Why Pray?

I am a woman of lists, especially lately!
Why do I need to exercise?
Why do I need to eat healthy?
Why do I need to make lists? Okay, maybe that is a little over the top!
However, I believe that if we clearly outline why we do what we do, it keeps us focused and motivated to make the sacrifices required.
So, why pray?

Here is my list in no particular order. I would love to hear yours!

1. It's the Christian's highest calling.
2. It's my privilege as a child of the King.
3. It's the most worthwhile use of my time.
4. It's rewards are promised.
5. It impacts people and places I will never see.
6. It renews my strength.
7. It sharpens my focus.
8. It gives me a higher perspective.
9. It keeps my soul warm in a cold world.
10. It teaches me to listen.
11. It creates intimacy with my Father.

Do You Desire To Pray?

"I can know I need to pray, and learn the skills involved in praying. Yet if I never desire to pray, my knowledge and skills mean nothing. Praying will never become a habit or a discipline because the one main ingredient is missing."-Elizabeth George

What we desire, or crave, plays an important role in what we participate in, or consume. After considering this point, I asked myself these questions...

1. Do I desire to pray?
2. Should my desire be greater?
3. What things or people should I pray for?
4. What will help me desire the "right" things?
5. How does my culture influence my prayer life for good or bad?

Thoughts on Prayer

At our bookclub meeting we discussed not just things from the book, but some of our own thoughts on prayer. Here are a few we mentioned:

- Pray specifically and intentionally


- Pray with a big perspective
(Not just personally, but nationally. Bible study is one thing that will help you to do this)

- Pray with a passion, not just an obligation

- Use worldly things as prayer cues

- When you pray for others pray like they are really there
(Picture them standing beside you with your hand on their shoulder. This will help you pray more specifically)

- Prayer Lists help
(It keeps us on track and keeps us from rambling during our prayer time, it also helps us to look back at past prayer lists and see all the prayers God has answered)

- Pray for your relationships
(Family, friends, whoever, it will make them last!)

- Spend time in prayer to cultivate your relationship with God

- Don't do all the talking during your prayer time
(Be sure to take time to listen to what God has to say to you)

- Put forth an effort for God in your prayer life
(We put forth an effort for those we love, whether it is dressing up or making a special dish for them. Find ways to put forth effort in your relationship with God to show Him you care)

- Pray out-loud
(This will help you keep your focus on what you are praying about)

- Pray like God is really there
(Because He is!)

Verse Four 2011

Sarah, Mt. Vernon, TX-"She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet." Proverb 31:21 KJV
(How appropriate is this verse for the weather we've been having in Northeast Texas!)


Alicia, Sulphur Springs, TX-"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23


LeAnne, Mt. Pleasant, TX-"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24 KJV


Anna, Mt. Vernon, TX - "If my people, which are called by name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 1 Chronicles 7:14 KJV


Hannah, Royse City, TX-"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for 
in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galations 6:8-9 KJV


Ashley,Texarkana,TX-"As for God His way is perfect the Word of the Lord is tried He is a buckler to all them that trust in Him." 2 Samuel 22:31 KJV


Katie, Mt. Vernon, TX-"Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23 KJV

A Father Who Loves Me

Friend to Friend-Sharon Jaynes

"One thing that makes the New Testament distinctively different from the Old Testament is that Jehovah God, the creator of the Universe and all it contains, invites us to call Him daddy.  It is the name of God that Jesus referred to more than any other. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He said:

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  This then is how you should pray:  'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...' (Matthew 6:6-9).

If you are a parent, you can imagine how discouraging it would be if your children only talked to you when they wanted something.  Quite the contrary, we talk to our children to discipline, instruct, nurture, train, comfort, encourage, guide, and teach.  Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is much the same.  We are called children of God and He longs to gather us under His wing like a mother hen and speak to us in the quietness of prayer.  Our heavenly Father is always available and attentive, compassionate and caring, and interested and involved.

Sometimes, God wants to speak to us in our times of prayer simply to tell us how deeply He loves us."

Prayer Calendar

For an ongoing record of the fruit of your commitment to pray faithfully, print off a "Prayer Calendar," or use the one in the back of your book. Just mark off the days you do pray, and leave those blank when you don't pray. And then, my dear sister, one picture is worth a thousand words!

Checklist for Prayer

 Anna mentioned the benefits of the checklist at the end of each chapter. In order to become women of prayer we have to be intentional and that takes discipline. Have you personally considered and applied these evaluations? Here are the ones from chapter two:

 Evaluate your heart-Identify three things you can do to turn your back on the world and your heart toward spiritual things, toward the heavenly, toward the eternal.

 Evaluate your lifestyle-Think about your daily routine and note the multitude of ways you spend your God-given time (some of which is meant to be spent in prayer!)

