Isaiah 6:8

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Thursday, January 5, 2012

I Have Got To Tell You Something God....Are You Listening?

Yesterday was a funny day for me.  When I started to work I noticed I had a missed phone call from my daughter, Kat, at 10:00 the night before.  It worried me a bit because she knows I go to bed early...I tried to call her back.....but no answer.  So on my Hwy 22 Daily Ride I said a quick prayer that everything was alright.  At noon, one of our church members, who never calls me, called.  I did not get the call and when I tried to call her back there was no response....so once again....I dropped my head and prayed for the unknown.  On my way home I got Kat and she had an "Our God is AMAZING" story to tell me.  It was one of those where you get cold chills.  I finally got our church member too and she shared a health issue with me that was worrying her when she called.  I have discovered...you don't have to drop to a knee, Teebow style....all you have to do is offer up a prayer.....my class never knew I prayed.  The drivers I came into contact with on Hwy 22 never knew they were passing a car that was being fueled by prayer power.  I have really learned in the past few years that prayer is not just a monologue where one person(me) does all the talking.  That is what I thought it was for a long time.  I believed it was a time for me to list all my wants and needs before the Lord.  I also discovered that it is not a ritual where we must say things in the right order.  (You should hear some of my Hwy 22 prayers.)  It is also not a chore to get out of the way like brushing teeth before going to bed.  Nope!  It is a conversation....with a friend.  To me it is a time for pouring out my frustrations, joys, tears, griefs, gripes.  Jesus tells us in the Bible (Matthew 6:6 to be exact) to "Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. Well...let me tell you....my HHR on Hwy 22 is my prayer closet. It is in the confines of my car that the focus shifts from me to God, and somewhere on the road I begin to experience God's grace.  For many years I have to admit tht prayer had very little to do with my life.  I played at prayer.  It was kind of like the National Anthem at a ballgame....something I  began stuff with.  I also used it like a rabbit's foot and prayed only when I needed help out of hot water. It was not until I finished a Beth Moore Bible Study that I began to see prayer as more like breathing. I don't breathe when I feel like it....I breathe to survive.....and I pray like that too.  I love the feel of oxygen coursing through my lungs and have grown to love the feel of prayer coming out of my heart and mouth. Oxygen is like prayer....without oxygen you die....without prayer you die spiritually.  So how is your prayer life today?  1 Thessalonians 5:17 -"Pray without ceasing."  What a great way to start the new year....don't you think??

1 comment:

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I am with you 100%. I love my relationship with God and talk with Him all day long. I remember praying for my family when they were out hiking a few years ago.
The story they told me of what could have happened to them was so scary. I know my prayers saved their lives.