As I have recently been trying to embark on a new journey called humility with a side of "quick to listen, slow to speak" I have found myself learning more about the heart of God and how that compares to the heart of Lisa. That in itself takes a huge amount of humility! I love to speak my mind. Always have. My family can attest to that! It didn't even have to be anything of importance. I was just going to always put my two cents in no matter what. It wasn't something that I thought about, I just did it. I am still very much like that. God has been showing me that no matter what I say or how I feel, I need to have a heart that reflects His and with that will come the words. If my words reflect my heart, then what does that say about my prayers? In order to pray in God's Will, I need to have God's heart. That means to sometimes speak less, listen more, pray fervently and faithfully, and put my will aside for God's. It means to "Be still, and know that I am God".
So many of us have a hard time praying aloud. For me, it was always a feeling of not sounding reverent enough. I never learned how to pray and never thought of it as just talking to God. In my teen years, I only heard my pastor pray during church service. I certainly didn't have the words that he had and thought that is how praying should sound; very formal and eloquent. Plus, those were just words to me. When I did come to know Christ, I still felt like I needed to sound a certain way. It wasn't until God led me to a ladies small group almost 4 1/2 years ago that I found out what it meant to pray and how real, true, genuine prayers sounded....AND were answered! I am in no way saying that how a pastor prays is not real or genuine, I'm just saying it isn't the only way to pray. God wants our heart. If that means begging God then beg. If that means crying so hard that you can hardly breathe or compose a rational thought then bawl your eyes out and and say whatever comes out of your mouth. If that means giving God thanks for your day then give thanks. If that means telling God that you don't even know what to say or how to express your feelings tell Him that. If that means asking God to just get you through a moment or the day, then ask that of Him. If that means telling God that you don't understand something or why He is doing something then tell Him. You would be surprised at how He will answer you. If that means telling God that you don't even want to be praying and bringing this before Him, then tell Him that. You'll be surprised where your prayer will go from there. Friends, I have prayed all of these prayers and that's why I shared them with you. God wants to hear from us no matter what. I have prayed these prayers alone sitting on my bed and have prayed these prayers with my girlfriends. The power behind the transparency and vulnerability that you release will blow your mind away. There is no time minimum or time limit with God. A 30 second prayer can be just as powerful as a 3 minute prayer as long as you are real with God. He does NOT want mere words. He does NOT want meaningless repetition. From the lips of Jesus, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words”.
I believe prayer is the lifeblood of walking through faith with God. Prayer was not intended for superficial reward. It isn't to get what we want. It isn't to make us better people. It isn't to make God love us more. It isn't used to tell God what is going on. It isn't for God period. It's for us. It's to bring us closer to God. It's a reminder of our dependency and submission to Him. It's a way to be in fellowship with Him. It's a reminder of sacrifice when we lift up others to Him. It IS how we talk to God!
I have also found that praying for others is a gift. Those moments that I have literally bawled in my car on the way to school praying for others changed my heart immediately. My mindset was different. My pity party that seemed to have started earlier that morning was gone. The times that I lie in bed begging for others falling asleep in my tears are precious moments with Him. These are the times when I'm closest to God. Praying for others can be such a selfless act and brings true humility before the Lord. To know that you can actually pray on behalf of a loved one or even a complete stranger is humbling to say the least. It is also quite a position to hold and is to be taken seriously. My first revelation to this responsibility was earlier this year. God truly blessed me with a new friendship about a year ago with one of the most God fearing women I've ever known. One particular day she shared a few things from the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah. With permission, here is an excerpt of her email...
A "watchman" is literally someone who guards or protects. How cool is that?! Most of what's found in the Word is in Ezekiel, where God calls Ezekiel to be His watchman over the house of Israel (mainly in chapters 3 and 33). As I read about Ezekiel's responsibility, I was stuck by the level of accountability the Lord held him to. He was held accountable for their "blood" - their lives, their eternities. Obviously, we are not called to hear from the Lord and speak warnings to God's people about their sin as Ezekiel did. (Ha!) But as I read, I just couldn't help but think that we will be held accountable for how well we pray for our ladies. Will we be intentional? Will we fight for them? Will we sacrifice our spare time for them? Will I give up flipping through my latest issue of InStyle for more time to pray? It just made me realize once again, that our call to pray isn't one to be taken lightly. Isaiah 62:6 says this about our role, "I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest." A high calling, ladies!
As I read her email, I felt the weight of this responsibility that I was called to carry. It scared me. I felt totally inadequate. I remember just crying over the burden of this. But...this is biblical. I was reminded of Galatians 6:2 that says Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. God already had this covered. He had it covered when He allowed Christ to be born to die. Christ carried the burden for us and we are to do the same for others. While we aren't anyone's savior, we are to walk through life together no matter the circumstances. Getting back to Rita's email, that Isaiah 62:6 verse really speaks volumes. Give yourselves no rest. Wow. Those hurting and struggling around us need our prayers. That's plural, friends. Prayers. Not just a one time prayer. Prayers.
I guess my point to sharing the importance of intercession is that it shouldn't be taken lightly. I often wonder how many times when I hear or read, "Praying", "Praying for you", "You are in my prayers", if that's really the case. Has it become so instinctual to say those words just the same way we ask someone how they are? As much as I covet prayers from those who will take them before the Throne, I don't want to hear "Praying for you" if you aren't.
One last thing I would like to share is how God meets us exactly where we are - even by the tiniest cries for Him, the not-so-formal prayers and pleas. With her permission, I am sharing an experience earlier this week from my new sweet friend. In a nutshell, she was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy . Overwhelmed period. Telling God, "I can't do this." Actually I'll stand corrected... she said she was talking to God and telling him, "I can't do this" and His response was, "I got this. Just be still." Hmmm....having a conversation with God? Talking to God? Sounds a bit like prayer to me. Aaaaand, I'd be willing to bet it wasn't very formal and eloquent but what do I know since I wasn't there, right? ;) Anyway, without going any further I think you get the idea. In that moment, God revealed Himself to her. When I tell you how, it will seem pretty normal. It was through a rainbow. I know we've all seen rainbows before right? This time it meant something. So many times, God is right in front of our faces shining His glory before us and we don't even recognize it. So many times we miss out on hearing God. We pray yet don't listen. We pray then move on with our day. We pray then don't think about it again until the next time we pray about it. We pray and don't seek His answer. How many times have we walked passed something in our home only to one day run smack into it. We felt it! Going forward, we notice it and know it's there! Doesn't mean it wasn't there before that moment when it hit us like a ton of bricks! When we seek God and BAM, He's there, you know it! That rainbow was God in all of His Majesty saying, "We have a covenant. I am with you. Be still. Trust me. I got this. I LOVE YOU!"
Having the honor to get to share in her moment knowing what she was feeling in those exact seconds is priceless. She took a video and I honestly can say I have never seen a bigger more vibrant, beautiful rainbow in my life.
