For Prayer. . .

So tonight was cell meeting, and after sharing our prayer requests and we began to pray I realized what a wonderful thing prayer is. There are many types of prayer, corporate prayer, family prayers, prayers alone behind closed doors, couples prayers, and cell prayer. What a wonderful thing we have that God has given us this ability to pray. We get to come before God, the huge and powerful God and bring our concerns, our care, our sorrows and our joy and have a conversation. What a gift, what a wonderful gift. We can take anything and everything to Him and what is so great is He wants to hear it all. Every type of prayer we have available to us is so special. It's amazing to go to Church and be involved in corporate prayer, to lift up as a group our concerns for the world and for ourselves, for our community. Family prayers of course hold such a powerful and important spot in our lives. You can really learn about your children when you lead them in prayer and ask about their prayer requests. You learn about their heart, what is going on inside them, what worries them and what brings them joy. You can also learn how powerful children's prayers are. Jessica prayed for Elizabeth, Frances and Christopher. He answered her prayer every time. Prayers alone I find are the ones where you are the most yourself as you pour your heart out before God. It's amazing to know He loves those prayers too and makes mention of them in His word. He wants to see us as we are, not as we want others to see us and when we pray alone we are the most vulnerable and honest about what is going on inside us. Couple prayers of course draw you closer together with your beloved and help you as you bond. It guides your intimacy and your hearts towards each other. Then there is cell prayer. What I love about cell prayer is that we are able to bring our concerns to each other, to share together and then to lift each other up in love. It's amazing to hear one week, the prayers that are answered in the week that we lifted up the week before. We then rejoice with each other and get to see the power of God working. We get to support each other not with platitudes but before our Father. It's of course the best way to love each other. Tonight I am grateful for prayer, that God loves us so much He desires that we pray and come to Him daily. I am blessed because of my brothers and sisters who love me so much they lift me up in prayer and my concerns. I am blessed that I get to share with my brothers and sisters the joy of answered prayer. I am blessed because God is not a God who is far away, but who is involved daily and is delighted when I daily give time to Him in prayer. I am grateful for prayer, and blessed by prayer and I think that sometimes that I take that amazing gift that He has given me for granted.