A little while ago, our family had a pretty intense week. It was a doozy for our family. We had a moment of parental crisis that I can’t go into on this forum as some things need to stay within the safety net of the family. But trust me when I say, I needed God and His wisdom like never before. In this event, I felt like I had failed somewhere. It didn’t matter that there were conversations held over and over again about choices and consequences. It didn’t matter that there were assurances of listening and retaining that information. Somewhere, somehow, there was a disconnect and I found myself sitting there trying to figure out what I needed to do next.
After several hours, we were able to take care of things, make adjustments, take action and do what would greatly benefit the family—all of the family, but I was still shaken. I felt guilty. Truthfully, there was no doubt in it. I had failed. Beyond the cursory prayers of gratitude and covering for my children, I hadn’t had a morning prayer with them before walking out to bus stops in a couple of months. I hadn’t read a scripture with the children and discussed it with them in weeks. Yes, we had all been attending bible studies and church. Individually, the elders in the family (parents and children who can read) were reading the Word of God and lessons were being retained, but if I was being honest, I’d been less than the strong spiritual example my children need in today’s crazy world. That bothered and bothers me.
In this recent event, it was God, His grace, and His mercy that blessed us. He covered our children, softened the heart of all involved, united Christian hearts, and made things that could have gone horribly wrong seem almost painless. The whole thing immediately bought to mind Romans 8:28
God absolutely made that crazy situation work for our good. But that was in His Grace, in His Mercy. That evening, I prayed. I prayed like I hadn’t prayed in a long time for the covering of my children and our family. I prayed the binding of the enemy and the cancellation of his schemes. I called out the spirit of fear, of lying tongues, of confusion, of depression. I prayed for God’s power and strength. I prayed for His interference, for Jesus to step in, and to place under subjection ever scheme. As I was praying and talking earnestly to God about things that concerned and worried me, the Holy Spirit reminded me that God has not given me a spirit of fear. That what I was experiencing was False Evidence Appearing Real and that I was allowing physical sight and logic to rob me of the memory of a powerful and supernatural God!
I hadn’t earnestly communicated with God via prayer in quite some time. I hadn’t sought Him. I hadn’t desired to sit at His feet….not more than cursory. I’d gotten complacent. I’m gotten spiritually lazy. I let my guard down and in turn had allowed breaks in the spiritual defenses that were protecting my home. The day that we discovered the parental issue, I was walking through the house. I felt a tugging on my heart that I almost missed. In weeks and months past, I would have recognized it immediately as the Holy Spirit attempting to impart something to me. This time it took a couple of times before I finally stopped. I followed the direction and nudging and was able to discover something that could have had ramifications that would have caused irreparable harm. Oh, if I’d missed the nudging!
There is no doubt that prayers and the communication it delivers is important. It is a beautiful and necessary thing. It’s an opportunity to sit with my Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It’s my share time with my best friend, my confidant, my guide. I can tell God anything. The crazy thing is He already knows, but enjoys hearing from me and loves talking to me just as much I love talking to Him. But why? Why is it so important and necessary to speak to God in prayer?
1. Prayer is communication. God is always listening. There is never a time that He isn’t awake. I can go to God at four o’clock in the afternoon or four o’clock in the morning. He’s available. He never makes me “wait until I’m not busy”. Talking to God is an amazing thing. I can express gratitude for who He is, for what He has done, for the ways that He has made for me. I can let Him know that I appreciate Him. Sometimes I’m just able to say “Thank You” because He doesn’t have to do anything. The fact that He does is a beautiful and wonderful thing. He truly makes provision for His children.
2. Prayer keeps you in a posture of preparation. (Proverbs and preparation). (Prayer and preparation) When you are in a posture of preparation, you are able to recognize spiritual guidance to store up, be proactive, and execute things to be a help to someone else. In the Bible, it was Joseph’s posture of preparation, his praying fervently while incarcerated, that opened the door to become the conduit by which Egypt and his family was saved. Joseph was able to interpret dreams, a gift given to him by God. When the time was right, God placed him before Pharaoh and interpreted his dream of impending famine. He was able to be placed in a position that allowed storage of food and grain on a level that protected Egypt from the famine. When Joseph’s brothers were reunited with Him (read Genesis 37-50
for the entire story), the entire family was ultimately saved and protected. Joseph kept himself in a posture of prayer and preparation which allowed Egypt and its inhabitants to flourish.
3. Prayer is your spiritual weapon. Have you heard the term “Prayer Warriors”? It’s a true moniker. I have been blessed to know some women whose prayers intercede and move God in a major way. There have been times when I personally witnessed God move in such a way that medical professionals were boggled. A family member was deathly ill. The call went out for all to come to the hospital. We were there and listening as the doctors gave us grim prognosis after grim prognosis. One of the family stopped and declared “We rebuke that in the name of Jesus!” She declared the family member would be wholly healed. We joined hands, approximately 20+ of us around a hospital bed, and earnestly sought God. We called out to Him in one voice KNOWING that God was going to heal this family member. The doctors actually scoffed at us. Other patients’ family members had questions of our faith. Still we prayed. God moved immediately. The next day, the family member’s numbers were better. A diagnosis was determined. By Day 3, there was marked improvement. The member was responding, self-breathing, living! The doctors were amazed. The physician’s assistant who told us that we “needed to be prepared that it would be six months minimum in ICU” was actually angry because she’d said that our faith wasn’t going to change science. When I passed her in the hall, I looked at her and smiled. She looked away and I prayed for her. By the end of the week, the same person who was declared to be on a death bed was smiling
4. A fervent prayer life moves God. I used to joke with my mother in love because when she prayed, God listened. My sister in love says the reason she had her last son was because of our mother in love. My mother in love wanted another grandson. This particular sister in love had given her granddaughters. She and her husband were preparing to their childrearing days done. She went to the doctor and surprise!!! She was already pregnant. She immediately went to my mother in love, whom I am told chuckled. That woman had a fantastic and DEVOTED prayer life.
She spoke to God about everything and anything. Good, bad, ugly, indifferent…she talked to God about it. She truly had God’s ear and was an inspiration to all who knew her. I aspire to have that kind of prayer life…to immediately go to God in prayer. Sometimes I get discouraged and find myself reaching for the phone. I want to immediately go to God and only to God!
I saw this during a Google search. It spoke volumes to me because of its truth. Prayer changes things and I am so thankful for it being a major part of my life.
-K
