PRAYER
Some people think in order to pray you have to be in the right frame of mind, be right spiritually, use specific words, and other things. In reality God wants us to come to Him however and whenever we are and we don’t need to use “spiritual” words.
I have learned a great deal about prayer from various pastors, teachers, and books yet the biggest impacts have come from 2 women that have come into my life. These women probably don’t even realize the impact they have had on me. I am thankful to God for bringing these women into my life.
The first was a roommate at Word of Life Bible Institute, Micah. When I met her on move in day, she was standing in the doorway of our dorm room with very blonde wild curly hair holding 2 trash bags that held her belongings. Micah had recently gotten saved. She also had been addicted to drugs and homeless but God changed those things for her. She changed my life in many ways and I could share many stories about our time at WOLBI but the one thing that had the biggest impact was the way she prayed. Micah prayed how she talked, she came to God how she was. I had never met anyone that did that. She also talked to God about everything. I had never thought about talking to God about how my day was going before that. Being raw and real in my prayers was not something I had ever thought about. I recall one day returning to my dorm wanting to talk to someone but oddly there was noone. I went to the Lord in prayer. I talked to the Lord. I recall my kids when they were little would tell their dad about their day even when he had been there. “Dad, remember this happening?” one of them would ask and my husband would reply “Yes”. Our Heavenly Father, like earthly father, wants to hear from us. For us to speak to Him about our problems, fears, excitement, our day, etc. Our Heavenly Father wants us to come to Him, He wants us to communicate with Him.
The second woman was a lady I met while serving food at the Lord’s Kitchen in Inglewood, CA. Sadly, it is no longer there. My husband and I would take youth from the church there to serve breakfast and help in any way they needed. While serving there, Miss S (I don’t remember the woman’s name but I will refer to her as Miss S) would pray for each and every person that came through. If Miss S knew their name she would pray for them by name and often knew specifics to pray for them. If she didn't know their name she still prayed for them. Miss S showed me what praying without ceasing looks like, she embraced 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” Miss S would hold a conversation with you and pause to pray for those coming through the line. She didn’t stop the conversation to get in the right frame of mind but stopped praying and continued the conversation.
Never underestimate the power of prayer. I have seen prayer change things from small things to huge things. I asked for prayer when I didn’t feel well and felt better shortly after. Prayer has given me peace when going through medical procedures where I’ve had anxiety. Prayer got me through cancer and the treatment. Prayer has gotten me through a hard day and even helped to change my mood around too.
If you are looking for books on prayer, I recommend A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul E. Miller. It has been a few years since I read it but I enjoyed it. Another book is How to Pray by R. A. Torrey, this book I have not read yet but it came highly recommended so I added to my pile of to read books.
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