Prayer: Shaking the tree.

“Some mercies are not given to us except in answer to importunate prayer. There are blessings which, like ripe fruit, drop into your hand the moment you touch the bough. But there are others which require you to shake the tree again and again, until you make it rock with the vehemence of your exercise, for only then will the fruit fall down.” (Charles Spurgeon)



I have for sure shared this quote before.  But it is TOO GOOD not to share again. I think as Christians we think we need to stop praying, that if God hasn't immediately healed or provided then the answer is no.  Sometimes the answer only comes after months, years, etc of prayer.  I suppose that God is interested in what happens to our heart during those years.  So, keep shaking the tree.

This post is as much for me as anyone else as I feel we will likely be shaking the tree for awhile before he is hired and then I am hired...yep, we get to do the job search thing twice yippy!  Keep praying, keep praising, keep shaking the tree.

Contentment in Singleness #2: Prayer

My first post in this series discuessed a willingness to look at contentment in a new light.   We must realize (in all circumtances of life) that being content does not mean being happy with our circumstances.  Being content requires peace and satisfaction (dictionary definition is a state of satisfaction) despite our circumstances.  If we silently pretent to always be okay and tell people what they want to hear (IE, never admit struggle for fear they will judge us for "not trusting"), then we may appear okay, but will grow feelings of dissapointment, hurt, regret and bitterness.  Instead we should honestly tell the Lord we are struggling (and even others, for our testimonies will bring Him more glory if people know we choose to follow despite our circumstances and struggles).  Anyway, small recap but you can read that post here.

I think that the next step towards contentment (after admitting our circumstances are rough) is prayer.

Phil 4: 11 tells us to be content in all circumstances which is quite a hard demand.  Luckilly, Paul gives some practical advice in an earlier verse, Phil 4:6,  when he tells them:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

(That verse is packed with two good tips, so any guesses what my next post will be on??)

I tend to be a very anxious person.  Anxiety seems to be the opposite of contentment.  One way I combat that is to follow this verse's command.  When I start to worry too much about anything, I take my worry-filled monologues and turn them into prayers, laying my fears, needs, shortcomings and REQUESTS at the feet of the Savior.

Pray, pray constantly, pray without ceasing.  This tends to be tough in very reformed staunch presbyterian circles.  We think that if we choose to believe God is soverign (as we know He is), then we must silently take our painful circumstances and pray we are wise enough to accept and learn from them.  We believe prayer is merely something we do because God commands us to do it.  Instead we should pray with believe that God can change our circumstances, that He can use our prayers to accomplish His will.  Our prayers don't change circumstances, He does, but He choses to do so in various ways, prayer included..

 I don't pretend to know how God's forknowledge and plans on our lives work together with our prayers, but I know prayers are used to change our heart and our circumstances.  I think that many singles (and many people in rough circumstances in general) are scared to ask because they are scared God does not want to bless them or that He can't or won't answer.  While we have to approach God knowing that He is not a magic genie and not every prayer gets the answer we long for, the fear of praying reflects our negative view of God, implying that He does not care about our pain, longings, desires, needs. 

A huge step towards contentment is prayer, bringing your requests before the Lord!  Pray for a change in circumstances and a change in our own hearts.  Pray for spouses and answers but also pray for contentment without those things. Pray for understanding and encouragement from others.

The Lord may not answer your prayer the way you hoped (although He will answer it perfectly), but the Lord is the only one who CAN answer prayers so why not approach Him humbly (but boldly) in prayer, asking that He meet your needs and sustain you? 

Bringing our requests before the Lord not only can lead to answers and blessings, it can also strengthen our relationship with the Lord, calm our anxieties (as the verse says), and develop good habbits for prayer in the future -- I hope I continue to be eager to pray for myself and others long after I am married (through the many ups and downs of life!).  Also, communion with the Lord where we share our needs and requests reminds us that the Lord hears and loves us in our pain and neediness.

Prayer and Fasting

Praying and Fasting.....

I think I have spoken before about my Monday Fasting.  I followed this website where women (and now men) prayer for marriage -- but not only pray for marriage, specifically pray for godly men to rise up, godly women to rise up and marriages to develop.  This group prays and fasts on monday  (either all day or during lunch). 

