This month, Shelley and I will be blogging about the teaching of Jesus on prayer, specifically on the section of scripture known as the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew 6: 9-13. We will be focusing on verses 5 - 15, which will include some of the surrounding instruction on prayer, as well as the prayer itself. Luke 11: 2-4 provides a portion of the prayer and in this particular portion of scripture the teaching is prompted by the request from one of the disciples, Lord, teach us to pray..... This is the cry of our heart this month.
Also, as mentioned in January, each month will highlight another prayer challenge. The challenge for February is to pray daily and place some note of the prayer in your prayer journal. If you are looking for direction in your journaling, you might consider praying the Lord's Prayer in full or by sections and using the upcoming blogs as a catalyst for your prayer focus. In your journal, jot down the insights the Lord gives you and maybe consider sharing them with us. This will be my journal focus this month. If you choose another prayer focus or section of scripture, please feel free to share that with us and your insights.
Matthew 6: 9-13
"Pray, then, in this way:
'Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.'
Amen"
Father - as we move into a new month of considering you and your ways, teach us to pray as Christ taught his disciples. Help our hearts to know and depend on you more and more each day. Thank you for caring about us and about the things and people close to our hearts. We lift them up to you.
Blessings on your journey,
Carol
Showing posts with label Prayer Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayer Journal. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Prayer Journal Challenge - Shelley's Results
At the beginning of the month, Carol and I put out a challenge. We encouraged you to begin a prayer journal to record your prayers and the ways you see God answering them. What a challenge it was!
Even though it feels like I fill God's ears with a constant flow, I've never kept a prayer journal. In junior high school, I began writing down thoughts and feelings in a notebook because my teacher made me and the practice mostly stuck. I've continued journaling off and on since, and even when I don't have an actual book to write my thoughts, feelings, and wishes in, I'll use any scrap of paper I can find. A napkin, the back of a deposit slip, receipts. A lot of words, and none of them meant in focused prayer to the Almighty God who could change my situation if only I showed enough faith to ask.
This month's challenge gave me the direction and incentive I needed. There are four major ways keeping a prayer journal has enriched my prayer life:
1. It forces me to get specific with my prayers. As early as Genesis 24 (and probably before), we see the benefit of being specific in our prayers. When Abraham's servant prayed for a wife for Isaac, he asked God to show him the woman in a very clear manner. He knew when God answered him.
2. It makes me stop asking for the same thing over and over again, and instead turn my worries into prayers. Matthew 6:7 says not to use vain repetitions in our prayers. God knows our needs, so to continue asking after we've communicated with Him shows a lack of faith. Philippians 4:6 tells us not to be anxious, but instead to pray.
3. It builds my faith by showing me what God is doing. I didn't realize just how many of my prayers God is kind and generous enough to answer with a resounding 'yes!' until I began writing down my prayers and recording the answers I saw. Maybe I took it as coincidence or I overlooked it completely, but I didn't recognize the faithfulness of God. Keeping a prayer journal proves His word is true (2 Timothy 2:13).
4.It makes me consider my prayers carefully, knowing the power they have. The Bible says whatever we ask the Father in Jesus' name He will give to us. "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:23, 24) I also know that if I ask, I'd be wise to keep myself available to His granting. How many times have I asked for a specific blessing, but not allowed or trusted Him to grant it? I don't follow through with the expectation that what I ask will be given, so the blessing is left by the wayside. "Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:22)
This year will be a challenging one for us at Elohim Prayer Beads. It is our intention to live our faith boldly and to help you grow in your prayer life. I've grown this month, and I hope you have too. Leave a comment and let us know how the challenge of keeping a prayer journal changed your faith and your life.
Praying many blessings on you (and believing He will bestow them!),
Shelley
Even though it feels like I fill God's ears with a constant flow, I've never kept a prayer journal. In junior high school, I began writing down thoughts and feelings in a notebook because my teacher made me and the practice mostly stuck. I've continued journaling off and on since, and even when I don't have an actual book to write my thoughts, feelings, and wishes in, I'll use any scrap of paper I can find. A napkin, the back of a deposit slip, receipts. A lot of words, and none of them meant in focused prayer to the Almighty God who could change my situation if only I showed enough faith to ask.
This month's challenge gave me the direction and incentive I needed. There are four major ways keeping a prayer journal has enriched my prayer life:
1. It forces me to get specific with my prayers. As early as Genesis 24 (and probably before), we see the benefit of being specific in our prayers. When Abraham's servant prayed for a wife for Isaac, he asked God to show him the woman in a very clear manner. He knew when God answered him.
2. It makes me stop asking for the same thing over and over again, and instead turn my worries into prayers. Matthew 6:7 says not to use vain repetitions in our prayers. God knows our needs, so to continue asking after we've communicated with Him shows a lack of faith. Philippians 4:6 tells us not to be anxious, but instead to pray.
3. It builds my faith by showing me what God is doing. I didn't realize just how many of my prayers God is kind and generous enough to answer with a resounding 'yes!' until I began writing down my prayers and recording the answers I saw. Maybe I took it as coincidence or I overlooked it completely, but I didn't recognize the faithfulness of God. Keeping a prayer journal proves His word is true (2 Timothy 2:13).
4.It makes me consider my prayers carefully, knowing the power they have. The Bible says whatever we ask the Father in Jesus' name He will give to us. "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:23, 24) I also know that if I ask, I'd be wise to keep myself available to His granting. How many times have I asked for a specific blessing, but not allowed or trusted Him to grant it? I don't follow through with the expectation that what I ask will be given, so the blessing is left by the wayside. "Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:22)
This year will be a challenging one for us at Elohim Prayer Beads. It is our intention to live our faith boldly and to help you grow in your prayer life. I've grown this month, and I hope you have too. Leave a comment and let us know how the challenge of keeping a prayer journal changed your faith and your life.
Praying many blessings on you (and believing He will bestow them!),
Shelley
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