Reconnecting and The Power of Prayer

WOW! Has it really been two weeks since I posted last?! Ya know, it has! I can tell. Life has been such a whirl-wind that I felt like I was not able to make time for this and I am sorry for that. I am sorry because this blog is one of the key ways that God helps me process what is going on in my life. He communicates with me and does a work in me as I share my thoughts and feelings. I am sorry I let "life" take over and allowed my connection with Him to be diminished.

It feels so good to Reconnect!

A quick update on Mom:
Mom is doing better, although she did fall in her apartment yesterday, she is feeling stronger every day. When I posted last I explained that she had been readmitted to the hospital. There was nothing "new" going on, they simply had released her too soon the first time. She needed more time to heal and recover. She spent three more days in the hospital and then came home. She is not a very good patient, so slowing down is not easy for her (guess I know where I get it from). I have been visiting her daily and she and I are enjoying our chance to reconnect and strengthen our relationship. Please continue to pray for her health and stamina. I firmly believe it was the collective hearts offered up in prayer that has helped Mom through the trials of the past month.

Speaking of the Power of Prayer... I am constantly amazed, never surprised, but deeply amazed at the overwhelming power that prayer can have in our lives. When we fully open our hearts to the loving hands of God, offer up our struggles and our joys, and humbly lay our lives at the feet of Jesus, the comfort and encouragement that are offered to us through prayer is outstanding!

I personally have been spending hours in prayer each day for the past few weeks. Praying for my Mother, my marriage, my children, my friends, my co-workers, for our community and our world. And each time I make the time to stop "thinking" and start praying about a situation, it makes all the difference. My perspective is altered, my mind is eased, and my heart is relieved. We all carry so much stress and anxiety over issues that we can not control. But when we are able to take those burdens off ourselves and give them over to God, really and truly offer them up to Him through prayer, then we finally release Him to work in our lives.

God is always there, ready and waiting to help us, provide for us, and comfort us. It is us, you and me, that get in the way and try to "fix" things ourselves, and usually end up making a bigger mess of it anyway. When we finally stop, drop to our knees (either literally or figuratively) and ask Christ to intercede in our lives, then the real work can begin. When we step aside and let the Power of the Trinity; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, take hold of our lives then we are able to release our frail and flawed grip on whatever is happening in our world.

Reconnecting and the Power of Prayer go hand in hand. When we are not in communication with God then we are typically not offering our struggles up to Him. When we are not offering our struggles up to Him then we are stuck in our own muck, trying to figure it out for ourselves. When we rely on ourselves then we almost always make a mess of things. And if things get bad enough, maybe we cry out for help. But... when we are in communication with God, we realize our inability to handle all the challenges in life. We know that we can not make this journey on our own, and we enjoy the company of our spiritual companion. And when you enjoy someones company, you usually want to spend more time with them. And when we spend more time with our Heavenly Father, we are blessed in so many ways.

So..... How do you stay connected with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? Do you daily offer up your struggles AND your joys through prayer? Do you spend time in prayer for the other people that come in and out of your world? Do you believe that God works through and honors the humble requests we offer to Him through prayer? Is there something that you are trying to control that you need to release and offer up to Him right now?

My prayer for today is that we will know and experience God's presence in our lives. I pray that we stay connected with Him through prayer. I pray that we stay connected to each other by sharing our lives and offering each other up in prayer. I pray that God will rush in and radically change your heart and mind so that you can see and feel the love He has for you. I pray that when life gets overwhelming, we immediately ask for prayer. I pray that when life is good, we immediately offer up a prayer of thanksgiving. I pray that when we don't know what to make out of life, we immediately turn to Christ Jesus and ask for His intercession and love. I pray that today will be a day of peace and joy for you!

Until We Meet Again,

Drea