 Evaluate your priorities-Ask God to show you areas of foolishness in your life. Pray this prayer: "Lord, please reveal those things in my life that are secondary to a life committed to prayer. What lesser things are wasting my time and energy?"

"It's fun to talk about prayer

and easy to think about prayer.

But to actually put your feet-and heart!-

on the pathway to prayer,

to make your desire to pray a reality,

requires discipline.

-Elizabeth George

~Sarah

The better part

In chapter 2-Ten Reasons Women Don't Pray-Part 1, Mrs. George discusses the first three reasons (or excuses!) we don't pray:

1. Worldliness
2. Busyness
3. Foolishness

Mine would be busyness.

"The story in the Bible of the two sisters who hosted Jesus and His disciples in their home shows us that priority-order must be established between our spiritual duties and our daily duties and then carefully guarded. The tale of these two sisters teaches us that there is a need in every woman's life to acknowledge the priority-order between these two types of duties every day [groan!] The woman's names were Martha and Mary, and you can read about them in Luke 10:38-42.

In a nutshell, Martha [me,] the older sister, was a woman characterized by busyness. Hers was a life consumed with service-with puttering and fluttering, with stewing and doing, with COMPULSIVE ATTENTION to DETAILS [so me,] all carried to such a point that she "lost it" on the glorious day when Jesus came to stay a while at her house. She literally fell apart when her sister stopped her kitchen work to go sit at the feet of Jesus, God-in-the-flesh!

Clearly both sisters loved Jesus. And it's obvious that both served Him. But Mary, as Jesus pointed out, knew  when to stop with the busyness and do the best thing, the one thing (verse 42) that is most needful, necessary, and meaningful-to spend time with God."

What about you? What reason (or excuse) can you most identify with in your own life?

"A woman who is too busy to pray is simply too busy!"
~Sarah

"Christopher Robin" Prayers;)

"It is an ongoing challenge to continue in the journey of prayer until we "get it," until we can even say that we've begun to know something about prayer and a little bit about how it is accomplished. And until that happens, a lot of us pray what I call "Christopher Robin" prayers. He's the little boy who struggled with his evening "Vespers." He became so distracted by anything and everything that he couldn't remember who or what to pray for. He ultimately ended up praying "God bless_________" prayers, filling in the blank with each of his family members' names. Can I ever relate to Christopher Robin's "prayer" experience (and maybe you can, too)!-excerpt from chapter one


For me, I don't think it's as much distraction as a lack of intelligent, thoughtful praying. Okay, maybe that is distraction! We're in such a hurry to get our prayers said, that we don't take the time to really think about what God wants to do in the life of our loved one or a situation.

Here's an example. Recently, I joined Gospel for Asia's Prayer Team. Yesterday, I received an email asking us to pray for those with leprosy. I could quickly pray, "Lord, please bless the lepers in Asia," or I could pray the following...


Pray the Lord will raise up more compassionate workers to love and care for these despised people.
Ask the Lord to physically heal the lepers.
Pray they will choose to follow the Savior.
Pray for God to provide opportunities for their children to go to school and get jobs once they graduate.
Pray for wisdom and the Lord's provision for the clinic workers.
Pray for them to understand the love of Jesus as GFA-supported workers explain it to them.


God isn't afraid of specifics.
~Sarah

Making Prayer A Priority

The book is great! But I'm going to be honest with you guys, making a commitment and setting goals is not easy for me to do! Even with prayer. So the 'Checklist for Prayer' at the end of each chapter has been a little challenging for me. I think the hardest one for me to do so far is the one where you schedule prayer appointments. It sounds so good! And it's so needful! But when it comes right down to it, I like to do things I know I can do. I don't want to make a commitment unless I am positively sure I can keep it. And with our crazy schedule how am I supposed to make these appointments every single day?! This led me to examine my prayer life. I usually pray in the mornings. But if I run out of time before I'm supposed to be at work I try to pray when I get home, if something comes up when I get home then I usually try to squeeze time to pray in where I can. :) And I sometimes end up praying after I am in bed and the lights are out. (And you can probably guess I fall asleep during these prayer times.) After examining my prayer life I realized how important it really is to schedule my prayer time. I've made my schedule. Please pray for me! I want prayer to be at the top of my priority list and not get pushed around. If y'all have any suggestions for me, let me know! Can't wait to hear you guys' comments.

Anna

Verse Three 2011

Sorry ladies, for some reason my computer didn't want to connect to the internet last night, so we'll have to post our verses for the 1st on the 2nd:)

Sarah, Mt. Vernon, TX-"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." Proverb 31:20 KJV


Hannah, Royse City, TX-"Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." Psalm 86:11 


Anna Belle, Mt. Vernon, TX - "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Matthew 21:22 KJV


Gwen, Mt. Vernon, TX-"The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him." Exodus 15:2 KJV


Katie, Mt. Vernon, TX-"But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8 KJV

Alicia, Sulphur Springs, TX- "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18 KJV