I am asked quite often if I think that prayer really changes things.
For instance, last night I posted a request for prayers on my FB page, instagram and this blog. Miss Courtney had had a really bad afternoon suffering through five major seizures and I wasn't sure what the rest of the night held for us.
In those moments I usually always reach out and ask for some spiritual support. Not because I don't think God has abandoned my daughter in her hour of need, but because I always feel better when I set aside my pride and open my heart and mind up to the emotional quiet that prayer brings. I also find it very difficult to personally pray in the midst of such stress, so knowing others are lifting us up brings me peace.
God encourages us to be "poor in spirit". What does that mean? It means knowing that we can do nothing without Him. There is nothing I do on my own. All things come from He who made me. My inner strength, hope and faith are due to my faith and love of Our Lord.
I need God in every aspect from my life. From keeping me calm and focused when he allows my daughter to suffer through another grand-mal seizure. When I am meal planning for the week, he helps me stay focused on what is heathy and how to use our financial resources frugally and with care. Whenever I need any clarification between needs and wants, I pray for guidance and He never disappoints. He is quite clear every single time.
For me, prayer is a constant conversation with Christ. I am talking to him ALL the time. Sometimes I plead, other times I praise. Sometimes I am quiet and listen, other times I invoke the saints to pray with me for a particular need/desire.
I do not always get what I want with prayer. As a matter of fact, I rarely get what I prayed for. What happens is that I am changed in the process. I become more aligned to Him and He wants to happen in my life. The answers that come are not always easy to hear. Most times they are challenging, requiring an strong inner will to follow though.
A BIG leap of faith is needed as well as a constant hope to believe in my heart that God has mine and my daughters best interest in mind each and every time I bring something be fore Him. I am being asked to let go of my will and align myself with His.
The amazing thing is, He has always exceeded my expectations. ALWAYS. Especially with the challenging answers. He also brings the peace of acceptance and the strength of will when that answer requires heroic action.
Trust me when I say, I don't know what I would do without Him.
So the not so short answer is YES, prayer changes things. It changes me. Every time. All the time. It acknowledges that I cannot do this without the help of My Lord and My God. He created me for my husband and for my children. He made them for me. We are each others path to sanctification. We help each other know, love and serve God.
It's a beautiful thing, the way Christ has laid it all out. The way we need to be in community with each other, to love and support one another, in good times and bad. We are never alone.
So thank you for being there for me and for my daughter, in the high moments and the low. Thanks for being part of our journey toward Him. Thank you taking the time and expending the energy to lift someone in prayer that you may or may not know in real life. That is a pretty awesome gift. One that I promise to NEVER take for granted.
Blessings,
Labels: Courtney's World, We Can Do This!!
