 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
“We are always wrestling in prayer for you.” Colossians 4:12 (NIV) Can you relate to these dilemmas? People need prayer, but you can’t find the words. Sleep arrives just after the “Our Father” part. Prayer feels like a wishlist, not a love letter. A chore, rather than a joy. I don’t know your story, but for me, prayer was exactly as Paul describes it, “a wrestle.” And it’s no wonder. As Scripture states, we are up against unseen spiritual powers that seek to wreck our communion with God. So what is the key to a vibrant prayer life? You might explore how God has uniquely wired you to be fully present to Him by discovering your personal prayer language. It’s been the most effective tool in my armor. For years I thought a proper quiet time should look one way: on my knees in a quiet room. It can look like that, but there are other ways. Growing up I was most content with a paintbrush in my hand. I didn’t know then that God had created me to use this love of painting to deepen my prayer life. Now with each stroke of the brush, my heart becomes quiet and I’m able to pray longer. It’s moved me out of drought and discouragement into depth and delight! It’s helped me stay present to Jesus HOW He has made me. What makes your soul come alive? Singing? Outdoors? Cooking? Sewing? Take time to figure this out. It will be different for each person, but, Mom, it’s worth it! It could be the key to lingering longer in His presence. Lord, we long to deepen our prayer life. Help us call to mind the unique gifts You’ve placed into our hearts to know You better and experience Your presence anywhere and anytime. Prayer is a pathway to you and we thank you for this powerful tool. Amen. -Amy
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 “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her.” Luke 10:41 (NIV)
Women and worrying go hand and hand, don’t they? We wake up in the morning with the most pressing worries on our minds, and we go to bed with new ones we picked up during the day. Car repairs, an angry neighbor, kids’ grades, their behavior at school, waiting for a medical diagnosis... Worry chokes the spiritual life right out of us. As mothers, we’ve got Martha’s mantra down, “Hustle, hurry, worry, busy, busy, busy.” But Jesus longs for a better way--Mary’s method of resting at His feet, hearing His voice, and being filled with abundant peace and joy. Unfortunately, we choose doing over being with God. We get so caught up in serving that we miss out on simply enjoying Him. We must learn to treasure God’s presence over productivity and simply come to Him in prayer. Yes, there are many things to be done this day, but only one thing needs to be done: being present to Jesus through prayer. Here in His presence our hearts and minds will be guarded against all the worries of this life. And that is a beautiful place to start each day. By His grace, dear momma, He extends a new invitation to us today. “Daughter, come into My presence. Sit at my feet. Linger a bit longer in my Word and be filled with all the good gifts I offer that will never be taken from you.” Lord, help me choose Mary’s way of humbly sitting at your feet. Here, I lift all my worries into Your loving hands. And as I linger in Your presence, I ask that they be stilled and I be filled with your gracious gift of peace. Thank you for the promise that it will not be taken from me. Amen. -Amy  “In the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3 (NIV)
When we really want something, we ALWAYS find a way to obtain it. We get hungry, so we order a pizza. We find cute fall boots and we push “buy now.” So much in life is about “point” and “click” to make something magically appear at our front door. So why is it that we have good intentions of spending time with the Lord in prayer, but rarely know where to start and how to stick with it? Prayer is not as easy as point and click. We must seek it seriously and devise a plan to ensure that it happens. When you wake in the morning, what’s your first connection of the day? Your phone? Facebook? Instagram? Emails? I’m guilty. Starting my day with the screen allows jealousy and anxiety to well up in my heart. The screen is a heart-strangler. Psalm 90:14 says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (NIV) God promises when we spend our first moments of our day with Him, we will be satisfied, filled with His love, and joy will be our portion. Meeting with the Lord in prayer before interacting with anyone else moves us in the right direction. Dear Momma, what simple step might you take tomorrow to make prayer your first priority? It doesn’t take much subtracting to seek God first. Let’s pray and encourage one another to that end. Father, I often bolt out into my day hurried and worried. Please form in me a desire to meet with You first before the world has a chance to steal my joy. Point me in the right direction as I mother my young ones. I lay these requests before you and wait in expectation for you to answer. Amen. -Amy  “I will give them a heart to know me. They will be my people and I will be their God.” Jeremiah 24:7 (NIV)
