Waiting, Writing, Waiting, Writing…

Have you watched the movie Facing Giants? Here is a short scene I want you to watch:

God has given me a vision. It is a big one. One that I cannot make happen myself. One that I have to trust God to do in His time and in His way. At times this dream seems unreachable and things don’t seem to fall into place like I think they should. Doors are not opening up, rejection notices come, my e-mail box remains empty. When I start to despair I remember this scene. Am I trusting that God will bring the rain? If I am then I must prepare my fields.

My dreams for sharing Him with others through the written and spoken word are huge. I know that God can do it through me and that I cannot do it myself. I am humbled when one person says my writing blessed him or her. I am honored that God would use me to point other to Jesus. Oh that all our hearts would burn for Him.

So while I wait for the rain, I write. I submit. I fail. I succeed. I wait. I write. I speak. I fail. I succeed. All of it is for God’s glory. All of it is to bring praise to Him. All is because He loves me enough to give me breath and words and thoughts. All for Him.

So as I am praying for rain for this ministry, for articles I have submitted, for the book I am writing, for speaking engagements, for women struggling with infertility, for others struggling with dark times, for us all to be more like Him, will you pray with me? Will you pray that I will obey and wait and write and prepare my fields? I can’t wait to see the God’s sized harvest God is going to reap through this ministry. I am so glad that you want to be a part of it.

How can you help me?

1. Pray (I have submitted three articles. I am waiting to know if the editors have accepted them. I am also working on one more and finishing my book)
2. Tell your women’s ministry director about me. (I would love to come and speak at your church)
3. Tell your friends about me and my blog.

Now how can I pray for you? Leave a comment or if you need to click on the contact me and send me an e-mail. I would love to lift you up in prayer.

Prayer, James, and Blemishes

Why Pray?

If God’s plans can’t be thwarted, if He is omniscient, if He is omnipotent, then why pray?

What difference does it really make?

Logically it doesn’t make sense. And yet:

God tells us to pray…

Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Jesus prayed…

Luke 5:17 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

So what does praying do? Why pray?

In this short blog post I can’t even begin to scratch the surface of prayer, but there are some simple things that God has been speaking to my heart about prayer…

1. True prayer changes the pray-er. Suddenly the person praying is no longer looking at his or her circumstances, he is no longer figuring out what he can do to fix things. Instead the he is humbling coming to the Father, the Almighty King, and laying his concerns at the feet of God. In order to pray the pray-er must admit things are beyond him and that things are not beyond God. So God is on the throne and the pray-er is on his knees. Check out 2 Chronicles 7:14

2. True prayer brings God near. Deuteronomy 4:7 says, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” So God is near us when we pray. Oh when He is near us we feel comfort, experience His peace, and can rest in His perfect weaving together of events (our sin, our obedience, others’ sins, others’ obedience, natural events) into His tapestry of grace and love. Working out good for those who love Him. Yes, when we pray we can see Him in our everything working out His perfect plan even when it doesn’t match our longings.

3. True prayer that changes hearts and brings God near brings peace that guards our hearts and minds. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Because God is near, because we are humbled, then we can experience peace that guards our hearts and minds in Jesus! Oh that our hearts and minds would be guarded in Christ Jesus so we would obey Him, bring joy to Him, follow Him all the days of our lives! Amazing that God would bring that about when we pray!

Why do you pray? What have you learned about prayer? Share with me…

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