Who's on your list?
I keep a prayer list. Most of the time I write it down, pray for the people on it, and then add it to a growing pile on my desk. I keep the lists because when God answers the prayers, I circle them. It's a reminder to me that God is faithful and He does hear, and answer those prayers.
I wrote a really good blog post you didn't get to read the other day about the house adventure. I talked about how God was faithful and answered every prayer about it, one way or the other. I didn't publish it, because I think there's more to that story; not for me getting that house though, but far more to the story, so it remains on my list.
I read a book a while back called "The prayer circle". I prayed pretty hard for that thing I circled in prayer. I pray pretty much every day for that thing. Because that thing involves a person and it hasn't come to fruition yet, I haven't forgotten God's still working that situation and I pray for it. I'm praying for my co-workers, my church family, those of us who are serving us, our leaders, and for our country, state, and city. I find, more and more these days, that it's taking a bit of time to pray for things because things are a mess.
That list grew by two today. My friend Casey's girlfriend works at WalMart. Apparently people still haven't learned how to behave and she gets treated poorly by some of the people who go to her store. So I'm praying for her specifically, that she can be seen for the blessing she is; someone who's willing to go out there on the front line and serve us. I'm also going to start praying for the people who go to her store, that they treat her with compassion and respect.
If you know me, you know I pray big, bold prayers. A bunch of us decided that the death sentence that was looming for Miss June several months ago was pronounced by doctors who knew medicine but did not know MY God. My voice cracked when I said that in my church and asked for healing prayers for Miss June. But I meant it, and with a growing chorus of prayer on her behalf from different congregations of believers in two states, God moved. Miss June got to be a miracle. He hears and answers our prayers. When you're on my list, you're being prayed for from a position of expectation that God not only can, but will move on your behalf.
Sometimes that looks like a miracle healing. Sometimes that healing is slow and the miracle is going to happen an inch at a time. I have friends that have health challenges and in both cases, their miracles are going to involve the blessings of the medical people and treatments for disease that God has blessed mankind with. For them, it's going to be a journey and one that keeps them covered in prayer every step of the way. My peeps downtown are on my list. I can't join them to serve them right now, but I certainly can do the MOST important thing I can do for them: Pray for them!
I know people pray for me, too. A dear lady at church remembers that I don't have someone special in my life in the way I'd like to. She prays for me on a regular basis that God would fix that. As does one of my very good friends. He wants me to know the love he and his wife share together. Those are wonderful things and I'm grateful. I asked for prayer over the house in Oregon and a lot of people got busy praying for that, too. Those prayers were also answered, but not in the way I had hoped. That's the thing...God moves when we invite Him to step in and sometimes we have to be willing to accept that the answers to prayer are not going to look like what we thought or hoped. Answers, still, are a way God demonstrates He's faithful. We pray. He answers. Wash, rinse, repeat as long as necessary!
So let me ask you this: Who is on your list? Who are you praying for and specifically what are you praying over them? Don't just remember Dick and Jane; pray for them. If they need a blessing, pray it over them if you can't BE it for them. If they need healing, ask for healing. If they need saved, by all means pray God's presence into their lives. If you wanted to throat punch that person who bought too much toilet paper like I did a couple of weeks ago at Sam's, pray for that person instead. Bail is too expensive If you see someone being rude to a clerk, get busy praying right there in the store. Pray for the person being rude. Pray for the person who's taking it. Put them on your list. It may not change them.
It will change YOU.
Prayer changes us. It draws us closer into relationship with our God. We get to pray in the Spirit; we get to lift up prayers to Heaven where no less than Jesus Himself intercedes for us on behalf of the Father. We can talk to our God and experience God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and grow closer in relationship to each! Time spent in prayer is time spent with God. One more important thing; while praying, take time to listen for answers. Sometimes that's when you get them.
