The past few weeks have been incredibly filled. We have been busy! Even if I was just playing with my boys, my mind has been filled with thoughts and prayers that have kept me from writing a lot. But, I want to share what God has been teaching me! As a stay at home mom of three little monsters, I rarely get time to sit and read in the quiet, so any reading I do is amid chaos or is in the small hours. Since sleep is more important to me in this season, you can guess how it took me a month to finish the first "for fun" novel I've read since high school. Besides that, I have been trying to make more time to not just read, but truly study my Bible. One thing that has helped with that is making notes for Podcast Club. The last week of April, I hosted my first Podcast Club for the God Centered Mom podcast. Each week's recording is about 45 minutes to an hour long and is jam packed with encouragement and practical tips for living a God-centered life. As I've prepared for these, I have dug into God's word to see what He has to say about issues like fear, anger, intentional prayer, and trusting His Word. Through these studies, the Lords has shown me the power of prayer, humility, having compassion, and what it means to be a friend.
Probably the biggest lesson God is teaching me right now is about prayer. Not just what it means to pray, but why I should pray and how. Growing up in church, I have heard the phrase "I'll be praying for you" so many times. And, while most of us have the best of intentions when we say this, how often do we forget or just say it because it seems to be the right thing to say? In my case, it has been far too often. The Holy Spirit has impressed on my heart that it is time for that to change. Lately, God has afforded many opportunities for me to put this new desire in to practice, and it has been life changing! I never considered my self a prayer warrior, or even 'the gal that cooks the food for the warriors' kind of 'pray'er. The image in my mind of a prayer warrior is someone who sits quietly for hours on end with their Bible open and their head bowed pouring over names and requests. They also have a beautiful prayer journal with dates and columns that show when the prayers were answered. Then there's my life. I don't think I have 5 minutes of uninterrupted time where I could sit in the quiet with my head bowed, unless I'm sleeping! (LOL) But, who says being a prayer warrior means praying sitting down with no distractions? Who says I can't intercede while folding laundry, doing the dishes, making dinner, going for a walk, or playing with my kids? In this season, my prayers are said in the car, while I'm cleaning up toys, in the shower, and as I'm laying my head down for bed. These prayers can be just as effective as the sweet old lady sitting quietly in her living room.
The key to making these prayers effective, is to be intentional. God doesn't require that we make eloquent long speeches. Honestly, I don't think He isn't even impressed by them. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus talked to the crowd about this when He modeled prayer for them. He accused the religious leaders of muttering vain repetitions void of any conviction. Intentionally talking to God was not a new concept, but apparently those guys missed it in their Old Testament classes. Throughout the Bible we see that God gives grace to the humble, be resists the proud. Here are just a few examples:
Psalm 138:6 For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar.
Proverbs 3:34 Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Psalm 31:23 O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the proud doer.
Luke 1:51 "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
Get the point? OK, so I shouldn't pray without conviction and I need to pray with humility. I don't have to make beautiful and elaborate speeches. Nor do I have to beg and scrape for entrance to His presence. Because of Jesus, we can boldly approach the throne. Hebrews 4:16 says "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." And Ephesians 3:12 reminds that through Jesus "we have boldness and access with confidence." Probably my favorite passage when reading about this is:
Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
How cool! Not only can we approach the throne of God, but we can do so in an intimate way. The Greek word for "draw near" seems to mean something like to approach without restraint. The same word προσέρχομαι (proserchomai) is used in Matthew 9:28 when the woman who had a blood disease reached out to touch Jesus' robe, as well as any time the disciples approached Him, or when Jesus spoke to the multitudes. It is used when Judas approached Jesus in the garden and when the angels came from Heaven to roll the stone away from the tomb. There is a certain sense of informality about this word. Yet, it is a powerful word. It means we can fearlessly speak to God without reservation because of Jesus.
Old Testament priests could only enter the Holy of Holies (the inner most part of the temple where the shekinah glory of God dwelt) once a year. They could only enter after undergoing a series of cleanses and after adorning very specific priestly clothes as instructed in Exodus 28.** How amazing is the opportunity we have to approach the throne through prayer? Unlike the priests, we don't have to wait til our one time a year, we have 24/7 access. While we don't have to layer on specific priestly garments, we put on an attitude of humility and "come into his presence with thanksgiving." (Psalm 95:2; Psalm 100:4) We should approach the throne with all the reverence the God of the universe is due, but we also have the freedom to boldly approach because of what Christ did on the cross. Jesus is the Great High Priest who has covered us with His blood once and for all. It is through Him and Him alone that we approach the Father. (John 14:6)
(**For more info on this process and how Christ redeemed and fulfilled this particular practice, check out Hebrews 9. It is pretty cool!)
Recap so far, my prayers must be intentional, they should be full of conviction, brought in humility and boldness. The last thing that God has shown me about prayer is how much of necessity it is in this Christian life. Now before you get in a huff, God can and does allow things to happen even if we don't pray for them, but He wants us to communicate with Him. Not only is the act of prayer mentioned countless times in scriptures, Jesus specifically instructed his disciples on how to pray and led by example. (Perhaps the most memorable time Jesus prayed was in the garden of Gethsemane right before his betrayal and arrest.) Check out what the Bible has to say about prayer:
Ephesians 6:18 "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,"
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received[a] it, and it will be yours.
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Psalm 17:6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Luke 11:1-4 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Pay attention Yall! This stuff is important! As a Mom, I understand that it is hard to find time to sit down and devote to praying in the quiet, but that's not the only way you can pray. I have found myself praying in places I never imagined and in ways I never thought I would. This month, I have prayed while doing chores, during Sunday service when the Lord puts someone or something on my heart, while teaching kids on Wednesday night, at a beach memorial service, driving down the road, while walking through the grocery store, out loud, in my head, with my eyes open, with my head bowed. Guess what? Did you notice this about any of those verses? Never once is posture mentioned. In fact, I had to go back and look and make sure. I found some great info on a website that I will link here on the postures of prayer. The overall theme is that the outward posture means nothing without the proper posturing of the heart. That is what God has been teaching me this month. It doesn't so much matter how I look when I pray or where I'm at, but how my heart is positioned.
I hope yall enjoy digging deeper into what God has for us in His Word. I have certainly enjoyed studying this past month. One book in particular that I have found helpful this month in reading about prayer is Jodie Berndt's book, Praying the Scriptures for Your Children. She has a couple of others and I mention them with links in this post.
Other resources that I love to use when studying are the Blue Letter Bible app or website. There are an endless amount of resources on this site and I use it on a daily basis in my Bible study time.
I can't wait to hear what God has been teaching you this month! Happy Studying!
God Bless,
Shani