yesterday we had an occurrence at our house that has not happened in a long time. all four of us were at the dinner table together, on a sunday none the less, and had dinner that began with family prayer (not counting the bites my son had down before i sat down). between their work and other things we just don't get the four of us together all at once. i miss it. it was what we did every night as they grew even into high school we managed to be together most nights. it was such a blessing.
something my husband said yesterday stuck with me. "we praise you father that your name is proclaimed in this house". it is.
my dad is 88 and very sick. he has moments when he is talking and totally not making any sense. he sometimes doesn't eat, or only eats things like broth. i was there on saturday. my mom and i made dinner. he came to the table. my older brother usually prays but if dad is at the table he gives him the option to pray or not. saturday he prayed and when he did the spirit of God took over his weak voice and he prayed magnificently. it was the most lucid thing he has said all week. we all lifted our heads and looked at one another and all of our mouths were dropped and we smiled and secretly praised God for what we just heard. i wish you could have seen it, i wish you could have heard my dad. i will never forget it. thank you Jesus.
prayer is the sweetest thing isn't it. when it's just my husband and i we take turns or sometimes when my heart is heavy he prays then i pray. once we walked the dog and we each prayed one sentence prayers over our children taking turns.
if you have any special prayer habits share them with me, or a special time prayer meant so much or what prayer means to you.
~janel
3 comments:
My boys (ages 6 & 3)and I always pray on the way to school. My six yr old is in 1st grade and we always pray about his day and that he will be Jesus to his classmates.
My boys pray about everything even at their young ages and they ask me to pray for them (if they only knew how many times I pray for them each day). If they are hurt or worried or angry - they will say 'Mommy pray for me right now" - we stop and pray and everything seems to get immediately better. They even pray for each other. If the oldest hurts himself the youngest prays for him and vice verse (I hope they always pray for each other). Like you guys, at our house we believe in the power of prayer.
ok it is time for me to do a post on something the Lord spoke loudly to me this morning about re prayer. One thing I like to do is prayer journal I just pray to God but I write it all out like I am talking. I love this about your dad and how the Spirit never ages. This gave me holy goose bumps!! Much love
the worship service i go to on tuesday nights (in just a few hours now...yay!!) we are learning about prayer...practicing prayer...and it has been the coolest thing. pastor mike just meets us where we are and knows that the majority of us are 20-somethings still trying to figure everything out. so when we "practice" praying at the service he takes us through four areas A.C.T.S. (adoration, confession, being thankful, and supplication.) we PRAISE God, are honest about where we are and what we need to change, thank Him for anything and everything, and then just ask Him for what we need and the needs of our friends and family.
it sounds so simple and "duh" cause those are the things we normally pray about anyway, but to break it down into sections and really just focus on one at a time...like telling Him why we adore and praise him and not being clouded by all the worries and doubts we also need to bring to Him. it really helps you focus on His greatness and power FIRST, which in turn gives you peace when you ask for what you need because you KNOW He is able.
Post a Comment