I used to do this on mondays....even when dating someone.  I would pray for the men I know, I would pray for my friends, and I would pray for me-- that we would continue to grow and the Lord would provide wonderful healthy marriages.  I have gotten lazy with it. I've been busy and quite frankly, I've been so happy with my life-- not just my relationship, but my wonderful friends, my job (knock on wood, as soon as I say job has been good, itll get super stressful), my roomates, etc. So today is my first day back!

The truth is I need to continue praying and fasting-- I'm not married so I should be praying for myself, I should be praying for my friends to meet great guys, and for the men I know to keep growing into good leaders.  I also have a host of other friends (married and single) who need prayer.  Fasting is an area of our faith and walk with the Lord that many people ignore.  The church doesn't emphasize it enough but it is all throughout the Bible.  I want to start researching this discipline and make it a part of my life...not only in my monday prayers for marriages and singles, but also in my own life when I have a big decision or problem.  Taking it before the Lord, nondistracted, relying only on Him is something good I need to do more often.

So I encourage you to look at this website, particularly if you are single or dating, but also if you have single friends, daughters, sons, siblings, etc that are single and you could pray for and fast from food, facebook, tv, bread, or whatever you chose to fast from on mondays. Also, you could use the time to pray for others that are hurting or waiting for children, jobs, etc.


Praying for others....

One of the most encouraging/powerful things you can do for a person is pray for them -- really pray, not say "I'll pray for you" but really get on your knees for them.  Because truth is you can't change their life or heart, but the Lord can.  My friend Sarah is happilly engaged to a great guy, but she has made it her goal to pray for her single friends.  She started doing it when she was still just dating her now fiance. And we tease her about how well her prayers work...if she makes you her focus, you meet someone soon after.  So far, one boy she prayed for met his fiance, another girl is dating the boy I'm pretty certain she will marry, and 2 or 3 more of us are dating.  Sarah's prayers aren't what caused this, of course, the Lord brought answers. But I do not think its a coincidence that the Lord chose to answer as prayers were increased.  As someone she has prayed for, it has been touching to have a prayer warrior, and has motivated me to be praying for my friends single and married- in all different struggles in their life.

Prayers while running...

I follow another blogger...who recently ran a race that was in memories of those who died. Each mile, she prayed for the family members and friends of one of the men that died.  I am currently training for a half.  This motivated me to do something similar when running. Nothing formal or specific, but I started to spend some of my time running in prayer...and when I am running races (which will have mile or km markers), I want to dedicate specific miles or km's to praying for someone.  When running, thats all you can do, you can't get distracted by laundry or tv or a phone call, you can listen to music, think and run...so if I will be running, I should spend sometime in conversation with my Lord.

This weekend I am running a 10k and want to try praying for someone different each km.  Several of these prayers will be single friends...and several will be  for those with other struggles.  I'm already so excited about this, it feels like my run has more purpose now. If you have any prayer requests, I'd love to pray for you while I run during the week or during the race (and I have another one in 3 weeks!)  email me at kcbraden@gmail.com or leave a comment.  And just like I encourage you to try the discipline of fasting, try incorporating prayer time into a daily activity...My sister used her late night nursing time to pray for people, I'm starting to use running, maybe you turn off the tv when you fold clothes and pray, or maybe your morning commute becomes a prayer time. But, the longer I live, the more I believe that praying for others is one of the biggest gifts we can give someone and it provides us with communion with our Father!!

Spurgeon on Unanswered prayers

"Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers--they are not blown away by the wind, they are treasured in the King's archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven wherein every prayer is recorded. Tested believer, your Lord has a tear bottle in which the costly drops of sacred grief are put away, and a book in which your holy groanings are numbered. Before long, your suit shall prevail. Can't you be content to wait a little while? Won't your Lord's time be better than yours? Before long He will comfortably appear, to your soul's joy, and make you put away the sackcloth and ashes of lengthy waiting, and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition."

What I am reading Wednesday

This article is me to a T....except not as extreme.  I don't see myself as a newlywed, decorating a nursery before I get pregnant. But I am naturally a planner and thus, often a worrier. So I look ahead.  I want to know where my life will take me-- if a job will open up in a year or two, if a relationship will lead to forever or just heartache, if I will be a lawyer forever or do something else, if I will travel to this ballgame next year, how many kids should i have, etc etc.  I often times (espeically relationally) am worrying because I want to know the outcome in order to diminish pain.  This author made some good points about always looking to the future not the present.

