Please join in prayer with my friends, Tam and Papa. This week Tam shared a post - "Pressed to Pray" and Papa just today sent out a call to Please come pray with us! so I thought it would be a good time to continue sharing from Opening Windows compiled and edited by Mary Fairchild. I'm going to spend the next few posts sharing the discussion questions from Your Fresh Take.
On page 97 at the end of the chapter by Leanne Payne – Open to “Prayer of the Heart” the questions are:
Think back over your recent petitions to God. What do your requests tell you about the desires of your heart? For the next week, keep a daily prayer journal that includes a list of your petitions.
When I was thirteen I started my "letters to God" in a spiral notebook, when that book was full, I started another and on and on. Somewhere along the way I quit recording my prayers and regret it. They show you so much. First of all they give hope because you can see how God worked in situations you have long forgotten and secondly you see changes in yourself and realize that God is making you into His image one day at a time. You can also watch your handwriting mature - haha
As you have matured in your faith and knowledge of God, how have your prayer petitions changed? Do you sense that your heart is more closely aligned with God’s heart than it was five years ago? How or why?
My prayers definitely changed from the time I was 13 to my mid-twenties when I quit journaling them. They changed from fairly self-centered to thinking more about what God desires. I still have room for growth as I'm guessing most of us earthbound souls do... I'm a different person than I was five years ago because God has changed things about me that needed changing, but as I see myself now I know that I still have more needed growth in Him.
Choose several Scriptures passages that are meaningful to you. Turn them into petitionary prayers. To edify other Christians, discuss how God has made His presence real to you as you have turned biblical promises into petitions and waited in faith for God to work.
18 comments:
yes. i desire to pray for what He desires. Often times it doesn't match my flesh desires - but He is changing that in me.
Robin, I have been floored by the requests for prayer. my heart has been so heavy for everyone and it has compelled me to pray often throughout the day.
i'm glad you are continuing the theme on here...
you are awesome!
love you, tam
I am 64 - almost 65 - Medicare here I come. I have been a Christian over 50 years. I use to be quite demanding of God - I kind of expected God to answer prayers my way. In October of 1991 he took this broken heart that had been so demanding and covered it with his love. I gave him four specific requests that would require years to answer - they were humble requests as I was broken. Today, 17 years later he has answered all those requests and gave me blessings I never thought were possible above those four requests. Ever since that date in 1991 He has become my friend who I know walks with me and now we "talk" many times each day. No more demanding - friends don't do that.
Tam - I'm glad you made the call to prayer - its so important that we intercede for each other and just plain talk to Jesus too. Making Him part of everything we do.
Papa - Thanks for sharing your heart and letting us know you haven't always been perfect :) Seriously it helps to know those we respect have traveled down the roads we have or the roads we are on. I also like what you said at the end about friends not making demands! So true.
Thank you both!
Robin, I always pray with an expectant heart. Whatever I am praying for seems so uber important at that moment and I am always confident that God will see it as uber important. Then something else will happen and my lofty prayer of just moments ago seems insignificant. God "grows" us up moment to moment. He is always teaching us, as we do with our children. He gives us His full attention, even though He knows what we are going to ask for before we can speak it, then He shows us, if we are willing, how we ought to pray. Yes, I am more mature today than I was yesterday, but I have a long way to go. Thanks for challenging us to think about these uber important issues of prayer ;) Be blessed
Life Adapted - I so appreciate you! Thanks for sharing too that you have room for growth too it helps me realize that its not just me that has a ways to go. I like what you said about praying with an expectant heart too - sounds a lot like praying in faith believing.
Robin - a special request for Kelly (on my blog roll) They are getting close to a housing crisis!
Just got the request - praying now...
Evidently God wants us all to focus on pryaer, with so mnay bloggers posting about it. Even I posted an interview on prayer this week...I had the assignment when I was in college to interview someone whose prayer life I admired. I chose a man named Jim, and as I reread the interview this week after 20 years have elapsed since writing the paper, I was inspired once again by how prayer takes you into the holy of holies...where it is just God and you. As Jim said, it's not about God answering our demands...it's about us being shaped in God's image and desiring the same things He wants for our lives.
Many things to pray about these days...and I do remember your brother in my prayers...as well as your family and the new baby arriving in December.
I love being part of the Christian blogging community!
Robin, you are so amazing and so are your friends above. Thanks for taking time to read my blog.
Robin, you are so amazing and so are your friends above. Thanks for taking time to read my blog.
Robin, you inspired me to write a story about prayer in my last posting. Thanks for always challenging me. Be Blessed.
Momstheword and Life Adapted, you are both inspirations to me! Thanks for always sharing your words of wisdom. You are both greatly appreciated!
As I say often - you ARE on my prayer list! :o)
Thanks for your prayers Papa - I'm praying for you too!
Carol,
Somehow I missed your comment - sorry!
I so ditto what you and Jim said...
"it's about us being shaped in God's image and desiring the same things He wants for our lives."
I'm reading a Randy Alcorn book - In Light of Eternity when is really encouraging because the author is encouraging us to think about things through the eyes of eternity - sometimes hard while living here in the shadowlands...
Love you Carol!
Great blog, Robin. You have a great walk with the Lord. I do believe prayer should be a constant part of our lives. The trouble is, I'm not good at making it that in my life. Thanks for sharing. Q
QOTW - I'm playing catch up on my blogs.
You know I think we all have to put forth an effort because our natural inclination is to do what we want not always what we need. I so know that... I have far to go, but Jesus is with me...
excellent post
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