I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my prayers. In all honesty, I’ve been thinking about prayer in general, not just mine, but collectively, OURS! Yep, yours and mine.
Now don’t go flying off the deep end in offense or concern of judgment. This post is not about judgment (at least not that I know of), if conviction comes…it’s yours, you own it so deal with it! I’ll just try to focus on ME ME ME and my own issues, thoughts on prayer.
Prayer is something that has always come with ease for me. I remember praying as a young child before bed. I remember the day it hit me what I was praying as I said these words:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take!
It scared the bejeebees out of me when I realized I was talking about death! I still don’t really like that prayer. My salvation brought the ASSURANCE of my soul being taken by the Lord, as a matter of fact, He’s already got it! It’s in need of a daily deep cleaning, but He’s got it! I’ll just tweak that children’s prayer to say:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should sleepwalk to the street,
Lead me to put some shoes upon my feet!
As I matured, well let me reword that, as I mature, God has taught me much about prayer and its power! I’ve seen the healing of bodies and souls through prayer. I’ve seen freedom through prayer. I’ve seen deliverance of demons through prayer. I’ve seen angels through prayer. I’ve seen visions and prophetic messages through prayer. I’ve met and prayed with some of the most gifted pray-ers you could imagine! I’ve learned from their examples in many areas. I keep a mental list of “prayer warriors” to call on in times of intense prayer needs! These people live “Pray without ceasing” on a daily basis!
I want to be one of these people!
One of the most powerful dialogues we can have with God is in prayer. Yes, I mean dialogue, not just one-sided conversation. The answers don’t always come immediately or in the form we choose or prefer, but the answers always come! My favorite prayers are on my drives to work or shopping or wherever. I just start talking to God as I would talk to you.
Side note: God and I had a discussion early on about speaking in KJV language…I just can’t do it without laughing. It’s like trying to speak Shakespearean (only worse) and it sounds very contrived to me. Key words being “to me”. If it works for you, it works for you, just expect some laughter coming from my end of the table if we ever pray together. The thou’s, thee’s, and thine’s are not a part of my prayer language.
I CAN be goofy in prayer. I think this has always been just in front of God alone, or perhaps the ‘girls’ were there…anyway, many times I sing my prayers to God. Goofy I know, but I love to sing and since I’m never going to be a professional singer, I get a kick out of singing dialogue. Do not ask...I will not do it. Sometimes I create goofy “Dr. Seuss-ish” prayers to God, reminiscent of “Green Eggs and Ham”, especially when I don’t want to do what He’s asking of me.
“I will not go there, Africa is too far,
I will not go there, God you are!
I will not go there on a boat,
I will not go there as a goat,
I do not like it, it’s too wild,
I do not like it, I’m just a child!
Not on a coast,
Not for a roast,
Not with a lion,
Not if I’m dyin’,
I will not go there, in a car,
I will not do it, God you are!”
And Yes, I do say them out loud! It’s like when we’re singing a hymn that causes painful flash-backs and I revert to “Mary Had a Little Lamb". I even showed my husband how it can be sung to ANY song! Obviously, he was duly amazed! I’m quite a gifted artiste’!
A bit of a digression, my apologies!
The bottom line is I am a firm believer that prayers become more powerful and more alive and more REAL as we boldly speak them aloud! God calls us to be bold in our faith. God desires our worship and praise and many times this is accomplished in prayers we speak/sing/create out loud!
The other thing to bear in mind that I always share in discipleship is: Satan cannot read your mind. God totally hears your thoughts and knows your heart, but Satan is a bit dimwitted (clearly a fool to give up God for his vanity), and he doesn’t know what we’re thinking, so speak it out loud my friends! Shout heavenward all the words you have for God and put the enemy on notice that as a child of the Living God you have been signed, sealed and delivered by the blood of Christ!
So there…
Now don’t go flying off the deep end in offense or concern of judgment. This post is not about judgment (at least not that I know of), if conviction comes…it’s yours, you own it so deal with it! I’ll just try to focus on ME ME ME and my own issues, thoughts on prayer.