I LOVE this article on praying in expectation.  This is what has changed the most in my prayer life in the past year or so.  I read a lot of spurgeon exerpts and articles talking about praying with real faith....and as I started praying, expecting an answer and thanking God for that answer before he even answered, I begin to get more answer and at very least, notice answers that had been there. 

A yankee's perspective on ole miss and the south.

not typical resolutions

In the words of counting crows, "It's been a long december and there's reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last..."

December began good and didn't end very poorly, but God certainly knew what He was doing by drawing my attention to advent because the last couple weeks of December were stressful and frustrating at times....and I was relieved to see it end......and after reading people's facebook statuses on New Years, I realize that most people felt the same way I did about 2011: Ehhhh.....  not the worst year but certainly nothing special. It was filled with challenges in relationships, church, work, frustrations, etc.

I also noticed two sentiments: unbridled hope that the number of a year or a new years resolution could change one's life so drastically (not that goal setting is bad) or continued pessimism that the next year would be as uneventful or as hurtful as the year before.

I don't want any of these sentiments. I want to hope, but not in my own abilities, in my Lord. And, I don't want to pessimistic....I want to believe the Lord is working in me and that there will be changes in me a year from now....So on top of my "I am going to start running" and "bill more hours at work" type of resolutions, here are some of mine for the new year:

1. I want to go forth each day, each month, each year -- believing that we have a God that can bless, heal, provide and most importantly, work for our good (even when it doesn't feel that way). I want to trust His timing.

2. Although advent has ended, I don't want to leave the manger at Christmas. I want to constantly be aware that God is with us, that as I watch families mourn sick ones or try to encourage a friend struggling with temptation or loss or loneliness, Our God knows that pain...and felt it.

3. I want to live in constant prayer -- for myself and others....prayer that believes; prayer that is immediate and constant; and prayer that is true relationship with my Savior, not just words and formulas and  checklists.

4. I want to live very aware of my sin and God's grace- but also, making an effort to put sin to death on a daily basis.

5. I want to live more aware of how to love others well, even better than myself-- striving to care for hurting friends more and striving to even pray for my enemies (this last one is the hardest for me). This will be hard - loving others well and praying for those who hurt me -- but the Lord loves us well and hopefully through Him, I can care for others.

6. I want to be aware of God's faithfulness and protection- even in the smallest measures....the friend who happens to call on a day where you were feeling down or the way you barely avoided that wreck on the interstate. We look for His provision in so many ways and feel dissapointed but sometimes He provides for us daily in small ways and we often don't notice those.

A prayer of hope at Christmas

For those who need hope  this Christmas or at other times of the year.... I read this prayer and thought of so many I know who need hope right now...those who have lost family members this year, who have faced sickness, who have endured heartache.  Such a beautiful prayer of feelings we have all had before.

Prayer - greatest encouragement

A couple days ago, my sweet sister posted this blog post about prayers for those waiting for babies...and in the post, she included in her prayers those who are waiting for husbands and children.

I read this after a particularly long day of realizing the milestone of Christmas was coming and still no significant other (even after dating several guys this year --- that always dissapoints me, when my dating seems to lead nowhere) and buying my sweet nephew a first Christmas ornament at Mistletoe Marketplace and fearing I would never be buying one for my own child.

Her post offered encouragement - but why? she offered no advice, no quick fix, no 20 ways to find a man post. She simply offered prayers. and concern. I've had people ask before, how can singles be encouraged? They genuinely wanted to know what to do. And I've thought, what is it I want? How can I tell people to be more encouraging? My sister is usually pretty good at encouraging me...what is it that she does?

And the concern she shows is generally what all people want, whatever their struggle is (infertility, singleness, sickness, grief, depression, finanacial struggles, marital problems, etc)

So how can you love singles effectively? Or really, how can you love others more effectively? (my example is just singleness since its what I know)

1. Offer prayers, not advice.

She offered prayers, not advice.

Not that there is not a time for advice...there is. If I am always in a sweatshirt with messy hair or I am rude or aloof, that's something I may need to fix...so please lovingly tell me. If I live in podunk, middle of nowhere where there are no men to meet, a suggestion to look for a job elsewhere or try internet dating or visit my friends in big cities a lot is a good recommendation.

But mostly, I need prayers. I have become a big believer in fervent prayer, in laying our desires down before our Lord. So, when someone tells me they are praying for me to meet a spouse, I find it incredibly encouraging. I pray weekly for my wonderful friends to meet husbands, as well as myself. Prayer is the most proactive thing that can be done....and prayers not just for contetment, but for provision.

