Prayer

A sister here in J~Land is requesting prayer for her dear loved Uncle who was in a very devistating car wreck and is getting ready for surgery. Please send over all your prayers to Becky, she would apreshate it very much and that is what Family is for, to lean on each other and carry eachothers burdons.

Just a reminder to all, If you ever have a request and need prayer please feel free to contact me via IM or E-mail or join my prayer group of Prayer Warriors called Prayer In Jesus Name (link over in my list of links, for some reason the linking thing is acting funky in the posts)

Remember back when I told you all about Josh's grandmother funeral(cant find the link) and after we went to see the Passion with his cousin and sister.  Well today I got the most wonderful e-mail from her! Since she asked me about prayer and this is the topic I thought I would share with you what I wrote.

  Just a few things about prayer that I hope answers your questions. You can pray anytime, anywhere for any thing.  Prayer is a personal thing between you and God, not everyone does it exactly the same and there is no proven method that gets results.  You can pray standing up or on your knees, you can pray out loud or in a quiet voice inside your head, you can pray before bed or in the morning or pray continuously, like having an open conversation going on with God all day long.  I know some people like to keep a prayer journal where they keep track of what they prayed and then can later look back and see how God answered it and how he is moving in their life.  He may not answer as we think he should, but he always answers.  The disciples asked Jesus one day how should they pray and he told them they should not pray like those who pray for attention, you know the kind of ppl who say fancy prayers and long chants, hoping people will notice them and think they are all Holy or that God will hear them better and be moved by their elaborate words. Just come to him like a child comes to spend time with daddy. He said it is best to pray in private, a time for just you and God and what was asked in secret will be givenin the open.  Now there are times I do pray with people out loud and I just say what comes to my heart, it's often when we are praying for someone or just praising God but I do not do it to show off or impress and I think that is what the difference is.  I do still have my alone time with God and just recently Josh and I have started praying together as a couple for the needs we have as a family.  It is a very cool experience and intimate when we do that.  But personal prayer should be looked at like talking to a friend and communicating with that friend.  When you start new friendships you get to know that person by talking with them a lot and you grow closer, but if you stop talking so much to eachother and loose touch, you feel far apart from them.  Same with God.  The more you talk with him in prayer and reading his Word, the closer you can feel to him but when you stop talking with him and wonder away, you feel so far apart from him.  Jesus gave us a model prayer but its not to be a chant said over and over but something to start us off on, and to make it personal, make it your own.  He said we can come to God as our father who is in heaven, that we should praise him for what he has done for us and ask for his will to be done in our life here on earth as it is in heaven. That we can ask him to provide for our daily needs so we will not have to worry about them and that he will bless us. We ask him to forgive people who have hurt us and help us to forgive them, to ask him to forgive us for all the things we have done that was not in his will and to keep temptations far from us but to lead us to a better way and to protect us from the evil that is in this world.  I suggest you read Matthew Chapter 6 where he is telling his disciples of these things.  Also remember, God knows everything!  He knows what you need before you even ask it : ) yet he still likes for you to come to him and talk to him. Also, one last thing lol this is a big subject but I am glad you have asked, I always end my prayers IN JESUS NAME.  Because Jesus said "anything ask in my name it will be given to you to Glorify God."  People all over the world pray, but it doesn't mean they are praying to the God of the Bible.  Ending a prayer in Jesus name makes you stand out, sets you apart from those who just pray to an unknown idol or higher power.  It says you trust Jesus, and no one else.