When life is overwhelming don’t settle for drowning, ask for prayer. [Tweet This]
Why is prayer not my first response when I know it is the best remedy to anything that life flings at me? I’m not saying I don’t think of it at all. I do pray. But I am surrounded by praying friends who are willing to step into the gap for me. I just need to ask.
This realization hit home this past week as I prepared for a women’s retreat. For months my messages wouldn’t settle down in my heart and I could sense the anxiety level rising as the event got closer. Then life situations got peppered in, and my mind scattered in concern for others. My schedule suddenly looked scary and I began moving appointments to make room for the urgent.
But, no matter what I did, peace didn’t come.
I know there is always an element of spiritual warfare before I speak at an event, so I wasn’t blind to that piece. The additional stress from the goings-on in my life created mush-brain to the Nth-degree. The only thing I could do was the next thing. But, I was fearful of not being prepared for the retreat. And, my mind was not cooperating.
“What about my prayer team?” The thought slipped in under the bulging door of my mind.
“I could ask them to pray.”
Now why didn’t I see that before? Of course they would pray. I typed out a quick frantic call before bedtime asking for prayer and pressed SEND.
When I woke up the next morning to get myself out the door to attend a family funeral, an unexplainable peace surrounded me. I drove two hours, hit bumper to bumper traffic (twice) and encountered an ill-timed detour. I got lost because the detour signs didn’t carry through, so I needed to stop for directions. I breathlessly arrived at the church just in time to catch my breath and do a reading during the funeral.
Not once did God’s peace leave.
After I got home, I was able to finish my messages, finalize my power point slides, and pack for my trip. The enabling power of the Spirit carried me moment by moment. He accomplished what I could not do in my own strength, all because of the power of prayer.
The results of the retreat were far beyond what I could imagine. In my weakness, He was strong. In my scattered state, He brought order to my messages and they came out clear…All for His glory and all because of prayer.
Do you have prayer warriors that you can call on when life begins to totter and tilt? I do, and they are a precious gift!
Asking for prayer is the simple thing I need to do. God does the rest. [Tweet This]
A huge thank you to my prayer team; you guys rock the throne of God on my behalf and I am so grateful for you.
Are you asking for prayer? I would love to pray for you.
Jeanne
If you’d like to receive posts like this via email, Subscribe Here
Resources for you:
Don’t miss this FREE kindle version of Stormie O’Martian’s book
Images courtesy of Morguefile.com
Prayer pals make the trials passable. Yes,I’ve been blessed with the Christian Communicators-Sisterhood prayers when I was on the battlefield recently. The unexplained peace you are talking about, Jeanne, is so real.
Prayers are gifts that are priceless. They are the difference makers in spiritual battles.
Thanks for sharing your story, Jeanne. There is no doubt that your presentation was a blessing because of your preparations,friends prayers, and God’s peace.
Serve on!
Carolyn,
You are so right! What a blessing it is to know that others are sharing the burden in prayer. We underestimate its power and importance sometimes. It is the unseen power cord to the heavenlies. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. And I pray you are still basking in His provision for your family.
Have you ever noticed when we have something to prepare for, a few more things become priorities?? Why is that? I love having time for one thing at a time (I think), but it never happens that way, I become someone, spread over “much”……… Prayer is our “armor” of choice!
Asking for it can be delayed, because we just keep moving head first, focused on the issue at hand. Yes, prayer is our stabilizer, I’m going to try to remember that, the next time. Thank you, Jeanne love Mom
Mom, I think this is another reason for needing the body of Christ – to remind us – and to join us. Prayer is about relationship and warfare in the heavenly places. But it is disguised as something meek and mild.
Thanks for your thoughts on this 🙂
I so enjoyed reading this post. Prayer is our most powerful weapon and yet we seem to forget the asset of prayer as it touching the very hem of His garment. I feel that the church as a whole has lost the power of prayer. We’ve become a society dependent upon self. We tend to pray after a circumstance arises instead of before. I believe prayer to be the most important weapon of warfare given to us as part of the arsenal God supplied us with when we stand in faith.
Karen, you are so right. If the body of Christ could grasp this truth…just imagine all God would do. He is ABLE without us but He loves to use us as His vessel to show His glory to the world. In the 60’s there was flower power. Let’s begin an era of Prayer Power!! Revival depends on it
Beautiful reminder. Prayer is palatable. I have stopped during my day because I knew that someone was praying. I asked God to bless the person who is praying for me.
What a lovely idea, Cherrilynn. Did you mean palpable?
Hee hee Yes I mean palpable. Silly me. Consider me embarrassed. Thank you, my friend. Love you
Ha, sometimes it is the “auto-correct-monster”
Jeanne, no doubt prayer saw you through the storm. But don’t discount that God blessed you with the gifts to do what you do, to understandably communicate your message, and give meaning to a soul who needed your message.
God bless you for accepting your call and doing whatever it takes to get your message to each person who needs it. At exactly the right moment.
All because you said yes to Him. Thanks for doing your part!
That’s the beautiful thing, Dave. In my session I mention the balance we strike between total dependence upon Him, and bold confidence in Him. That same confidence that the leaders noticed in the disciples–realizing they had been with Jesus. That same power that indwells us, the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. It is mind boggling and freeing at the same time. And prayer is the catalyst as we step out to use the spiritual gifts He has given us. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Jeanne, I never thought about a balance between total dependence and bold confidence. I struggle to keep my confidence in Him from changing to confidence in myself. You’ve given me a new idea to ponder.
Sherry, I am with you on that. I struggle with the same. Thanks for sharing your comment and I would love to hear your thoughts as you ponder.