Feeling Out of Touch With God? Try This!

Sorry I haven't been able to post daily. We were on vacation and I'm now waiting for a new laptop AC adapter to be delivered. Until then, I have to borrow time on my husbands laptop.

What do you pray? There are many different ways to pray. Some people pray the same type of prayer each time they pray. Other people pray different types of prayer.

One of my favorite structured prayers is to pray the Bible. Pray scripture. It is simple. You don't have to think about what to say next. Never feel embarrassed about what you say. It is the word of God. This is my favorite way to converse with God. I believe it is the easiest way to feel the Spirit of God at times when you may feel out of touch with Him. It is an affirmation to God that you believe in the Word.

How do you pray the Bible?

Step 1: Find a quiet time and place. This may be the most difficult part.

Step 2: Pick a Bible Passage. A good one to start with is the Twenty third Psalm.

Step 3: Have a moment of silence. Imagine Christ's presence with you. He is always there. We just have to realize the reality of it. Be quiet in His presence for several minutes.

Step 4: Read aloud the Bible passage you have chosen. Read slowly and deliberately. Feel the Word of God as you read.

Step 5: Have a moment of silence to think about the passage. You may want to read it over again, think about the meaning and think about what the passage means to you and your walk with God.

Psalm 23 NIV

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

This exercise is one out of The Workbook of Living Prayer by Maxie Dunnam. The first time I did this I was so moved at the amazing closeness that I felt to God, that tears streamed down my face. Whether you cry or not, I hope you feel the same awesome power go through you as I do, every time I pray the Bible.

Kassandra is Doing Well

Sorry I couldn't post while I was on vacation in Baltimore. The hotel we were staying at said every room had wifi but this was not true. I could have gone down to the lobby to post, but honestly, I didn't feel as safe as I would have liked.

I spoke to Kassandra's mom. She is doing well and back home. Thank you to everyone who prayed with me!

No Update Yet on Kassandra

I just want everyone to know that I have not heard any updates on Kassandra's progress as of yet. I am on vacation in the middle of the country and have no cell phone service. Can you hear me now? Absolutely Not.

Tomorrow I will be travelling again and I should get service again. I will call Kassandra's parents and hopefully have an update tomorrow evening. As of now, I will continue to pray for Kassandra.

A Prayer for Kassandra

Lord, Father in Heaven, I praise You for being such an awesome God. Please forgive me for being the sinner that I am. I thank You for the forgiveness that you have given, through the blood of your Son, Jesus. Lord, I pray for Kassandra. She is having her surgery today. Please heal her strong and fast. Don't let her feel pain from the surgery. Let her not feel the pain from her disease. Father, please let Your warmth and healing touch embrace this little girl today and all the days to come. In the name of Jesus, this I pray. Amen.

How do I Pray to Such an Awesome God?

Have you ever gone to God in prayer completely at a loss for words? I know I have. I felt silly about it for the first five seconds. I just sat there with my head bowed ready to pray but not really knowing what to say to such an awesome God. So that's what I prayed, "Lord, here I sit with my head bowed not really knowing what to say to such an awesome God." That is when I began my journey in prayer and let God lead me in my conversation with Him.

The structure that I use for prayer is given by the acronym "ACTS", representing adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication (or intercession.) This is one order, where we start off focusing on who God is, and praising him for that.

Adoration is to adore God, to worship him and to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul. As we spend time in adoration, we praise God for who He is - our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer.

Confession allows us to clear away the things in the relationship between you and God which are displeasing to Him. All of us have sinned.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

We should constantly be thanking God for the blessings He gives us. Each moment God is blessing us, every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given. In writing to Timothy, Paul makes it clear that we also need to be giving thanks for everyday, worldly things " I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Tim 2:1.

Supplication or Intercession. Finally we come to ask God for our needs and the needs of others. There are many things we can and should be praying for.

This is really just the beginning. Don't feel overwhelmed. God will lead the prayer even if the words come out of your mouth.

Start out by thinking what your prayer would be. Write it down. Keep it short and concise. Kay Arthur states in her book Lord, Teach Me to Pray, "God doesn't hear better just because we pray longer!" This I truly believe.

Who Do We Pray For?

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Tim 2:1

I see this verse and it reminds me of two things. First we are to pray for everyone. Second we are to pray for anyone in authority (whether we like them or not). This tells me that we are to pray for federal government leaders, state government leaders, local government leaders. I also believe it means to pray for church leaders. The list could be endless. It says "all those in authority." Where then does it stop? Do you pray for your boss? Well it certainly couldn't hurt any. It might make your job more enjoyable. How about your child's school teacher? Our children that attend public school may not be able to pray with the classroom teacher any longer but it doesn't mean we cannot pray for the classroom teacher.

I challenge you, all Christians, pray for our president. Pray for other world leaders. Pray for all government figures, that they make decisions, according to God's will. It is easy to complain about the decisions that have been made, but take the road less traveled, PRAY, and be happy to do it.

The verse above says that if you pray for everyone: kings and all in authority that you will live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. I don't know what you think about that but it sounds pretty good to me.