Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wednesday's Prayer Girls & Link Up! (+Richard J. Foster on a Place to Pray)

Happy Wednesday to you! It's the day I set aside for us to pray for each other, and the link up party! Just leave your non-confidential prayer in the comments, and I will pray for you. Bloggers, I invite you to link up your blog link so we can all check out your beautiful blogs!

Photobucket

Before we enter our prayers or blog links, let's briefly talk today about the importance of having a place to pray. 

Having a place to pray helps us to focus. I remember when I was a new Christian and a marketing representative for Xerox, I would go to a nearby lake at lunch that was five minutes from the office to pray and read my Bible. As I would approach the parking lot, I sensed I was on holy ground. The place has changed over the years from a spare bedroom, to my closet, to the kitchen table—but the important thing is having a place to meet with God.

"I urge you, too, to find a place of focus—a loft, a garden, a spare room, an attic even a designated chair—somewhere away from the routine of life, out of the path of distractions. Allow this spot to become a sacred 'tent of meeting.' " -Richard J. Foster

Let's don't forget that a place of focus includes a commitment to a group of believers where we meet corporately. Yes, there are times when we cannot meet together, but we need to not give up "meeting together" so that we are part of a body of believers.

"not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, 
but encouraging one another—and all the more ..." -Hebrews 10:25

We need the accountability and the nurturing, Foster says in Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. We need to bless others and be blessed by them as we commit to a group of believers and are willing to be identified together. It's a joy to be part of my church! Our Sunday school class (we call them life classes at our church) is like a church within a church.

If you do not attend church, pray and go find one where Christ is lifted up! It is a gift to belong to a community of believers; seek it out and nurture it!

❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧  ❧

Time to pray or link up! I've done the first one for you. You are next!

Walk by Faith, 





You are next... Click here to enter
This list will close in 4 days, 15 hrs, 35 min (5/27/2013 11:59 PM North America - Eastern Standard Time)




15 comments:

  1. Praising God that Mary finished her end of grade tests in Braille after many hours yesterday! Please pray she will finish strong and endure for the final tests in science today, and social studies tomorrow (which will be read aloud to her).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And let's keep remembering to pray for the people of Oklahoma who have been devasted by tornadoes, injured and grieving lost loved ones!

      Delete
    2. OH Yes...prayers continually being lifted for the people in Okalahoma!

      Delete
    3. Lifted Mary in prayer today believing God that she will finish strong and do well on her tests in Science and Social Studies.

      Delete
    4. Thank you, Sheila for praying for Mary! She has only social studies left as I type this, in fact, she is in that exam right now! She has completed all the others without requiring a 2nd day for testing on any subject and she said she felt great that she knew a lot of the answers:-) Thank you, Lord!

      Delete
  2. Good Morning Dear Juana!
    I am requsting prayer today for my little 2 1/2 yr. old granddaughter Emily. She has had a high fever since Monday early morning and is still battling this fever off and on. She has been to a doctor and is on antibiotics right now but the fever continues to come and go. Her parents are doing what they can to bring this fever down but it keeps flaring back up after the baby Tylenol wears off. We have been praying for Emily all week and so has her parents. She is a sensitive little girl for such a young age so she knows Jesus will take care of her. Your prayers are greatly appreciated and lovingly received by my family. THANK YOU so much Juana! We Beleive in the power of God and His healing! Love....Sheila Rhodes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good Morning Shelia! Oh, how your love for your little granddaughter is jumping out at us. Let's pray! Dear Jesus, We know how much you love the little children. So much so, Lord, that you want them to come up to you. You want us to copy the trusting faith of a little child! It is Sheila's granddaughter Lord, that we want to bring to You this morning. Will you touch her, just one touch from you Lord (or even if You just say it to be so, Lord!) from You Lord to heal her of this ongoing fever? We ask as Your children, Lord. Amen.

      Delete
    2. Tears are pouring down my face right now! THANK YOU so much for this beautiful prayer for Emily's complete healing from this fever. I KNOW God has heard it!

      I will check on her later this afternoon...believing that the fever will be completely gone by now! I love you!

      Delete
  3. Praises that Cameron passed all his classes with a C or better! The two that we were concerned about he made a last punch to the finish and pulled a mid-grade C.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Praising God that Cameron passed all his classes!!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Delete
  4. I will be praying for Mary as she finishes her studies! I will especially be praying for her test concerning Braille! I had to take a class in college where I had to learn to read in Braille! It was the hardest thing I ever had to learn! I might add that I wasn't very good at it!
    I wanted to ask prayer for my health this morning! I have had diabetis for 21 years now and it is starting to get the be best of me! I was told last week that I have to have 2 knee replacements! I have no time or money to make this happen! I know God can heal all, so I am asking to please pray for healing! I also want to pray for all those affected by the resent tornados! I can not imagine what all of those people are going through! Blessings to all of you:-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you Anita for praying for Mary, just one left to go! The Braille portion took her 5 hours in one room (with some breaks) but she is done! Yay! Taking the last oral one today, Social Studies!I want to pray for you Anita. Heavenly Father, I lift up my sister Anita to you. Lord, you know about her diabetes and her knee problems. Help give Anita strength & endurance to face continue to face her diabetes, knowing that You are the God who sees her. I pray for her knees Lord, that they will heal and do better to function for Anita. We commit all these things to You Lord, knowing that You know best in all matters, and we ask for your perfect will in Anita's life trusting that You will provide. Amen

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lord, we all lift up the people that were in the tornado's path in OK to you Lord. Guide the survivors to do whatever is the next thing to reorder their lives. Help them to focus on You Lord, and to trust you right in the middle of the chaos. Help calm overwhelmed hearts. Guide the doctors, relief workers, family members... all who are helping to follow you one day at a day to bring order and health to the confusion and mess in Oklahoma. May You use this all for your good and glory Lord. We know that nothing, no tornado, no destruction---nothing can separate us from your love. We are human Lord, and we don't understand how the devastation makes any sense, like the ugly underside of a tapestry, but we know that we can trust You by an act of our will for we know that You are the God of love. Lifting them up to you Lord, the God whose will is love, Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Juana,
    Thank you for sharing Mary's story/journey (and yours) - as I think about all the things she must work so diligently at to learn I am reminded of so many who have their sight, yet are blind to God's blessings in their lives. I will continue to pray for Mary - that His light will shine brightly through her life and help others to see Him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kelly and thank you so much for the prayer! We'll take all the prayer we can get! We just got a call today from a local NBC station that wants to feature a story on her. Please pray as they film and interview her next Wednesday for God's glory to be shown through Mary to whomever may see it!

      Delete

Thank you for your comment!