Grocery. Laundry. Bills. Dinner. House to clean… Who just screamed thinking of all these? As moms, it’s hard to quiet our minds. The abundant needs pull our hearts in many directions and fill our plates from sunup to sundown. Alone time is rarely available. Even the bathroom can be common space! This makes prayer a true wrestle. We live in between the great pull toward our daily responsibilities and our greatest need of giving attention to the One who calms all of our storms. I’ve heard nothing is more important, yet nothing is more difficult than spending time in prayer. It’s true. Can a mom ever make prayer a priority? Can a mom linger in God’s presence all day long? I believe God desires to answer these questions. We were made to know God! One of the greatest ways we can know Him is though prayer. And the best place to start doing life with God is inviting Him into the small moments throughout our day. Welcome Him into your morning as you nurse your babe and run to him first for wisdom and guidance when your child disobeys. Ask for an extra measure of grace when you’re running low on patience, tell Him you’re exhausted and empty, and invite Him to restore your joy. And pause to thank Him when he answers. Momma, let’s begin this day by simply inviting Him in. Father, You created my heart to know you. But in the midst of my busy days I forget to include You, and I grow weary on my own. Today I invite you in, to walk with me, behind and before me, and to cover me with your love. Thank you for making me your daughter and for being my ever-present Father. Amen. -Amy  Prayer is essential in our daily walk with the Lord. I love that through the pages of Scripture we can see so many men and women pray to the Lord. • David pours his heart out as prayers to the Lord in Psalms. • Abraham prays faithfully for God to keep His promises. • We witness Daniel fasting and praying often to the Lord. • Paul prays for so many of the churches and writes to tell them they are in His prayers. • Naomi prays and thanks God for Boaz and his kindness to Ruth and herself. • Moses prays and pleads with the Lord to not send them to the Promised Land without the presence of God. • Then we look at Jesus. Oh, how Jesus illustrates how necessary it is for us to take time away from others and pray to the Lord. Jesus is the perfect example of how and when to pray. If Jesus needed to take so much time to pray to the Lord, then how much more do we need to pray? I would dare say much more. Not out of condemnation, but out of our deep need for Him in our lives. I love that prayer goes both ways. I love to hear the Holy Spirit talk back to me. It is worth the sacrifice of time because in the end, it's not really a sacrifice at all. It is our greatest blessing. Let us pray together, dear mommas, “Father God, we thank you for your vast and deep love for us. You never relent, and you never give up on us, even when we do ourselves. Thank you for your forgiveness that washes our sins away as far as the East is from the West. Give us the strength to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Father, give us a heart like David’s that pours out our hurt, pain, agony, and praise to You. Give us a yearning to spend time with you daily. Convict us when we have sinned so we may remain close to you always. Be with our children and give them hearts that seek you at all ages and stages of their lives. Let them know the depths of your love and grace. We love you, Lord. We ask for all these requests in Jesus’ precious and mighty name. Amen.” -Johanna  Prayer. What a beautiful way to worship the Lord. This week we have been focused on prayer and how important it is for us as mothers and how much we need the Lord God Almighty ever single day of our lives. If we are to be desperate for anything in this life, let it be Jesus, dear friends.
Lay your sacrifice, your painstaking words of thanksgiving on the altar. Give your very best thanksgiving to the Lord. God will be honored by it. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) Rejoice even when it seems impossible to do so. Surrender your heart fully to the Lord. Reach out to God, call on Him, and stay close to Him. He will get you through it, dear friend. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 (ESV) Lord, allow us to be desperate for you. Let us make time to be with Jesus. Clear out distractions. Get rid of the chaos of the day. Sit at His feet, or lie facedown, and pour out your desperate heart to the Shepherd who desires to take care of you. Don’t put it off, don’t procrastinate, give Him all of you. “A prayer of David. O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.” Psalm 17:1 (NLT) To have a deep and intimate relationship with our Maker, we need to have a rich prayer life. The Lord adores you, momma, and He longs to hear from you. To be victorious in this life, we need to dedicate time to Him. “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 (ESV) Don’t delay any longer. Make prayer a priority. Let us not forget to pray for each other throughout our day. Take time to call a friend who is on your heart and pray with her on the phone. Text a friend the prayer that God put on your heart. Put down your loads of laundry and scoop your child up to pray for his hurting heart in that very moment. Next time you are with a friend and you get ready to say, “I will pray for you,” instead say this: “Let’s pray together right now.” “Therefore Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 (NIV) -Johanna  “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (James 5:17 NIV)