Prayers are also encouraging because sometimes there is no advice that will help: you've done all you can - you are meeting new people, you are presenting yourself well, you are giving men a fair chance and not having an impossible list of qualities you are looking for. Sometimes the reality of God's soverignty in bringing the right person (job, child, etc) into your life is only realized through prayer. Not that much more self improvement can be done, only prayer and trust.

2. Do not trivialize someone's pain.

Notice how Marley includes the longing for husband and child on the list with those who lost children or who are trying to get pregnant. (I am not equating my longing to that of a mother who lost a child, but making the point that my sister classifies singleness as a real struggle) I've had friends trivialize failed dates, breakups, dateless weekends, turning another year older as not as difficult as the married/family problems. She included it right there in a list of married problems, she treated it as a real problem.  She treats it as a real longing, a real problem.

 How many times do we all do that? Hear about someone's problem that doesn't seem like a big deal to us because we haven't struggled with it...and make it seem silly? Sometimes just acknowledging someone's pain as valid is the kindest thing you can do for them.

3. Be grateful for what you have been given.

I am very guilty of lacking gratefulness for my blessings, so I can't point fingers too much on this issue. But, its hard for people who long for something to hear you whine about it too much without acknowledgement of the blessing. My sister made the point to me that whenever she hears women constantly complain about a baby being up all night, she thinks of those women who would love to have a baby keep them up all night. Not to say that you shouldn't complain, but an appreciation of one's blessings is good... some people seem to think if they make marriage seem less attractive, its easier for me to hear about it. Thats not true, don't try to convince me marriage and babies are hard (I know!) -- dont constantly whine to downplay it for me, because i rejoice with you for your blessings...and I want to hear your problems, but when you constantly downplay or whine about something I long for, its hard to hear.

4. Don't portray yourself as any more deserving of blessings.

This is my biggest pet peeve. I have had numerous people say to me things about them being more mature/ready for marriage, about how they didn't date around a lot so God provided the right man, etc etc. It's not true. I am not mature enough or deserving of marriage, but neither were you. None of us deserve any of the good gifts we have been given. And thining that we do puts us in (1) danger of bitterness for not receiving what we think we deserve or (2) in danger of false superiority in thinking we do deserve all we have gotten. In her prayers, my sister acknowledged that she was blessed and deserved it no more or less than others.

So, there is my answer for all who have asked what is it that singles want? (besides the obvious answer ha) -- prayers...lots of prayers and an expression of true concern and gratitude.

And, I will be taking my own list of tips here....how can I love others better? Prayer. Not trivializing their pain. True concern. I often times dont have answers, but I do have two knees and plenty of time to be praying for sick babies and broken marriages and people in need of jobs.

Answered Prayers

Yesterday, I wrote about how I felt I had a chance at Redemption as one of the several things I have learned from a recent dating "relationship". There were several other things I learned last week (I suppose I should send him a thank you note!).

2. Answered Prayers

I very rarely really like someone - I have only dated 3-4 guys that I actually was crazy about. I get along with a lot of people and I go on many dates and sometimes I will even date a guy for awhile because I care for him and I think more chemistry might develop (I am a big believer that "LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT" is a bunch of crap....many times you get to know someone's personality and then you like them a lot more than at first)

I actually met the guy I was dating (E) while on a date with someone else 6 months ago. THAT date went nowhere partially because he was dumb enough to invite his friend (E) along with us and it was clear that E and I hit it off better than my date and I did (boys: dont bring competition to your date, also as a girl, its kindof insulting that you didnt think you could be alone with me for 2 hrs without other company). A casual flirtation persisted for months, off and on, suggestions of a date, but never a date until beginning of September (as one could expect, its awkward to ask a girl out whom you met through your friend who was on a date with her). There was the illusive chemistry from day one (back last March) -- which is wonderful, except when you are practical like me and trying to decide if this is a boy you want to date seriously.

As I got to know E, I had some reservations, many of them cleared up through discussion and getting to know him, but unlike others I have had such an immediate connection with, I still felt concern based on some of the differences we had. However, sometimes differences are good and grace is required. I didn't want to make a hasty decision and I really liked him. I am the type of person who picks people apart, so I did not know if my concerns came from real issues or from me looking to find a flaw, like I often do. So, I decided that the best thing to do was to pray....

