Prayer: The Gate

I believe too many people live in the future and not in the present moment.  Many religions are consumed with what happens after we die.  And, so obsessed with the afterlife they are fine with watching the world suffering them around them, while talking about how wonderful it will be in Heaven.  They may be less violent and destructive than those who strap bombs to themselves and kill innocent people around them.  But I see striking similarities.  It will all be better in heaven and let us get a little glory on the way.

I don’t know about tomorrow.  I do know we have today.  If we are wanting to see the Kingdom of Heaven, let us get a glimpse now, today. Here are a few ways I believe we get a glimpse of heaven:

• Feed a hungry person
• Give money without expectations to a charitable organization or church
• Let go of anger, jealousy, hatred so you may feel God’s radiant light fill you up and lighten your soul
• Help someone in need
• Be kind to everyone you meet today
• Feel grateful for what you have, no matter what it is
• Feel there is more than enough in this world to sustain us all
• Know that there is a spirit within you that is never poor
• Stick up for the underdog
• Forgive, everyone, and everything
• Pray

Prayer for today, “God, thank you for all that we have, all that we share.  Let us spend today fully in the present moment.  Let us understand what it takes today to be children of God, made in your image.  How do we spend today with you and develop a generous spirit?  Who in our day to day life needs love, compassion, understanding and a helping hand? How do we consider the needs of others and find the kingdom of heaven here on earth? Bring a light to our path and guide us. Amen”

Newsong

As you can see, I’m still working through the Mark 11:24 thing.  “Believe you have received it and it shall be yours.”

 We can easily let our obsessions, worries and wants to take over our prayer life.  It is easy to fall in the rut of asking the same thing every day.  I have heard it said that once you plant the row of seeds, you don’t want to keep digging the row up every day, or the crop won’t grow.  And so it is with our prayers (sow it is with our prayers?…)

How do we turn it over to God? How do we “believe we have received it”?

I am finding this requires a conversational style of prayer.  Not a “drive by”, as I do on many busy mornings. “Hey God, thanks for the day…got to run…bye”.

Conversational prayer takes some time, and as with any conversation it goes both ways.  So get quiet, invite God to be with you in this moment, feel the presence of God, listen for his voice.  Then at this point I am letting my request be made known to God, and letting him know that I place it lovingly in his hands.

Now is the time to begin thinking of it as done.  I think this is the place in time that I have to transition my thinking and feelings where I believe my prayer has been answered.  And this is where we need to find that unwaivering faith.  If we can get that faith right down into our very souls, we can “believe we have received it”, even if we can’t see it right this second, we walk by faith and not by sight.

Blessings to you all this weekend, and may you have the faith that moves mountains.

Newsong

More prayer needs this week.  It may require 2 days a week for prayers in intercession for others.

• George H. for healing and strength
• Evelyn H. for strength and faith
• The Parnell family in their time of grief
• Mark A for travel blessings and mercy
• Dodd S. for healing
• Ginger E. for healing
• Marie for hope and prayer of thanksgiving
• Grace for hope and prayer of thanksgiving
• Baba for hope and prayer of thanksgiving
• Robert W. recovery from surgery and healing
• Mark for his Doctors to receive wisdom, and for him to be healed
• L. for blessings in school and a new career
• Kathleen for divine direction and inspiration and a new career
• William to be healed
• Tammy L. for recovery from surgery and to be healed
• Cat T. and family in their time of grief
• George for a prayer of thanksgiving for healing
• Sue for healing
• Philip for healing
• Pete for health and strength
• Verna for health and strength
• Brett & Sandra, for sale of their house
• Don S. prayers of thanksgiving.

Thanks for prayers of faith and strength in the Lord.

Newsong

I want to pray for the following people today:

• Scott & Sheryl D. for comfort in their grief from losing their second child in 2 years
• Janet C. for prayers of thanksgiving for total healing and strengh
• Patty G. for pryaers of thanksgiving for total healing and strength
• Ann K. for travel mercy
• Noella for health and strength
• Alan B. the perfect job for his skills and talents
• Ankie N. blessing for her new business and change of careers
• Denise P. guidance and vision
• Our leaders and the leaders of other nations for sound decisions involving the welfare of the people
• Harold K. recovery from surgery and healing

Thanks to all who pray and stand in the gap.

Newsong

Many days I find myself making a list, and doing what I “should” do.  This includes clean up the house in the morning before heading out for a full day at work.  Returning to the house after work, watering flowers, throwing a load of laundry in, making dinner, cleaning up again.  There are of course the little running around chores to the grocery store, the dry cleaners, a haircut and a pet to the vet’s office.  Always something to do.

So the things I love most like praying, music, reading, or quilting seem to be the things that get the least amount of attention in my day.

I do make time to pray each morning.  Sometimes it is a simple prayer of rejoicing.  But making a few moments in the morning to visit the spiritual room and talk with God makes a whole day’s worth of difference in how I am able to handle the events of the day.

“God, I will seek you in the morning. Help me to walk with you, and prepare for the day ahead. I rejoice in the blessings.  I rejoice in being a child of God.”

Blessings to you all,

Newsong

Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.” NAS (Jesus’ words)

Jesus always spoke the answer, the solution.  When the leper came to him and asked for healing, Mark 1:41 He stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

Again in Mark chapter 3 he was at the synagogue and a man was there with a withered hand,  Jesus said “Stretch out your hand.” And the hand was healed.

I find it interesting he didn’t say something about the leper’s condition, or the withered hand (Have you been like this always?).  No he did not, Jesus spoke healing words.   Often I hear people say they very thing they don’t want. “Pray for me, I’m taking a cold.”  Those are not faith filled words.  They have prepared the way to take the cold. Jesus said several times, “Your faith has made you well.”  You are well and it is now.

Sometimes it seems hard to believe we have received it.  It is easier to be skeptical.  We don’t want to seem silly.  At the same time I don’t think God is some cosmic magician.  Prayers are definately answered in his time.  But I think our job is to have faith, and know they are answered. 

I personally want to improve this faith area of my prayer life and have the faith that God has heard my prayer and to believe I have received the answer.

Thank God today for answered prayers! Believe you have received them, and they shall be yours.

Newsong