Prayer

I just finished reading Fervent by Priscilla Shirer, and if this book does not invigorate change in the way you pray after you are done, you need to read it again. This book challenged me to think about the way I pray at times. There were places in this book that made me cry and realize that I am human and it’s ok I’m normal. I am so grateful for the amount of encouragement this book gave to me. Prayer has always been a hard thing for me; I always feel like I am not doing it right or saying the right thing. I used to look at people that said I can hear God or I felt Him and roll my eyes because I honestly felt like it wasn’t a real thing. I can now without a doubt say that those people are right and He does speak to us you just have to be ready and willing to listen to Him.

“Prayer is how we isolate the real problems. And prayer is how we get up behind those problems

and attack them at the roots. It’s how we isolate the real enemy.”- Priscilla Shirer

I will admit sometimes when I would pray deep down I would be fearful of what God was going to tell me to do, so my heart was half in and half out. You see, this is where the problem is, God knows our heart and you cannot hide your true feelings from Him. I would make my prayers long and then think I should make them shorter because maybe I am asking to much or talking to long. There have been plenty of times I have been crying on the floor begging God to help me, and I would love to say that it just happened in an instant but it didn’t. It was not His fault, it was mine because I was not fully ready to hear His honest answer. His answer is not always going to be some magical thing that makes you happy and your life immensely easier, sometimes He is going to keep you in the valley making you stronger for the road that lies ahead. He always wants what’s best for you and He loves you with a deeper love than anyone on this earth ever could, and sometimes that thought is so hard for me to wrap my mind around. Praying isn’t always sitting or laying there. You can pray while singing gospel music in your car, you can have little talks with Him throughout your day; it does not always have to be this formal thing. He wants this intimate relationship with you just like you would talk to your best friend, and He will be the most amazing best friend you have ever had.

This book also taught me more on the importance of a prayer journal. I used to have one a long time ago and got out of the habit and now it is so freeing to have it back. I journal my heart out to Him off and on and at different times throughout the day, and I can feel my heart become lighter and more full. They are not always long, but in those moments I can write what’s on my heart better than I can explain it. Read scripture and let His words move you and influence you, incorporate scripture into your prayers.. if it moves you use it. Keep your focus on the Lord and what He wants for you in life and it will help open your eyes and heart to what He is trying to reveal to you.

“Focus minimizes distractions, lowering your risk of being blindsided. It keeps you from being preoccupied, from overlooking important facts that would have been readily obvious if you’d been paying better attention.”- Priscilla Shirer