Tag Archives: Prayers

Sometimes Substitutes Work Well

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The dishwasher was full to the brim with a load of dirty dishes…and I had forgotten to buy detergent…big problem. Not willing to brave the blustery weather to return to the supermarket, or unload the machine and do all those dishes by hand, I looked online for a dishwasher detergent substitute. Many suggestions were to put two to three drops of Dawn liquid dish soap in the dispenser and top it up with baking soda. So I did. Voila! It worked like magic and will be my mode of cleaning dishes from here on in.

It made me think of some of the problems we face in life. We can’t always clean them away with conventional methods, and sometimes need to search for a substitute. For me that substitute is prayer…prayer that should have been the first course of action, but got lost in the effort of trying to solve things my own way

Putting a few drops of prayer into life’s problem dispenser and filling it up with God, can work wonders with the many difficult decisions that come our way.

Is any of you in trouble? He should pray. James 5:13

 

 

Just Say Yes

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Here is an excerpt from his book, “The Quest of Character” by Charles R. Swindoll. It was brought to my attention by the late Rev. Frank Conkey, a former pastor of my church, and later a guest pastor upon occasion.

“As the pages of the calendar turn, and turn again, we’re reminded of the Lord’s power to change the times and the seasons. Brisk blustery days replace hot, still ones. Flowers grace the fields and then fade away. Leaves bud on naked limbs, open wide to the summer breeze then die in a flame of color. Take time today to rejoice in God’s presence as you acknowledge his right to bring change into your life. Are you sensitive to his working? Are you listening? Are you available and open to change? Tell him today.”

Just say yes. “Yes, Lord, I am listening and I am open; let me hear your word.”

Here too, is an excerpt of a prayer by Rev. Conkey:

“We pray for men and women in middle life who handle adjustments wisely and skillfully, who not only enjoy success but carry defeats and losses with courage; for older persons who keep youthful in spirit and vision, and have steadfast faith in you.”

These writings came to me at a challenging time in my life and were very apropos. By listening and being open to change, we are able to make transitions in our lives with less difficulty.

Are you sensitive to His working? Are you listening? Are you available and open to change?

Just say yes.

Why Am I Here, Anyway?

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This is chapter ten and the tenth prayer in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. The chapter is called Why Am I Here Anyway? And the prayer is God, Lead Me to My Destiny. Here is an excerpt from this final chapter:

In the final analysis, we are not just human beings but keys–keys that God has individually crafted to fit certain locks. Each of us is special because the lock we are called to open will accept only one key–one that looks different, acts different, and feels different from any other one; one that has different kinds of emotions, passions, skills, and defects from any other one. In fact, in all the world and in all of time itself, there has only been one key that has the ability to open this one particular lock–and you are it. Make no mistake: when you find the lock, you will find your destiny. It could be virtually anything. It could be something big or something small, something loud or something quiet. It could be something that makes you famous overnight or something that keeps you hidden. It could be that you’re destined to save someone’s life in a fire or some other disaster–or that you’re destined to change someone’s life through a simple conversation. It could be that you’ll one day create something that helps people–like an invention or a piece of inspiring music or a book or an article. It could be that your son or daughter is destined to achieve something stupendous–something he or she could not have achieved without your influence. Your destiny might be one decisive, dramatic moment in your life, or it might be many actions taken over many years. Who knows? Whatever it turns out to be, though, one thing is certain: it will be profoundly important to the life of this world and immensely fulfilling to you personally.

This has been my favorite chapter in the book. The author touches on science and religion, genetics and DNA, Forrest Gump and George Washington, and the destiny God has planned for all of us.

I have to admit to praying the above prayer, but also have to admit to still waiting for the answer–unless my book, My Precious Life, published last June, is the answer.

One thing I know for sure is that with God leading, my destiny can only be the best. I’m willing to wait forever.

 

I Can’t Take It Anymore!

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The fourth prayer in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To is, “God, Get Me Through This Suffering.” Here is an excerpt from this chapter, I Can’t Take It Anymore:

Now, there are many kinds of suffering we have to get through in this world. Some suffering is big and some suffering is small. But every kind can be tortuous in its own way–from toothaches to kidney stones; from migraine headaches to bouts of depression; from frustration at work to anxiety at home; from the sad, deteriorating death of the elderly to the sudden, shocking death of the young; from the grief that every son goes through when his mother dies to the unspeakable agony of two parents mourning the loss of their child. God says yes to all who come to him for help and comfort when they are in the midst of such trials. Notice I did not say that he promises to stop the suffering, or prevent if from happening in the first place, or alleviate it in any way. This may be one of the biggest stumbling blocks to faith, but we have to face it, head-on: God allows a lot of terrible things to happen.

