As Only Your Mama Can……                                                             

       February 20, 2014

 "The Prayer Jar"

 

I have always been a pretty consistent person of prayer.  When I lived at 661 Cherrywood Drive in Radcliff, Kentucky, my Great Granny taught me..

Jesus, Tender, Shepherd hear me,

Bless the little children tonight…

In the darkness be thou near me,

Keep me safe 'till the early morning's light

I later came to realize it was a prayer originally written by Mary Duncan, and when Grammy was pregnant with my sweet brother, Jim, someone gave her a lamp with a little lamb and the first portion of the prayer written on it.  I remember sneaking into his room and turning on the little light with my smallish hands (it had a small, twisty knob) and it would light up the little lamb.

As I grew older, my prayers grew longer and more purposeful and with great confidence in Him

As I grew older still, sadly, my prayers grew more about asking God for things…healing, jobs, joy

As I grew into womanhood, I began praying with other women friends in Bible studies….Some women I really enjoyed hearing were Mary Wooten and June Valentine… Carol Anderson and Linda and Kelly Oldach, Barbara Neller and Judy Leek…Helen McFadden and I prayed until we could no longer pray….Tammy Nischan and Patty Rhodes…Karen Locklear and the list goes on and on.  I am blessed to have in my life many prayer-warrior women and that has made all the difference.  There were sacred moments of prayer kneeling with Tracy Cowart which forever changed my life.  I remember praying with my Daddy when his daddy died….and my hearing my mother pray with the little children in Bible class.

My brother Chuck prayed with the young men at church during a youth event and I remember thinking…he's a man.

My brother Jim is a man of precious and heart-felt prayers….I have prayed with him during all seasons of his and my life.  And, I am changed as a result.

Jay has very lovely prayers….full of purpose and direction and reflection.

But the sweetest, heart melting prayers have come from my babies…and, I carry in my Mama's heart folding over your little hands in sweet prayer…teaching you early on what my great-Granny taught me…

We prayed a lot.  We said prayer words.  Sang prayer songs. 

Your mama believes in prayers….in praying….in the power of prayer

I pray one of the legacies I leave to you is that you, too, will be a prayer-warrior woman and that you won't just say the words, but will believe in the power of God's response.

I pray in all ways as do many: while in the shower, in the car, walking around the block, folding clothes.  I pray in the rain, snow, sunshine and storms.  I pray when happy, sad, broken, joyful.

I've prayed the "Eat, Pray, Love" prayer of Julia Roberts….in the movie of the same name at the darkest time in my life.  I've prayed the "shout it from the mountain tops" prayer the moment I found out I was pregnant with you, baby Joseph and your brothers. 

Every time you pray, I believe, you give a little piece of your heart back to God.

So, pray, baby…..pray often and in faith

While I am a woman who prays faithfully, frequently and fervently….what I am not good to do is to leave my prayers in the hands of God and surrender them….

If I don't get an immediate answer,

If I don't hear a quick response or see rapid change,

If I pray and pray and pray for the same thing over and over and over

I have, at times, lost hope…

Hope that God was hearing my prayers,

Hope that God was responding to my prayers,

Hope that God could see my desperation as I prayed and prayed and prayed….

And, while intellectually, I know better….

Within my heart…..it was hard, at times, to believe that He heard, understood and is/was responding. 

As I get older….I know that not only does God hear my prayers, see my praying, feel with me as I share my heart…

He does answer.  He always answers.  He faithfully and fervently answers.

IN HIS TIME

And, His time is not necessarily "my" time

His ways are not necessarily "my" ways

I've come to not only acknowledge this and accept this and understand this, but I have come to appreciate and respect and hope for this…

For when you give over your heart in prayer to God…and, you receive His answer….

You are blessed beyond measure….and, in ways you cannot even imagine, just as promised in Ephesians 3:20.

One thing I have done over the years to help me in this is to write down my prayers.  I've written them in books, journals, index cards, my Bible.  I've written them on my calendar, my computer and my cell phone.

This year, I started a Prayer Jar…..

I write down on little cards my and our family's prayers…pray…and then, put the card in the jar.  Once a week, I get out all of the cards and look at them…pray…and enjoy seeing how God has already answered so many of my/our prayers, see ones which are still waiting for an answer.

Amazing it is to see God's creativity and sweet tender response to our prayers…..already….in just one and one-half months of 2014.

Some are longer, lengthy prayers, some are simply the name of an individual, and some are in memory of a loved one who has gone to heaven…

All bless my heart….change my vision….touch my soul.

My prayer for you and your brothers is that you will always find your way to God through prayer….and, will always know that He will always answer you.

In that you can have full faith and confidence.

ILYAOYMC,

Mama