Well, Did You Ask Him?

Do you know any prayer warriors? I remember back when I was dating my husband. A woman in my church (Maine) asked about my husband's sister (PA) who had had cancer years before. I told her that unfortunately, my husband's sister had passed away. This woman hadn't gotten the news. She said, "Oh dear! I am still praying for her!!" Then she pulled a small journal out of her purse and turned to the well worn page and quickly updated it. THAT is a prayer warrior!! She had been praying for someone she had never met for about 6 years!! 


I want to be a prayer warrior. I pray that God will make me a prayer warrior. I have a ways to go in learning to "faithfully pray." 


"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


As a young child, I never had to learn to pray about everything. With the faith of a child, I knew God could do anything. I can remember praying to God to help me find items I had lost (I lost stuff ALOT!). I knew that God knew everything and knew where my lost item was.


That pattern of praying over everything followed me into adulthood. My feeling is that I pray over everything and then seek to trust God with the results. 


When I was in my early marriage years, I thought we needed an answer machine but we could not afford one. My husband was in the ministry and I thought it was important that people could leave a message for him since he was bi-vocational. I prayed over it and *out of the blue* a friend called me and said, "I am getting a new answering machine. I don't suppose you'd want my old one?" :) 


I would pray over everything. We couldn't afford curtains and such so I would pray. And curtains would come...I used to joke though that God always gave us what we needed but that He and I had different taste!! I didn't always love the color or style of what I was given but I was thankful for it!! 


I pray over my husband's job and ministries. I pray that God would "open doors that can't be closed by man and close doors that can't be opened by man." I have seen amazing things happen...


When I was in Bible College and going through a particularly stressful time, I had two exams scheduled in the same day. I wasn't ready and knew I couldn't GET ready in time. I prayed the Lord would take care of that somehow... One professor forgot the exam altogether and one professor's truck broke down on the way to school so he was not there in time to give the exam (oops). Yes, I did confess to him my prayer!! And he was good natured and we joked about it for some time!! (Other times I prayed over tests and such and the lesson was, "No how about you study?" ;) But the point is, I have learned to pray over *all things*). 


When someone in my family has a need or even a lost item, I try to be quick to say, "Have you prayed about it yet?" I want to set the pattern that we pray over everything, no matter how small or large.


"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7


Of course I have prayed over more important things: healing for terminal illnesses among loved ones, big emergencies, ministries, and other needs. The area where I would like to improve is having a more organized list and spending more time in prayer. Prayer is hard work!! 


The key to prayer is having the same heart as God. It's lining myself up to Him and His Truth so that we are *on the same page.* I need to be on *His page*. This is why I try to accept a "no" or a "wait" with acceptance. I understand that a "no" means that I am not on the same page as God and I trust Him to know and do what is best.


The key to prayer is also found in keeping short accounts with Him and asking Him to search my heart and being ready to repent of sin when He reveals my heart and it's intentions. 


"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23


God is so patient with me. But I pray He will create a prayer warrior out of me yet. What do you do when your prayer life isn't what you wish it to be? Pray about it!! :)


"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." Isaiah 55:6-7