Not to just pray that he was the one I should be with (as I think EVERY girl does before every first date , haha - please Lord let this be my last first date!), but to pray that if he wasn't the one, God would slam the door and do it quickly, before more feelings were involved for both of us. For good measure, I also specifically prayed that it would end in a way where I was so irritated that I didn't sit around still pining for the boy.

And...after a couple weeks of prayers, thats exactly what happened...a clear shut door, complete with a personal attack prior to giving his real reason. I'm glad he attacked me. Had things just ended because he wanted to put work before relationships again, then I would probably have still wanted to be with him. But, being attacked and lied to made me furious, eager to shut the door myself.....In fact, I believe after speaking my peace, my exact words were I'm tired of this, I am going to bed now, goodnight. I had no desire to sit there and try to convince him we should keep dating. God answered me-- even down to the smallest details (let it be in a way that irritates me...)

A solid and firm NO makes things easier to move on from. I wish all relationships ended so clearly. True, this is not the answer I wanted. After all, I always HOPE the guy and the relationship is as good as it seems at first. But, if you ask God to answer your prayers and believe He can, you must accept the NO answers too, and you must accept that your answers may come in ways you don't want. (sidenote: last year, in a dating situation, I had a "wait" answer which I truthfully believe is far harder than a NO...because you don't know if and when to move on or if and when to hope)

God heard me....and he responded, even down to the last detail. And, strangely enough, my NO makes me even more confident that God is working to provide blessings in my life. Because if He heard my request to end it quickly and clearly, He is also hearing my daily petitions for a spouse and may even be working to provide as I type this sentence.

And, what is more is He is hearing my prayers for friends' salvation, prayers for family members, prayers for healing, etc. If He can answer a prayer request so trivial in the grand scheme of things (if things end, let him irritate me so the breakup will be easier...) then certainly He is even more concerned with the larger prayer requests...the broken hearts, the failing marriages, the lonely singles, the childless women, the sick family members. It may seem impossible to you that God could save your child or heal your suffering. Like me, you may be waiting for a spouse or a child and based on the past dissapointments, you believe it would take a miracle for that to happen.

Luckilly, our prayers are heard by someone who can orchestrate circumstances far better than we could imagine.... who can answer small and big requests. And I needed to be reminded of that.

So, strangely enough, I learned to believe in God's provision through his NO. I am excited to see how much more He teaches me when the answer is YES.

Jesus Sleeping

I love this blog post on Jesus Sleeping on the boat and the disciples waking Him.

I love the distinction it makes between waking Jesus due to a distrust that He would take care of the problem and waking Jesus because of a trust He will take care of the problem.

SIDENOTE:
I am a big believer in persistant prayer. I haven't always been, but the Lord has flooded my life over the past year with verses, quotes, articles, etc on praying persistantly and constantly and believing the Lord can answer. Often times in reformed circles we focus so much on God's will that I think if I pray once for healing or provision and it does not come, certainly the answer is no and I must accept it. I think that scripture is pretty clear that you must ask to recieve and that there is something that happens with persistant prayer. Surely God could give me the answer yes or no immediately. He could step in and solve all of my problems this very minute, but what I would lose in exchange for that is too great. The time I spend praying and coming to Him with petitions AND thanksgiving is a bigger blessing than the answer I seek. So while I want to accept God's no's, I try not to think every prayer that does not immediately result in a friend's healing, a spouse, salvaging of a friendship, overcoming of a certain sin, etc is a No...sometimes these answers come after years of prayer and sometimes the prayer changes us.

BACK TO MY ORIGINAL POINT...
In this article, the author makes the point that Jesus could have been rebuking them for the unbelief that led them to wake Him in the first place..or He could be upset not for the waking but the fear they showed once they awoke. I have no theological backing for this, but I believe its the latter. I think He rebuked them because they woke Him due to their fear and lack of trust. Andree Seu points out that the story could have been different...they could have woken Him because of the scary circumstances with the intention of having Him fix things.

At that point, maybe Jesus would have said to them that they came to the right person to calm the storm, that they had faith in the only person who could calm the storm. Thats not how the story goes, of course...but I think its an interesting thought in how we approach Christ....See, they were rebuked for little faith, not "no faith" or "nonexistant faith".

Isn't that us? Or more importantly, isn't that me? I have some faith. I pray for people and for myself believing God could possibly redeem, heal, provide. But, I often times pray, rather persistantly, but with a belief that it probably won't happen. I think I view it in percentages...maybe there is a 20 percent change that God will step in and save the day....so if I pray enough about enough things, then maybe one out of five requests will be answered...one loved one won't die. One relationship will be saved...but certainly God can't save them all.

