iPray

Sunday, 11 September 2011 14:35 |

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

- Matthew 21:22

Do you believe in the power of prayer? I know I do! I have witnessed many seemingly unbelievable things, all of which I attribute to prayer.

One of the first times prayer made an impact on me was in June of 1998. I was laying in a hospital bed after an out-patient surgery to remove a growth from my side. I would say that I had had a rough couple of years in terms of faith. I felt like I didn't fit in with my youth group, and had recently switched churches. I'd dealt with some things that I didn't understand, and that I couldn't see God in at all. I was on skaky ground, that's for sure.

What I remember most about that day was a very simple thing that my mom said to me. She said, "You know a lot of people were praying for you today." I think I felt, at least a little, a sense of peace. I couldn't explain it, and it has only grown in meaning for me over the years, but it felt reassuring to know that people cared. Faithful people trusted God to keep me safe. There was hope in that.

When there are no words...know that the silences
are carrying the thoughts and prayers of all who love you.

- Dawn Dais

Sometimes we're dealing with things that are hard. When you have no words to comfort a friend, maybe prayer is a place you can turn. Or when we are the person dealing with the chaos of life, then maybe that's when a friend's prayers can take the place of our own.

And if the answers don't seem to come, or they come in ways we don't expect or even want, that's when we have to trust that God knows what He's doing.

Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers!

- William Culbertson

I sometimes forget all of the things prayer can do for youth. It can empower them to know that we, as the adults they respect and trust, are praying for them. It can calm nerves, it can be a way of release, and it can teach lifelong lessons about trust, faith, and love.

I hope to enstill in the youth that I work with, in my friends, and in my family that prayer is important to me. And that I trust in the power my prayers, and the prayers of others around me can have on lives and on the world.

Pray boldly...even when it scares you to think about what God might ask you to do as an answer.

Pray compassionately...you never know when your own heart may be changed.

Pray honestly...it is when we are most open that we learn our deepest strengths and insecurities.

Pray humbly...it is in our vulnerable moments that God can work miracles.

Prayer is not asking for what you think you want,
but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine.

- Kathleen Norris

Last Updated (Sunday, 11 September 2011 14:36)

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