Lifestyle Tip: Pray often and for all Reasons June 29, 2006
By Julie Murphree
Carlos and Natalie’s three-year-old speaks with serious intent when suggesting who to pray for. And while Isabella still insists that Daddy and Mommy do most of the actual praying, she’s been given the gift of prayer by her parents.
Carlos and Natalie, who attend the same church I do, have made a nightly ritual of praying with their daughter and do the same with their youngest daughter, Abigail, who is now 10-month-old. I am touched by their commitment to prayer and how naturally they are weaving it into their children’s lives.
Hearing Carlos describe their prayer time with his daughter and how receptive she is to the natural process of talking with God sent me back to my earliest childhood memory: listening to Mom pray over me when I was sick with asthma.
These early childhood memories converge in a mist of memory of the smell of fresh-cut alfalfa, special occasions sleeping on a pull-out couch in the living room with big brother, Brent, and catching crawdads with older cousins in a dirt ditch across from Grandpa and Grandma Murphree’s farm house. Our own little home was just opposite theirs.
During those prayer times, Mom would be holding me tight. I was scared because I could hardly breathe. I remember feeling the beat of mom’s heart in my ear when I lay my head on her chest and could feel her rhythmic breathing. I could feel the vibration of her voice, not always understanding her words, but the vibrations when she prayed.
If you’ve seen the movie Signs with Mel Gibson (I went to see heart-throb Mel, not the aliens), you’ll remember the scene where he holds his son whose in the midst of an asthma attack. The first time I saw that I cried because that was my experience. Several times in fact. I’ve heard Mom cry out to God with the same earnestness as Mel did in the movie. Her prayers taught me to pray.
Today, in my conversation with Carlos, he tells about little Isabella mentioning the name of the next person she wants to pray for. During one extended prayer session on behalf of a friend with a brain tumor, little Isabella was able to witness the friend’s healing. Can we even count the positive and miraculous impact this event will have on this child. She’s now targeting a neighbor that she believes needs more of Jesus’ love in her life.
Isabella’s story also makes me think of my close friend’s son, Matthew. After having prayed for a friend for some time, the next night they prayed together, Debbie, the mom said, “Is there anyone you would like to pray for?” Little Matthew said, “Well, [so and so] is doing fine, so we don’t need to pray for them.” I love the frankness and honesty of a child.
In all of this, I learn that children have a pure and clear approach about prayer and that we can learn from them to pray often and for all reasons too. I remember someone telling me that prayer allows people the opportunity to move out of the ordinary into the miraculous extraordinary.
So pray often and for all reasons. Little Isabella does. Now that’s intentional living.
- Posted in : General, Lifestyle Tips
- Author : freshair
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Why many of our Prayers Unanswered?
1. Refusing to hear the truth. Pro: 28:9.
2. Refusing to humble self. 2Chro. 7:14.
3. Forsaking God. 2Chro. 15:2.
4. Provoking God. Dt.3:26.
5. Hard Heartedness. Zech.7:12-13.
6. Lack of Charity. Pr:21:13.
7. Regarding iniquity in heart. Psm.66:18.
8. Wrong motives.James.4:3.
9. Dishonor of companion. IPet:3:7.
10. Un belief.Mt.17: 20-21.
11. Sin. James.4: 1-15.Isa: 59:2.
12. Vain Repetitions. Mt 6: 7.
13. Unforgiveness. Mk.11: 25-26.
14. Hypocrisy. Luke.18: 9-14.
15. Being discouraged.Luke.18:-18.
16. Worry and anxiety. Phil.4: 6.
17. Doubting-Double mindedness.James.1: 5-8.
18. Parading prayers.Mt.6: 5.
Kindly Read with Bible and be blessed.
Give Thanks To The Lord Jesus Christ.
We are so blessed to have children to guide us through what seem to be the hardest of situations sometimes. Children remind us that we can easily solve anything with the simplest of solutions.
Thanksgiving last year, my eight year old nephew Tito said grace for us at dinner. He was thanking our Lord for the food and our health and then paused and asked him to especially bless “all the old people” that had come to eat dinner! Tito was referring of course, to both his grandfathers Santos and Juan and his grandmother Anita, as well as his aunts who were sitting around the table.
Grandmother Anita started laughing and broke up the silence, and through the innocent words of a child, we all smiled, laughed and tried to sop up all that goodness like biscuits and gravy!