Prayer

Good morning all! I love the mornings. The house is so quiet and still and smells of fresh brewed coffee. I love reading my Bible and talking to God in prayer. I have asked God over the last couple of weeks to give me a greater portion of himself and I am so thankful that He is answering that request. I have felt a disconnect from Him over the last couple of months because I haven't been as consistent in my daily time with Him due to Gracen's arrival.....it is all her fault really. At the end of my pregnancy, I just didn't feel good and really couldn't get up early and couldn't seem to concentrate on what I was reading. Then with Gracen's entry into our home, I was up every couple of hours at night and keeping up with Reagan and Gracen during the day. Needless to say, a quiet time didn't happen. If I found a "quiet moment" I fell asleep. So I guess the distance I felt was bound to happen. The old saying is if you feel distant from God, He is NOT the one who moved. Now that Gracen is sleeping through the night consistently, I am working on that regular time with Jesus. Like I said yesterday, I need it. And trust me, my family wants me to have it too. I am much more patient and loving when I invite God into my day.

I have been convicted about the prayers I pray for my children. It is my responsibility to pray over the 2 girls that God has entrusted to me. Who else will consistently pray for them, besides Gene, if I don't do it. This week I read a devotion about a mom who was saved later in life. She also had 2 daughters, both of whom were in their 20's when she became a christian. One daughter was addicted to drugs and the other daughter became pregnant at 19 years old. She made the comment that she wonders how differently things would have turned out if she had become a Christian earlier in life and if she had prayed over her girls every day...if she had prayed about their friends, their decisions, their futures, etc. Prayer matters and I want to be a mom that prays over my children. I have made a list for each daughter where I am praying about things for each them, starting with their salvation, the most important thing. I am praying for their health, their safety as they play, their current and future friends, their current and future teachers, that they both would honor and respect those in authority over them, that they will hate sin, that they will be caught when they are quilty and learn a lesson, that they will remain pure until marriage, for their futures spouses, that they will totally submit to God and bring Him glory........etc., etc. etc. This kind of prayer takes some time. Time that I am trusting will pay off in the future.
James 5:16 says, "The prayer of a righteous man (or woman) can accomplish much." I am trusting that my prayers are being heard and I will see the fruit from my prayer time years down the road.

I am making a new prayer book this week...a new way to organize my prayer list. I'll share it at our momMEtime meeting on Sept. 17th. Maybe it will be a format that will encourage you as well.