Prayer is something that has always come with ease for me. I remember praying as a young child before bed. I remember the day it hit me what I was praying as I said these words:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take!
It scared the bejeebees out of me when I realized I was talking about death! I still don’t really like that prayer. My salvation brought the ASSURANCE of my soul being taken by the Lord, as a matter of fact, He’s already got it! It’s in need of a daily deep cleaning, but He’s got it! I’ll just tweak that children’s prayer to say:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should sleepwalk to the street,
Lead me to put some shoes upon my feet!
As I matured, well let me reword that, as I mature, God has taught me much about prayer and its power! I’ve seen the healing of bodies and souls through prayer. I’ve seen freedom through prayer. I’ve seen deliverance of demons through prayer. I’ve seen angels through prayer. I’ve seen visions and prophetic messages through prayer. I’ve met and prayed with some of the most gifted pray-ers you could imagine! I’ve learned from their examples in many areas. I keep a mental list of “prayer warriors” to call on in times of intense prayer needs! These people live “Pray without ceasing” on a daily basis!
I want to be one of these people!
One of the most powerful dialogues we can have with God is in prayer. Yes, I mean dialogue, not just one-sided conversation. The answers don’t always come immediately or in the form we choose or prefer, but the answers always come! My favorite prayers are on my drives to work or shopping or wherever. I just start talking to God as I would talk to you.
Side note: God and I had a discussion early on about speaking in KJV language…I just can’t do it without laughing. It’s like trying to speak Shakespearean (only worse) and it sounds very contrived to me. Key words being “to me”. If it works for you, it works for you, just expect some laughter coming from my end of the table if we ever pray together. The thou’s, thee’s, and thine’s are not a part of my prayer language.
I CAN be goofy in prayer. I think this has always been just in front of God alone, or perhaps the ‘girls’ were there…anyway, many times I sing my prayers to God. Goofy I know, but I love to sing and since I’m never going to be a professional singer, I get a kick out of singing dialogue. Do not ask...I will not do it. Sometimes I create goofy “Dr. Seuss-ish” prayers to God, reminiscent of “Green Eggs and Ham”, especially when I don’t want to do what He’s asking of me.
“I will not go there, Africa is too far,
I will not go there, God you are!
I will not go there on a boat,
I will not go there as a goat,
I do not like it, it’s too wild,
I do not like it, I’m just a child!
Not on a coast,
Not for a roast,
Not with a lion,
Not if I’m dyin’,
I will not go there, in a car,
I will not do it, God you are!”
And Yes, I do say them out loud! It’s like when we’re singing a hymn that causes painful flash-backs and I revert to “Mary Had a Little Lamb". I even showed my husband how it can be sung to ANY song! Obviously, he was duly amazed! I’m quite a gifted artiste’!
A bit of a digression, my apologies!
The bottom line is I am a firm believer that prayers become more powerful and more alive and more REAL as we boldly speak them aloud! God calls us to be bold in our faith. God desires our worship and praise and many times this is accomplished in prayers we speak/sing/create out loud!
The other thing to bear in mind that I always share in discipleship is: Satan cannot read your mind. God totally hears your thoughts and knows your heart, but Satan is a bit dimwitted (clearly a fool to give up God for his vanity), and he doesn’t know what we’re thinking, so speak it out loud my friends! Shout heavenward all the words you have for God and put the enemy on notice that as a child of the Living God you have been signed, sealed and delivered by the blood of Christ!
So there…
14 comments:
Amen! I went through a period in my early 20's where God chose to reveal Himself to me in a very real, everyday way. It was during that time, even though I had been a Christian since I was 8, that I fell in LOVE with Him. I was driving for Domino's and going to school at the time. I would get in my car, pat my passenger seat (I would even move the pizza boxes over) and ask Him to come sit and talk with me. The first time, I did it on a whim, but He DID and I could feel His prescence so strong that I continued to do it. I could feel my car FILL UP with Him and the conversations just flowed. I talked out loud to Him and didn't care who saw. Responses, just like He was talking back just flowed into my head. Not audibly, but still and small. If I had the radio on, I couldn't hear it. There were times I would have it down low and a song would come on that fit the moment like He was speaking to me through the radio. I would turn it up and quite often end up in tears.
