A little Behind

OK. So praying earnestly can get harder the more busy you get. It is not that you forget to pray it is that you forget that it is more important than that next meeting or commitment that you just "have" to meet. It is interesting how our lives can get so easily turned upside down and our priorities out of whack. Prayer is such an easy thing to put aside for when YOU have the time to do it right. God really doesn't care if YOU have time to do it right, it is not better when it is more formal than when you are just simply having a conversation with God.



My prayer for today is that God will take our lives and turn them upside down to allow us to realize that we are in need of Him. Give us the desire to focus on our relationship with you and see the wonders of your love. Big, little, small, please give us the resolve to focus on your hand in our lives, and to live fully inside that intimate relationship.



Also it is funny how we can forget the simple prayer and how precious it can be. This was shared by a friend and I share it with you.

Getting what you ask for.

How quickly I forget who I am.  How quickly I forget who God is.  I often pray for God's will - but when I meet him face to face, can I stand?  God's glory is too much for my gray matter to compehend.

So I sing my God's praises when he is far away.  I curse my God when he draws close to me and challenges my pride.  Even in the hard times, when I trust in the Lord, I should sing God's praises for being stronger than I am.

Someone will win.  Either God will allow you to choose Him (and thus sanctify you and bring you into his son Jesus' life, death, and resurrection), or God will allow you to choose yourself.

Easter, as grusome as it sounds, is getting what we've asked for.  Sure, we don't ask for someone to die, but we do ask for somenoe to set us right with God.  Our lives speak volumes about what we want.  Some simply say, "I can't do it" and so Jesus does.  Others simply say, "I won't do it" and so Jesus does.

Wherever you find yourself this Lenten Season, I pray that what you want and what God wants will become the same thing.

Journaling as Prayer

Sometimes I have trouble praying.  The "standard" form - kneeling or sitting with my eyes closed, my hands resting on my knees, and my voice lifting up my prayers.

I just can't do it sometimes.  Its the stillness of it all.  The noises from outside the room (or sometimes the complete lack of them).  Its the million and one things buzzing through my head.  Its the deadlines I'm trying to meet or the special worry of the day.  Its the last thing I want to do when I have so much to do.  Its just tough.

But thankfully, there are lots of ways to pray.  Sometimes, I get this right.  But other times, I change mediums.

Sometimes, I journal my prayers.  I think you can do this too.  You've written a letter before.  Just write a letter to God!  I find this focuses my attention, slows me down (my hands aren't as quick as my brain), and gives me a moment to gather my thoughts.  I always know what I just said and what my point was.  I end up being more "productive" in my prayers and I can see what I prayed a few days ago.  In my journal, I have three prayers I pray every day.  Eventually, I'll share them on this blog.

But if you can write a letter, then you can converse with the creator of this world.  And you don't even need postage.

God bless!

Focused PRayer Today

Please take time today to focus specific prayer:

All Day:
Brittany Daniel- She is currently in Washington DC on a business trip and 23.5 weeks pregnant with her 2nd child. Yesterday she experienced complications. Her water has broken and is now preparing for a extended stay and potentially a premature delivery. She lives in Montgomery, AL and will have to stay in DC indefinately. Please pray for her peace, rest, and healing.

Barbara Hill - Barbara is still recovering from bypass surgery and having struggles daily in her recovery. Please pray for strength, healing, and rest.

Gaines Daniel- Gaines is yet to see this world as he is the unborn child of BRittany and Beau Daniel. Gaines is safe and growing, but really needs to stay where he is for many more weeks. Please pray for God's previenient grace to wrap him and protect him today, tomorrow, and for weeks to come.

Beau Daniel - BEau is the husband and father to BRittany, Reed, and Gaines. Beau is travelling to DC today and will be joining his wife for another indefinite period of time. BEau will need the strength and resolve to be the leader of his family. Please pray for rest, strength, and his ability to be a rock for his family in the days, weeks and months to come.

Reed Daniel - Reed is the firstborn son of BEau & Brittany. Reed is 16 months old and has no concept of what is going on with his family. As time goes forward Reed will likely be without his parents for periods of time and will probably not understand why. Please pray for Reed to continue to be the good little boy he is, and to continue to be a blessing to his parents and family.

Janie Gause - Janie is the daughter of Barbara Hill, mother of Beau Daniel, mother-in-law to Brittany, grandmother to Gaines and Reed. Janie has been caring for Barbara Hill for the last several weeks during the surgery and recovery and is now worried about her son, Brittany, and Gaines and Reed. She has also started to have issues with her back and will be having a procedure today to ease the back pain. Please pray that the back pain subsides, and that she continues to have strength, energy, and peace of mind to comfort and care for her family as the weeks continue.

The Mikel Family - Babs and Dwight are the father and mother of Brittany. They are now being asked to drop their daily routines and begin the ongoing care for Reed while Beau and Britt are in DC. They will be heartbroken to not be able to be with their daughter as she is experiencing these issues. They will need your prayers for strength and patience to care for Reed as he is a very energetic 16 month old boy! They will also need peace of mind to not be able to be with their daughter.

Pick Me Up Reminder

This was a daily devotional from Men of Integrity.net that I stumbled onto this morning...

"I arrived home on edge after a day of dealing with the boss, coworkers, and even the delivery guy. I was frustrated with everyone, and as I walked in the door, it showed. My wife stopped me in mid-rant with a simple question: "Did you forget to be happy today?"
That caught me off guard. Did she really think I could determine my mood and not react to the bad things that happened to me? But I knew she was right. I can get so caught up in my frustrations that I forget the extensive list of God's gifts to me that call for happiness.
I need a regular dose of the spirit of Psalm 126. The Psalmist fills six verses with praise for God's deliverance of the captives: "We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy." And in a bubbling of enthusiasm, he adds, "The Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!" Moving from frustration to happiness sometimes starts with simply remembering why we need to make the switch."

It is so easy to get bogged down with ourselves and become a poor example for Christ. The prayer for this is for all who read this that are just having a run of the mill day.

Help me, Lord, to cultivate a positive attitude that makes belonging to you look attractive.

Psalm 18:2 - my favorite passage.

Pray with me today!  (This is Psalm 18:2 - NRSV)

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,

my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

so shall I be saved from my enemies.

Morning

Please pray for Barbara Hill today. She is battling recovery from bypass surgery two weeks ago and experienced more difficulties last night.