Have you praised Him lately?

Today, I am praising my Heavenly Father.

I am so very thankful that Carter's two week appointment went well. Apparently, there are no longer any signs of jaundice. When he was retested at 4 days old, his bilirubin levels were a bit more elevated than the initial test in the hospital. Today, he shows no signsof jaundice. Thank you, Lord! Carter is growing quite well. He weighed 8lbs 13 oz (1 pound and 1 ounce more than his birth weight). What a blessing it is to know that he is healthy and strong!

I am so very thankful for the love Colin and Carson have for their baby brother. Already, they are inseparable. When its time for school, bed, or whatever, they do not want to leave Carter's side. Carson has not slept in his own bed but once or twice since Carter has been home. This morning, both big brothers were on the couch with me and Carter. They are all about their little brother. I pray that their devotion to one another continues, that no matter how old they get and what troubles they encounter, that these boys remember they are family and that is what is important.

I am so very thankful for the wonderful man I am married to. He takes such good care of me and our boys. I am amazed at how God has worked in his life since surrendering his life to Jesus 6 years ago. Yesterday at church, he talked to the congregation about prayer. You see, when Carson was born four years ago, we saw him for only a short moment due to his lungs. He was quickly taken to NICU. Jeffrey made his way to the chapel at the Medical Center and prayed for his newborn son. His (our) prayers were answered. Carson was healed. We have learned that he remains delicate in times of illness. With a snotty nose or first sign of cough or cold, we have to take precautions to keep him in good health whether it is keeping him in from the weather or out of smokey environments. He can't tolerate allergens and illness like many kids. When Carter was born two weeks ago, Jeffrey made his way to the chapel at the hospital once again. This time, it was to give thanks and praise for a healthy newborn son. Isn't that the only proper thing to do (which was precisely his point to the church)? We are quick to pray in times of want, whether through the death of a loved one, illness, job loss, marital stress, parenting issues, or financial trouble. We should also be quick to pray in times of plenty, whether it is a job promotion, good health, or anything worth celebrating. God is with us in those times, just like he is with us in times of want. Some people only call out to our Lord when they are hurting. Sure He wants us to do that, but our Father also wants us to call out to Him in times of celebration, to give Him praise for what He has done.

Have you praised Him lately? If not, why not start now? Why not leave a comment here to let us know what God has blessed you with?

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thesselonians 5:16-18

How is Your Prayer Life

A few days ago, I had the chance to sit down with my cousin and talk. Something we never get to do. I was humbled that she felt she could talk to me about a burden she was carrying. She was struggling with her prayer life and just felt like maybe she was going about it all wrong.

I think to a point, we all struggle with our prayer life. One of my struggles? I feel at times I don't pray enough. The Bible says to pray without ceasing. We can all find excuses on why we don't pray as often as we should. We are busy with jobs, housework, children, church, and other extra activities. But honestly, while we are busy with all of these things, we can still pray.

Pray
before getting out of bed
in the shower
while brushing your teeth
driving to work
on your break
at lunch
while waiting on your doctor
when working out
driving home
while watching your kids at practice
while preparing dinner
when going to bed

Imagine if
we all put our cell phones away while driving
we spent less time online
we spent less time watching TV
turned the radio off while doing chores
and spent that time in prayer. I think the outcome would be amazing!

Prayers don't have to be extravagant. My cousin and I talked about humbling ourselves in prayer and what that really means. Do we have to always kneel? Do we always have to hold our hands a certain way? Do we have to use big words? I don't think so.

I think that to humble ourselves in prayer means
to acknowledge who God is
to thank Him for who He is and what He has done
to ask for his guidance by admitting we can't face life alone
to admit our sin and shortcomings
to ask that His will be done, not ours
to be honest with Him

My prayers are not always the same. Some are more formal than others. It depends on the main purpose of the prayer. My prayer for someone who is going through a difficult time is going to be different than the blessing for my meal. The prayer of thanksgiving for a good doctor's appointment is different than the prayer after I'm not proud of myself for my behavior or when I'm at my wits end and don't have the words to express what I'm feeling. Sometimes I talk to God has my father. Sometimes I talk to Him as my friend.

I think sometimes people do get frustrated with praying because they feel like their prayers are not being answered. This is when we have to step back and think (honestly) about what we are praying for. We are to pray for what is in God's will, not ours. If we continuously ask Him for things that are not part of His plan, we will be disappointed. God has 3 answers to our prayers: Yes, No, and Later. If we stop and think about the things we have prayed for and not gotten, we may see that those prayers were answered differently for our benefit.

In his book, Hope for Each Day, Billy Graham writes "Prayer isn't just asking God for something we want. Prayer should also include confession of sin and praise to God for who He is and what He has done for us. But prayer should also have an additional element, and that is thanksgiving. It is easy to be thankful when God blesses us with something good. But the Bible says that we should "give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessolonians 5:18). Thankfulness drives away a sour or prideful spirit."

It would be good for us all to remember this and to reflect upon the purpose of our prayers.


Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2