term to describe behavior that is seen as responsible and grown-up, if mundane and unpleasant—like bills and chores, according to Dictionary.com.

I’ve been above the age of 21 for sometime now. I should be used to it. I should be thriving in adulthood.

And sometimes, I am.

But then there are days like today. I just don’t want to (insert anything here.)

There are bills to pay, dishes to wash, dog hair to vacuum and a lot of clutter to clear. But I don’t want to.

But, I know it’s better for me if I do. It’s better for this household also.

The Apostle Paul states in Romans 7:11, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (ESV)

I don’t like being lazy. I don’t like wasting time. But I still do.

Shift my focus!

Everything I have comes from God. Everything I need comes from Him too.

Should I ask the Lord to help me clear the clutter? Absolutely!

Should I ask the Lord to help focus me on the mundane tasks? Yes!

All with a thankful heart! Thankful that we were able to seek and receive medical attention when we needed it. Thankful that we have the dishes to serve the food that is in our refrigerator. Thankful for the clothes we have and a machine that washes them. Thankful for the dog that brings me so much joy. Thankful that I can serve Him where I am with what I have.

Have you ever thought about that? Everything we have to worship God with – our minds, bodies, voices, hands, etc. – everything we have, came from Him.

And He has more for us. So be faithful in taking care of what He has given you today. He has more for us.

Let’s get started! Are you moving yet? Here I go!

Short Prayers

Yesterday was a beautiful day with a lot of sunshine and heat. It was the kind of day you wished you had a pool.

My friend took her 20 kids to the pool yesterday (an exaggerated number, but there are many.) Her ten month old was found under the water. The day quickly turned dark.

When Tim called to let me know, I could tell he was struggling to hold it together. We prayed and asked God for healing, wisdom for the medical people and comfort for the family. The entire phone call was less than 3 minutes.

I know there were a lot of prayers on behalf of the family. I know the family was praying too. My guess is they were all short but fervent prayers filled with passion. Heal him – protect him – help me!

God isn’t looking for eloquent words. Nor is He keeping a stopwatch to mark how long you prayed.

He wants your heart. He wants your honesty. He wants your worship. He wants your raw, unfiltered, messy, confused emotions. He wants your heart.

The child cried last night – which was music to everyone’s ears. He is getting stronger and may leave the hospital today. So thankful.

At church last night, the worship songs contained the lyrics “Oh, magnify the Lord…Let us exalt His name together…No one beside You, Lord…Honor and praise are Yours forever.” Another was “Praise to the Lord…To the Lamb…To the King of heaven…With a thousand hallelujahs…We magnify Your name…You alone deserve the glory….” I sang my heart out last night. So very thankful.

I wondered if the outcome with the child had been different if I would have sung with such passion. Would I have wanted to Praise the Lord if I were mad at him?

Worship to God is not based on my feelings. Worship to God is because of who He is.

God doesn’t change. He is worthy. Period.

Short prayers or long prayers. It doesn’t matter to God. He is looking at your heart.

(originally published in 2022)