I have realized that while my prayers are probably just as weak as I am, they are also as honest as I am. My prayers are not eloquent or proper but they are special because they are raw and real and they are the words from my soul to my Father. The words we pray are special to God because they are requests from us that only He can fulfill.
I was honored to have heard some of the most beautiful prayers last night as many Christians came together to pray outside the home of some dear friends in our community. I heard beauty and I heard broken. As I stood there holding hands with two strangers (to me anyway ;-) ) I wondered which prayer is more delightful to The Lord. Is it the beautiful ones that flow almost like song lyrics and make perfect sense that prompt us to say "amen" as the person prays. Or the ones like mine, broken and confusing with long pauses to keep from crying. I have been known to move quickly from one request, to a praise, to a completely different request during my prayers (Yes I suppose my ADHD shows even in my prayer life). While I heard two very different types of prayers both types were so powerful that I felt the need at times to get down on my face and just praise. I pictured the holy spirit moving swiftly through our circle of prayer to the family and through the family. I felt power, and I felt Jesus. I heard all different kinds of requests on behalf of the family being spoken simultaneously, and I know He heard them all. I felt it in my bones and I felt it in my very being. I can only begin to imagine how the ones being prayed for felt in that moment of pure power! If you doubt God then step into the middle of a line of believers linked and praying together for one purpose, believing that God is who He says He is. You will leave that circle changed and that's a promise. Sometimes God just shows up and He shows out big time. Other times we feel his quiet presence and we know we have just witnessed something amazing. I pray every person reading this gets to experience love like that at least once in this life.
You may have noticed that I refer to songs and lyrics often. That's because I love music and I relate to music. At times when I don't know how or what to pray a song will come to me and I simply sing it to The Lord. When I thought about all the different people praying in all different ways yet all for one family, I was reminded of an Amy Grant song. 'Better than a hallelujah' here are a few of the lyrics:
"We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
Better than a church bell ringing
Better than a choir singing out, singing out..."
Its obvious to me and everyone who was there that God showed Himself last night. I like to think that the mixture of prayers all going up were like the perfect song to Him. I like to picture His angels all around our circle smiling as they watched us lay us our pride down and pray aloud for that precious man and his family. Maybe all of our prayers, the beautifully spoken ones and the broken confusing ones came together in Heaven and formed a perfect Love song on behalf of a family who is loved more than they will ever know.
Psalms 145:18 The LORD is near to all them that call on him, to all that call on him in truth
Psalm 4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
Isaiah 65:24 Even before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.
Steve and Kim Dillard
Now that's some people getting ready to PRAY!
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