Last week I felt pretty crummy, and the past two days I have still been sluggish. However, on this Valentine morning I was singing love songs to the Lord and also to Colton and Kylee. Colton said, "Mom are you feeling better or something?" I told him that I was, but it spoke even more to my heart that the little ones can really read how you are feeling by the smallest things you say or do. This was just a further confirmation of the things I shared yesterday. The Lord just has a way of making sure you get the point!
I originally thought that my focus today would be on LOVE, but He had other plans. Prayer was on my mind all day today. I was thinking about how many times in the last couple of days that I told or posted on their facebook that I'll be praying for you or praying for the family. I think even just from last night to now I have stated this at least half a dozen times. I have told a friend who lost his father, a 2nd cousin who lost his daughter, a close friend who lost her son 2 years ago, an older man who lost his daughter 27 years ago and still feeling the sting, a friend overwhelmed by preparing for a wedding, a friend whose family is full of sickness and in need of healing, a 4 month old girl I don't personally know going through chemotherapy that I would be praying for them and their families just within the past 24 hours or so. I know there have been many times where I have said this with great intentions but not followed through or ashamedly forgotten until something happens and lightning strikes my memory. I'm sure many others suffer from this same condition. It is so easy to say that you will pray for someone, and sometimes I feel like it is the only thing I know to say in certain circumstances.
This Prayer LOFT (lack of follow-thru) condition (as I have termed it...make note there are a lot of LOFT conditions) is something that has been on mind a lot in the past few years. I know it is a good thing for it to be on the front of my mind and uncomfortable on my heart because it has helped me to remember to keep my prayer commitments and not fall into LOFT. I have made an intentional effort to not even say or type it if I am not going to genuinely follow-thru with it. I desire to be a trustworthy prayer warrior that people know and can feel encouraged that when I say I am going to praying for them that I genuinely will be interceding for them with the Father whether it is for comfort from grief, finding joy, celebrating praises, asking for healing...the list goes on and on. I don't always have an opportunity to write it down, but I have made it a practice to immediately lift up whatever I have promised to the Father even if it is ever so brief. This is a positive example of the way reciting just once can do for you from my post yesterday. Even just lifting it up quickly right away puts a heartstamp on my soul and mind that makes it hard to forget. I am more likely to bathe it in prayer later once I have made the initial connection and request of the Father.
There are so many prayers to be made on a daily basis. Besides all of the prayers for others, I also have so many prayers for my own family. This has turned into a practice of praying throughout the day while driving, doing laundry, resting, or cooking. Basically, it requires me to pray during times of my regular daily activity which makes these times much more joyful, enjoyable, and more significant. In reality, I could not cover everything in prayer that I would like to cover on a daily basis even if I truly prayed every waking minute. This brings me to the lesson I so often forget. The Lord says to come to Him and pray continually, to ask and you shall receive. I believe our Lord is still in the business of healing and performing miracles. Nevertheless, I believe being truly thankful to the Lord is often forgotten. I also believe that the true Worship quality of prayer is often skimmed over or left out entirely. I know I have been guilty of this many times. Lately, the Lord has shown me that what is truly honoring to Him is to worship Him. The intercession is also important, but I am reminded that He knows what is on my mind even before I speak it. He knows what is on my heart. He knows who I am hurting for, aching with, or celebrating. My desire is to discover true worship that will bring me into an even deeper relationship with my Father. My prayer time is actually becoming my relationship time with my Father which is the way it is meant to be and is so much sweeter and such a blessing to me.
One other thing I want to share on this Valentine's Day. I posted this on facebook, but it was so cute that I wanted to share it here as well. Kevin and I
Only By God's Grace
With much Love,
Callie Ann
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