Join us, won't you?

Today is National Day of Prayer. I think this idea and day is absolutely fabulous, and wanted to include a little history behind it, as well as provide links in case you wanted to get more involved for next year!


 Quote from National Day of Prayer.org site-

"The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Our Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible."

Y'all, how great is that? Below is the 2015 Theme & Verse- (again, quoting from  National Day of Prayer.org site)

 "2015 Theme and Verse

The 64th annual National Day of Prayer, May 7, 2015, will have profound significance for our country.  It is an unprecedented opportunity to see the Lord’s healing and renewing power made manifest as we call on citizens to humbly come before His throne.Our theme for 2015 is Lord, Hear Our Cry, emphasizing the need for individuals, corporately and individually, to place their faith in the unfailing character of their Creator, who is sovereign over all governments, authorities, and men.  To further highlight our theme, we’ve chosen I Kings 8:28 as our Scripture for this year:  “Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.”

For the May 7th observances, Dr. Jack Graham, the 2015 Honorary Chairman, wrote a special prayer to be simultaneously read throughout the nation at noon (EDT).  This recitation will create a huge wave of prayer, flowing from one coast to the other, illustrating the unity of God’s people and acknowledging His dominion over the circumstances facing us.  Millions of people will gather to pray at thousands of events facilitated by our volunteer coordinators and people just like you!  We hope you’ll join with our staff again as we seek to bring more communities than ever before together in prayer.  As a way of assisting you, we have assembled a variety of resources that describe how to organize and publicize citywide prayer breakfasts, worship services, and rallies.  These materials also present creative ideas geared toward helping individuals and families to establish meaningful devotional times.  If you have any questions after reviewing these items, please don’t hesitate to contact our NDP staff at (800) 444-8828.  We would count it a privilege to lend a hand in whatever manner we are able.

At this crucial time for our nation, we can do nothing more important than pray.  Thank you in advance for making this spiritual discipline a personal priority and for standing with us as we encourage others to incorporate prayer in their lives.  The Lord has graciously anointed our efforts, empowering them to touch and change many hearts and lives.  We look forward to seeing His hand move across our land in exciting ways each May in response to our petitions!  In closing, we ask that you prayerfully consider becoming a volunteer in your church or community to lead a National Day of Prayer gathering. May the Lord’s peace fill your heart as you rest in Him throughout the days ahead.

Quick Links:

• National Prayer by Dr. Jack Graham
• Theme Resources
• Event Ideas"

This year's prayer, say it with me-

"Heavenly Father,

We come to You in the Name that is above every name—Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our hearts cry out to You.

Knowing that You are a prayer-answering, faithful God—the One we trust in times like these—we ask that You renew our spirits, revive our churches, and heal our land.

We repent of our sins and ask for Your grace and power to save us. Hear our cry, oh God, and pour out Your Spirit upon us that we may walk in obedience to Your Word.

We are desperate for Your tender mercies. We are broken and humbled before You.

Forgive us, and in the power of Your great love, lift us up to live in Your righteousness.

We pray for our beloved nation. May we repent and return to You and be a light to the nations. And we pray for our leaders and ask that You give them wisdom and faith to follow You.

Preserve and protect us, for You are our refuge and only hope.

Deliver us from all fears except to fear You, and may we courageously stand in the Truth that sets us free.

We pray with expectant faith and grateful hearts.

In Jesus’ name, our Savior.

Amen.

– 2015 National Prayer by Dr. Jack Graham"

Thank you for participating! There are other links that you can go to if you want to be more involved than just saying the prayer every year. Please check out this awesome organization! Prayer changes everything! 

Leave a Comment Jessy H., prayer, Prayers, praying

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Patience through prayer

When I was younger, my definition of the word patience was basically waiting without whining.  Waiting in line for a ride at Disney world when I was seven, waiting until Christmas to open all of my awesome presents while they sat under the tree and taunted me, waiting while mom talked to someone in the grocery store and not asking her "Who is that?!" really loudly when they walked away.  Waiting is probably the hardest thing to ask of any child under the age of 18.

But now that I'm older, patience has taken on an entirely new meaning.  Patience is more than just waiting for pay day to come, waiting in the insanely long line at Starbucks when all I want is my caffeine RIGHT NOW, waiting while you're on hold with someone from customer service.  Yes, all of these things require patience but where else in my life do I need it?  

A little bit about me, like a large portion of society, I suffer from depression and anxiety.  It really started to rear it's ugly head once I was in college.  The way my body manifests depression is not what most people think of when they think of depression.  It's not hard for me to get out of bed, I'm not necessarily mopey or melancholy, a la Eeyore.  I'm irritable.  There can be 500 triggers in the first 5 minutes after I wake up.  I feel it throughout my body and I can't control it.  My mother, knowing our family history, had me seek medical help and for the longest time I was on medication and it worked.  However, once my husband and I decided to start our family, I didn't want to be on it for the health of our unborn child.  So I went off it and did well until I began suffering from PPD which meant back to the medication.  

Fast forward a couple years to last summer.  I had really been diving back into God's word and feeling the pull to get rid of the meds.  I should be relying on God for my strength rather than the medication.  Now I'm not saying that's for everyone.  This was my very personal feeling for my personal life.  I don't see anything wrong or weak in taking medication for depression and anxiety or any other mental illness.  Again, this was my personal decision I made with The Lord.  So off the meds I went again.  