Wonder what the people who were getting the pizza thought about their teary eyed delivery person.
But definately, a prayer life takes on a whole new existence when it is boldly spoken out loud. Oh yeah, and God does have a sense of humor, I could feel/hear Him laughing with me about things that were funny.
Good stuff, Girl! I had forgotten about satan not reading minds, but that is so true. Only God knows our thoughts. Speaking of Him out loud is a good way to defeat the devil.
Dr. Seuss prayers, now that's a new one!! Amen - Speaking our prayers out loud really does something different in our soul than just thinking prayers. I am certainly an advocate of contemplative prayer as well, and other things too, but the first steps in my prayer life when I actually noticed an increase of power was when I started speaking my prayers out loud and writing them down.
I always liked the college version of that prayer.
Now I lay me down to rest,
A pile of books upon my chest,
If I should die before I wake,
That is one less test I have to wake!
Have a good day and thanks for the reminder!
Well said! Prayer is not one of my gifts, but I do try. I have never tried Seuss style before, though. Hmmm God Bless you, Ken
Y'know, I never "get" those people who treat God as if He were some distant being while they're praying. I figure if you're going to talk to Him as Father and Friend, you're not going to push Him so far away with language that neither He nor you can understand or meet.
Oh dear...I feel a blog coming on... :)
Kim,
I honestly can say that I don't recall having a two-sided conversation with God. How sad is that! I know that He answers, but I always feel it in the area of His response to my concerns or requests. I would love, read that again - LOVE to have that kind of relationship with the Father, but I honestly don't know how to get there. I do believe with all my heart God hears my prayers and He keeps all of me in His hands. I just don't know how to "be still" enough to hear Him speak to me.
Great thought today, lady, especially about the factoid about satan. I had never really thought about his not reading my mind. I love the idea of being able to zig when he zags.
Blessings to you,
Sha
AMEN
I totally agree. Sometimes I'll just say, "God please make Satan go away!" I can't fight him in MY power, but I'm so glad God is on my side!
Now I lay me down to sleep freaked my kids out when they realized it, too. I had never used it with them, but their great grandma did one night, and they couldn't sleep!
I believe that if God called you to Africa, you would go and love it!!
I specifically remember spending the night at my grandma's house when I was a little girl and my great grandma put me down to bed and prayed the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer and the last line scared the crud out of me. I couldn't sleep all night.
You are a very deep thinker and a great one to take advice from! Thanks for being you!
I absolutely LOVE your Dr.Seuss pryaer!! Gotta do that in my Sunday School class sometime! Awesome! I am one of those pray-ers that you talk about...and yet, with every year that goes by, I realise more and more, how much more I need to learn. First started praying and thought it was all about 'me' and how fierce I could pray. Then I learned that God actually wouldn't mind talking to - so listening could be a part of my prayer time too. Now..I'm learning to not finish God's sentences when He is talking to me.
But now...I'm seriously thinking about learning to sing my prayers - I think He might like that!
ps...I get giggly at KJV prayers too..but if it works for some I think God would rather have you talking KJV, than not talking at all!
I sigh alot at the end of your posts...did you know that?
They are sighs of: "Again God talks right through her words..she thinks it's for her but it is so much more and now what could I possible say?" Kind of sighs...
We so TOTAL-LY MUST speak of "God-Stuff" MORE!
AND! I MUST contact my own list of "prayer warriors" I really, really need them and I have been reluctant to call on them...(sigh)
I love you kpjara (why I prefer this name for you over Kim I don't know but I do!)
so there...
I agree...we have been given eternal life!
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