Have you ever been with a friend or acquaintance and after hearing about their life situations you say, “I will pray for you”? Then you both go your separate ways. At what point do you pray for them? Is it immediately, later in the day, or do you forget to pray for the person you said you would lift up in prayer? I’m pretty sure we’ve all done one or most of these, but don’t you feel there has to be a better way? God began stretching me by having me pray for the person right there at that very moment. I don’t do it perfectly by any means, but I have much more peace obeying what God has called me to do, even if it’s out of my comfort zone. Matthew 18:19-20 says, “I also tell you this. If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers. I am there among them.” Not only are your individual prayers important, but it is essential for us to pray as a community of believers. So, the next time you are with a friend and you get ready to say, “I will pray for you,” instead say this: “Let’s pray together this very moment.” My dear friend, as you read this, I feel prompted to pray for you right now, at this moment. “Father God, I pray for my sister in Christ, your beautiful masterpiece. I pray she will embrace and open her heart fully towards you. I ask in the precious name of Jesus that you heal any brokenness and restore her to your great work. Let her be courageous in praying for others and take steps of faith, listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.” -Johanna  “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 (ESV)
As lovers of the Lord, we need to be seeking the Lord often and frequently in prayer. In the verse above, Jesus explained to the disciples how to pray. Prayer is our conversation with the Lord. Prayer can either be mundane lip service that we speak out of memorization, or it can be a majestic offering to the Lord. What a privilege it is to talk with the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth, the Maker of all humanity. What an honor that is. Prayer is precious and holy. How do you view prayer? What is your prayer habit, or do you not have one? Praying for our meals is wonderful, but that should not be the only time we talk with the Lord. To have a deep and intimate relationship with our Maker, we need to have a rich prayer life. The Lord adores you, momma, and He longs to hear from you. To be victorious in this life, we need to dedicate time to Him. For myself, I need to have a quiet space to meet with Him, a prayer closet. It doesn’t need to be an actual closet; it only needs to be a space where we can be real, honest, and open with Him, not worrying about saying the wrong words. It’s not a time of speaking out my wish list, but a time to thank Him, adore Him, praise Him, honor Him, and confess sins and faults. “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him” (I John 5:14). Dear momma, if you haven’t started praying regularly with the Lord, start today. It doesn’t have to be hours, and it doesn’t have to be eloquent. Simply talk. Don’t keep track of time, just enjoy your time with the Lord and see how the heavens open up. The Lord is listening; He wants to be with His Creation. He loves you dearly. -Johanna  “A prayer of David. O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.” Psalm 17:1 (NLT)
Lord, I am desperate. Desperate for you to hear me. Desperate to hear your voice. Desperate to know you. Desperate to be with you. Desperate to have peace with you. Desperate to obey you. Lord, I am desperate for you. Have you ever felt so desperate that nothing fills you except time with Jesus? I want to have a heart that yearns for God. Sometimes I get stubborn and seek out other things to fill my empty soul. I try to find solace in a friend, texting a family member, comfort in food, escape in a movie, busyness with work, fulfillment in serving, or even time with family. At the end of the day, I realize I still feel unfilled and desperate. At that point, I need to be filled with more of Jesus and less of me. But how do we do that, brave momma? It's simple, yet hard. Take time alone with Him. Clear out distractions. Get rid of the chaos of the day. Sit at His feet, or lie facedown and pour out your desperate heart to the Shepherd who desires to take care of you. Don’t put it off, don’t procrastinate, give Him all of you. Pour out your neediness to Him. Be desperate for nothing but Him, my friend. Be filled with nothing but Him. There is no formula, antidote, or equation. Come to Him naked in your desperation, and He will clothe you with His love and give you a robe of righteousness. You are righteous in His sight because Jesus is in you! If we are to be desperate for anything, friend, let us be desperate for the Maker of heaven and earth. He is the only one who can fill that ache in your heart with His love. -Johanna  “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 (ESV)
When you are being tested and refined, there will be days that you may feel like an utter failure. Maybe you're doubting the voice of the Lord and what He told you. Maybe you’re trying to make sense of it all and understand where things went wrong. During those times remember this: • God’s ways are higher than ours. • His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. • Abide in Him; keep spending time with Him. Even when confusion finds you, stand on the Word of God. Renounce confusion in the name of Jesus. God is truth. God is light. Embrace the murky waters of your journey with the Lord. He is seeking you out, refining you, loving you, and still embracing you. He wants to take you to the deep healing waters. Although you may look for explanations and seek out answers, God may not seem to respond. His voice might be quiet. He may be developing a deeper dependence in you so that you’ll grow to trust Him more, even in the dark waters of your soul. He desires a heart that is relentlessly in love with Him, no matter what circumstances come your way. No matter how dark or dismal your hardships feel, the light of this world is inside you! You might even be lying face down, pleading with the Lord to take you out of this trial, but God has other plans. He wants you to know He will get you through it. Surrender your heart fully to the Lord. Reach out to the Lord, call on Him, stay close to Him. He will get you through it, dear friend. -Johanna |
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December 2018
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