This has not been an easy transition and I fail day in and day out.  But what I try to focus on is just one moment at a time.  When I feel the irritation rise in my body, I breathe.  Well, I try to anyway. I try to remember to ask God to help me breathe through it.  I'll be the first to admit that I will go days forgetting to do those simple things.  the simple act of calling on Him in my weakness.  I become filled with guilt that I yelled at my son again, or I didn't show enough forgiveness to one of my students who just doesn't get it.  But I have to remember that I worship a forgiving God who knows my heart and wants me succeed.  He sees these moments and calls to me to lean on Him.

So where else do I need patience?

I need patience when my son is throwing himself on the floor because he doesn't want to "get all the pee pees out" when he wakes up.  I need it when the 20 minute timer has gone off for the millionth time and we have to drop everything and try to go potty...again.  (side note: Potty training is nothing but patience.)  I need patience when I'm teaching my younger students dance and they ask me a question that I just answered.  I need it when I've demonstrated something we've worked on all year and they still don't know what do when it's their turn.  I need patience when I've asked my husband to do something and it didn't get done on my timeline.

None of these things are the fault of those people.  It's not any one's fault.  But it becomes my fault, my stress, my irritation, when I don't remind myself to have patience.  This is why I made "Patience" my one little word for this year.  I have tried to make it my daily/hourly/minutely prayer to the Lord that he grant me patience.  Our Savior makes each day, each moment, new.  A million and one moments to try again.  So breathe, ask the Lord to help you breathe, and wait for that new moment to try again.

1 comment Kelly G., prayer

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Finding Prayer Again

Growing up in a Catholic family, I never really understood the idea behind being "saved." I was baptized before the age of one, and although we reaffirm our love for God and our commitment to the Catholic religion in the Sacrament of Confirmation at an older age, it's not the same ideology behind many other religions. We are saved by the grace of God when we are baptized, and we renew that commitment to Him in Confirmation. I was raised in the Catholic religion, and although my mother was a very strong advocate of praying to God and saying the rosary, it became more like a chore to go to church than something I looked forward to. I believed I had a relationship with God, but it was on my terms, not His. I'd pray when I needed something, or I'd pray when I wanted to thank Him for something special in my life, but I didn't pray much overall.

I feel like everyone has that turning point in their life when they reevaluate their decision to believe and trust in the Lord. For me, it was a few years ago after college. I was going through a very tough time, and I had no idea where to turn. I tried going to church every Sunday, but I didn't leave feeling inspired. It was difficult, and while I still had my beliefs and trust in God, I didn't know how to fully rely on him.

At my lowest point, I just started finally talking to Him again. I would lay in bed at night and thank Him for my blessings and express my worries and concerns, and it just started feeling comfortable. I relied on Him and knew that at my lows and my highs, I was living for Him again. I started reading scripture as I used to, and I sought encouragement from friends that also lived for the Lord. Just being able to talk to others that understand and also seek to praise Him was so helpful for me. I felt like my life had purpose again.

Prayer is such an important part of my life now. I honestly can't believe that I ever went a day without talking to God and feeling His presence in my life. I didn't know how to make it through that dark time in my life, and I truly believe that was because I didn't allow the Lord in for a long time. It's through the darkest times that we should remember that He is always with us, and His love will guide us through.



Thank you to Prayerful Bloggers for allowing me to guest post today! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at genlynne330@gmail.com at any time, or stop by my blog at http://www.newhomenewnamenewadventure.blogspot.com. Blessings!

Leave a Comment Gennie, prayer

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A Break

Over the past few weeks, I've been kinda hard on myself. I have made sure that I am taking time to rest and I am focusing in on the things that I need to get done, but there is still something that I'm not doing. 

I'm not giving myself a break. 

Well, I really enjoy reading, doing projects, blogging. I have had a lot going on and this causes my hobbies to take a back burner. I don't really like this idea, but I realize that I have to be realistic. For this reason, I have decided to give myself a break. 

I'm telling myself that it's ok.

I'm not going to be so hard on myself, especially when it comes to my hobbies and readings. I have to take care of my responsibilities and focus on the things that are most important right now. If I don't, I'll get side tracked. 

I have to be honest though...I would be really nice it I were able to read a 300 page book in one night, but I can't.   That means that I have to be kind to myself. Yes, there are tons of books that I want to read, but I will just have to plan my readings out. I also have to pray and hope that I will read my books in time. 

Today, I am really reminding myself that I am not perfect. Although I am striving for excellence and I want to be great, I am just a woman trying to be my best and asking God to let His glory be shown through me. 

It's not about how hard I can be on myself to get things done. I need to give myself a break and have faith that God's will, will be accomplished in my life. I will read what needs to be read. I will have time to enjoy my hobbies...until I make time for all of that I will take time to focus on my responsibilities an education. 

I will not be so hard on myself all of the time. I will give myself a break.

I want to encourage you to do the same thing. Look at your life. See if you are being too hard on yourself in some areas. Is the pressure necessary? Is there a way that you could be a little easier on yourself? How?  If you take the time to reflect as I am, I think you will find that you too, can give yourself a break. 

Leave a Comment Makeda, prayer, reflection, time

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