I have little faith, some faith -- afterall, just like the disciples, I come to the right person, even if I come anxiously, with doubt and with fear. But Christ would rebuke me, too, for having too little.

The author states, "When I pray to God, I should never pray in an anxious He-loves-me He-loves-me-not way, but with confidence and anticipatory thanksgiving." That hit home. Thats how I pray...Lord, maybe could you provide healing for this relationship, if you are not too busy... Maybe could you heal ____ of this disease, if you so desire...

Why not pray boldly? Why not wake Jesus on the boat and say "There is a storm, please calm it. I know you can! I know you are the only person who can!"

I still understand that not every storm in life will be calmed the way I want or even calmed at all. Sometimes the Lord will help me through that storm BUT it will still remain. However, why wouldn't I come to the only person who can calm the storm in Trust and Belief that He can calm the storm? What good is my persistant prayer if I don't really believe the Lord will step in? Why am I praying at all? Just because I think its right?

Phil 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let yoru requests be known to God."

A prayer today for mothers.....

Today, i said many prayers for mothers....

I said a special prayer for my own mother who has put up with me - who was an incredibly outgoing busy opinionated sometimes difficult child. I said a prayer thanking God for giving me this mother and none other, knowing that we would have a special bond, and that she would have the strength to put up with 4 crazy kids! I said a prayer for my mother that she would continue to do a good job being a mother and a grandmother and that God would encourage her in this role.

I said a prayer of gratitude for the many other women who have influenced my life--who encouraged me and loved me - for my grandmothers, for my aunts, for my friends' mothers, sunday school teachers, mentors, etc. whom have all pointed me to Christ in some way.....what a blessing to have them in my life as well.

I said a prayer for many of my friends who are new moms--- with infants and toddlers. I prayed that they would be encouraged in these young years when there are sleepless nights and temper tantrums and learning the word "NO" and screaming the word "NO". I prayed for patience and rest and renewed strength. I also prayed for the many good moments too-- the cuddling, and falling asleep in your arms and bedtime prayers and first steps -- I prayed the good fun times outweigh the stressful times. I prayed these women have a support system as they parent young children to love the Lord and grow into great men and women!

I said a prayer for all of those who have lost their moms, whom miss them dearly and can't cook them a meal today, or buy them a card or say I love you. I prayed there would be comfort and joy in their hearts as they remember the good times and that the Lord would help ease their pain.

I said a prayer for the kids waiting for moms to adopt them, that their wait would not be long and that they would soon go home to a loving home with a mother who kisses their booboos and helps them with homework and bakes them cookies.

I prayed for my sisters, neither having children yet, that the Lord would continue to shape them to be women who would love sacrificially as mothers, the way our mother loved us. I prayed my brother would find a wife who would be a good mother as well.

I prayed for the many women, myself included, who are waiting to become mothers in the future, some who are just not to that stage yet (me) and some who have patiently waited and tried for children for years. I prayed God would work miracles and bring families and continue to prepare these women to be mothers. I prayed he would assure them of his goodness and soverignty as they wait. I prayed he would give them hope.

I prayed for mothers who have lost children and the grief they must feel today. I prayed God would meet them where they were and quietly comfort them in their heartache. I prayed that the Lord would bless them with memories and moments of joy during what must be a very difficult day.

Thank you Lord for creating mothers. How much better our lives are for having them!! Bless them all today and the rest of the year.

Prayer

I was encouraged by this article. Sometimes we are told as Christians not to create a wish list for God, not to be only focused on asking for things, but to use our prayer time to communicate with Him, to thank him for His many blessings and to get to know Him better. And, while I agree that our Lord is not Santa Clause-- here to give us our every wish and desire; I do think we sometimes belittle the fact that the Lord can make big things happen---heal the sick, reconcile friendships and family relationships, bring community and family to the lonely, provide a job to the unemployed or the funds to go to school or the mission field, etc. And, there is a very real aspect of our relationship with God that comes from trusting him and bringing our requests and fears before Him knowing He CAN provide and that many times, He wants to. That although He cares more about our holiness than our happiness, He does care about our desires as well.

Also, others (Christians and nonchristians) don't expect God to step in and answer our prayers, so why not ask God to show them

Not what they're expecting