It has been my experience that crying out to God in the midst of hurt and suffering, (especially childbirth!) that strength and peace are the almost immediate relief. However, having said that, most of my suffering comes from watching the suffering of others. When I see people bearing unbearable pain, enduring endless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation before surgery can be performed, being housebound due to physical conditions beyond their control, or hear the dastardly news of someone being beheaded because of another’s beliefs…my cry is then, “God, get them through their suffering!” Does he say yes to these prayers also? I do hope so!

Tomorrow: Am I A Terrible Person?…God Forgive Me

This Stress is Killing Me!

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God, Give Me Peace. This is the sixth prayer in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. Following, is today’s excerpt from This Stress is Killing Me:

One of the most powerful prayers God always says yes to is “Please give me peace.” After all, everyone wants peace–peace in the world; peace in our communities; peace in our families; peace in ourselves.This last kind of peace is perhaps most important because if we’re not at peace with ourselves, then it’s impossible to enjoy life, no matter what good things we possess. We can have youth, health, beauty, money, an amazing job, and a wonderful family–but if every day of our life is full of stress, then every day is going to be a nightmare. On the other hand, if we are at peace, then we can handle almost anything that life throws at us. … Most of us struggle with anxiety on a daily basis. We live in a perpetual state of reaction–reaction to the thousands of external forces that act on us all the time: TV, radio, friends, family, work, e-mail, bills, responsibilities, current events, carnal desires, worldly temptations, the weather. We’re constantly being pushed and pulled in so many directions that it’s hard to stand still and keep our equilibrium.

My greatest need for peace came on May 24, 2005, when a 5 p.m. phone call from my doctor revealed that “something was growing in my right lung.” This showed up on an x-ray I had just had at 2 p.m. the same day! I remember slowly hanging up the phone after being told a specialist appointment was being arranged as we spoke. My stress hormones were bouncing around my body like a lucky hit on a slot machine. That’s when I prayed loudly and sincerely, “God, PLEASE grant my your peace!” And it was granted..immediately.

Tomorrow: Okay, I Admit It: I’m Afraid…God Give Me Courage

Prayer for Peace

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Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, love;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

A beautiful prayer for a troubled world.

 

 

 

Another Sunday Prayer

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It’s Sunday again and I’d like to share another prayer of the people:

Breathe on us breath of God as we welcome Your Holy Spirit into the silence of our hearts.

Father God, help us to realize that talking about You is not the same as knowing You, and talking to You.

Help us to overcome the obstacles that prevent us from enjoying a closer relationship with You. Help us to trust You completely in the problems we face and the decisions we make each day.

When we are self centered, help us to center on You and the needs of others.

When we are feeling depressed and anxious help us to rest in Your never-ending love and to feel the comfort and peace that Your love brings.

When we lose our sense of compassion, help us to remember Your constant compassion for us and make us aware enough to feel it in our lives.

Make us humble enough to know that You are our help in every need and without You we are incomplete.

Father we pray for our friends and families and for each other and ask that You would replace our grief with peace, our sickness with healing, our poverty with prosperity and our sadness with joy.

We pray for world peace, for unity among all people, for governments of all countries and for courage to stand up to the unacceptable acts of those who have no concern for the lives and welfare of their fellow human beings.

Help these people to find a way to channel their destructive behavior into productive action that they may become caring members of our society.

May our prayers today be acceptable in Your sight, and may we try to make our lives acceptable to You in every way. Amen.

 

The Child in Me

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GG Brooke & CoraWhen I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. (1 Corinthians 13:11)

But then I grew up and put all childish things behind me. Well, you know, I really didn’t. I have a collection of Cabbage Patch Kids which began back in 1980 when I was bugging my daughters to have babies so I could be a grandmother. To keep me quiet until they were ready to accommodate my wishes, they gave me a CPK for Christmas one year–and then another and another.

I’m happy I still have those Kids because my great-granddaughters love to play with them when they come to visit.

Last Saturday, I was at a church bazaar and what do you think I found? A Cabbage Patch Kid–a lovely little girl, a little the worse for wear, but the child in me had to have her. I walked around that bazarre cuddling my new cutie-pie, and couldn’t wait to get home to add her to my CPK family.

When I was a child, I loved to hug trees. I still do, much to the embarrassment of my family when we are out together in a public park and I stop to hug a tree. I taught my grandchildren and great-grands to hug trees too!

When I was a child, I learned to say my prayers–Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, etc–and taught that prayer to my children when they were small. Along with my everyday prayers, I throw that one in once in awhile just for the memories.

When I was a child, I was very serious. I know this because I was constantly being told, “Don’t be so serious!”

When My Precious Life, my memoir, finally arrives at the book stores, you will understand why I was so serious. Now, because I love to smile and make jokes I’m sometimes asked, “Are you ever serious?” Go figure!

When I was a child, my imagination ran wild. It still does.

As a child, I loved to daydream, and I still do. I love getting lost in reverie.

So you see, I am still a child at heart, and that’s okay because Proverbs 22:6 says Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

And I say, “Amen to that!”