During our first week of camp staff training this summer, a fellow counselor asked me (Amy) to identify my biggest spiritual weakness. It didn't take long for me to come up with an answer. I knew exactly what I had to say. It's prayer. Independent prayer, to be specific. In fact, I absolutely love to pray with other people. I could do it for hours. But praying by myself is another story.
It's really pathetic. I mean, I have a constant invitation to communicate with the Creator of the universe and Savior of my soul. Yet sometimes, when I start to pray, I get distracted and find myself thinking about a thousand other things. Or I can't think of much of anything to pray for. Or I have so many things to pray for, I get overwhelmed and quit before I start. Can you identify?
I certainly have no doubts about the power of prayer--I've seen God answer prayers in amazing and miraculous ways! And I have definitely benefited from the time I've spent with God in prayer. Above all, I know that God is glorified by the prayers of His people, and I'm determined not to let my weakness in this area keep me from living a sold-out life to the Lord. I'm determined to learn how to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18) for the glory of God.
Slowly but surely, I am learning to love to pray. The Lord is working wonders in my heart and in my life, and I am in awe of the grace He pours out on me. I can't wait to share with you some of the ways He has answered my prayers lately, but I'm going to save those for another post.
For now, I want your input. Please take just a moment and answer the following three questions.
1. Do you prefer to pray alone or with others?
2. What advice could you give me (and other readers) about becoming a prayer warrior?
3. What could I pray about for you this week?
2 comments:
1. Do you prefer to pray alone or with others?
I've never thought about this, and I don't know if I really have a preference. I do feel that I can pray for longer and more focused periods when I am with other people, but I like praying alone too because it can be so conversational and personal.
2. What advice could you give me (and other readers) about becoming a prayer warrior?
Well, I am looking forward to reading other's answers because I am far from being a prayer warrior, but I remember reading about how one prayer warrior did it (a sweet mother who died of cancer a few years back). She would have "triggers" in her day that would remind her to pray for certain things. For example, every time she would change a dirty diaper, she would pray over that child. Or whenever she took a shower she prayed about being pure and clean. I like that idea.
3. What could I pray about for you this week?
I have so many weaknesses too, Amy! One that I struggle with the most, recently, is spending quality time in God's Word. There always seems to be something else that seems so much more important, but I NEED to place God's Word in priority!
Hey Melanie! Thanks for your thoughts. I miss you sooo much. I like the idea of having "triggers" to remind me to pray. I'll have to try that this week. I'm praying that you will find a way to spend time in the Word on a daily basis. Love you!
~Amy~
Post a Comment