And one last question I have for you is this: Do you need to be on my list? How can I pray for you? If you know me, you know how to reach me. A text is good. You can PM me on Facebook. There's always time for the things of God and room for one more.
And remember, we're all in this together.
I wrote a really good blog post you didn't get to read the other day about the house adventure. I talked about how God was faithful and answered every prayer about it, one way or the other. I didn't publish it, because I think there's more to that story; not for me getting that house though, but far more to the story, so it remains on my list.
I read a book a while back called "The prayer circle". I prayed pretty hard for that thing I circled in prayer. I pray pretty much every day for that thing. Because that thing involves a person and it hasn't come to fruition yet, I haven't forgotten God's still working that situation and I pray for it. I'm praying for my co-workers, my church family, those of us who are serving us, our leaders, and for our country, state, and city. I find, more and more these days, that it's taking a bit of time to pray for things because things are a mess.
That list grew by two today. My friend Casey's girlfriend works at WalMart. Apparently people still haven't learned how to behave and she gets treated poorly by some of the people who go to her store. So I'm praying for her specifically, that she can be seen for the blessing she is; someone who's willing to go out there on the front line and serve us. I'm also going to start praying for the people who go to her store, that they treat her with compassion and respect.
If you know me, you know I pray big, bold prayers. A bunch of us decided that the death sentence that was looming for Miss June several months ago was pronounced by doctors who knew medicine but did not know MY God. My voice cracked when I said that in my church and asked for healing prayers for Miss June. But I meant it, and with a growing chorus of prayer on her behalf from different congregations of believers in two states, God moved. Miss June got to be a miracle. He hears and answers our prayers. When you're on my list, you're being prayed for from a position of expectation that God not only can, but will move on your behalf.
Sometimes that looks like a miracle healing. Sometimes that healing is slow and the miracle is going to happen an inch at a time. I have friends that have health challenges and in both cases, their miracles are going to involve the blessings of the medical people and treatments for disease that God has blessed mankind with. For them, it's going to be a journey and one that keeps them covered in prayer every step of the way. My peeps downtown are on my list. I can't join them to serve them right now, but I certainly can do the MOST important thing I can do for them: Pray for them!
I know people pray for me, too. A dear lady at church remembers that I don't have someone special in my life in the way I'd like to. She prays for me on a regular basis that God would fix that. As does one of my very good friends. He wants me to know the love he and his wife share together. Those are wonderful things and I'm grateful. I asked for prayer over the house in Oregon and a lot of people got busy praying for that, too. Those prayers were also answered, but not in the way I had hoped. That's the thing...God moves when we invite Him to step in and sometimes we have to be willing to accept that the answers to prayer are not going to look like what we thought or hoped. Answers, still, are a way God demonstrates He's faithful. We pray. He answers. Wash, rinse, repeat as long as necessary!
So let me ask you this: Who is on your list? Who are you praying for and specifically what are you praying over them? Don't just remember Dick and Jane; pray for them. If they need a blessing, pray it over them if you can't BE it for them. If they need healing, ask for healing. If they need saved, by all means pray God's presence into their lives. If you wanted to throat punch that person who bought too much toilet paper like I did a couple of weeks ago at Sam's, pray for that person instead. Bail is too expensive If you see someone being rude to a clerk, get busy praying right there in the store. Pray for the person being rude. Pray for the person who's taking it. Put them on your list. It may not change them.
It will change YOU.
Prayer changes us. It draws us closer into relationship with our God. We get to pray in the Spirit; we get to lift up prayers to Heaven where no less than Jesus Himself intercedes for us on behalf of the Father. We can talk to our God and experience God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and grow closer in relationship to each! Time spent in prayer is time spent with God. One more important thing; while praying, take time to listen for answers. Sometimes that's when you get them.
And one last question I have for you is this: Do you need to be on my list? How can I pray for you? If you know me, you know how to reach me. A text is good. You can PM me on Facebook. There's always time for the things of God and room for one more.
And remember, we're all in this together.
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