Prayer to the Soul

"What wings are to a bird and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul."    Corrie Ten Boom 

God says:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".      Philippians 4: 6-7

I never want to begin my day without prayer.  Spending time with God and inviting Him into my life, seeking His direction in everything I do.........this is what helps me get through a day.

Growing up, my family attended church each week, but prayer time was not a constant in our family.  I was raised in the Methodist denomination and to be honest, it was attending church on Sunday and Sunday nights.   And of course....Methodist always like to eat, so there were a lot of meals and plenty of fellowship.  

Growing up, I was a very shy person and to pray out loud was something I would never do.  Besides, I really had not been taught to pray.  At home, we acknowledged thankfulness at our meals, but other prayers were always kept private.  My family attended a very small church and it seems like I had the same Sunday School teacher every year when I was growing up.    I don't ever recall her calling on one of us kids to pray in Sunday School.  

 Just after Sam and I got married, we were very involved in our church, and at that time, the Methodist church was deeply involved in a Christian youth movement.  Our youth group was asked to go witness and share with another church about what God was doing in their lives and about the huge number of souls being saved.   

Since this was going to be an overnight trip, Sam and I were asked to come along as assistant leaders.  Little did I know that God was getting ready to test me in ways that  would take me FAR out of my comfort zone.  When we arrived at the church, I was informed that I would be teaching the women's Sunday school class the next morning.  Let me tell you, I was so sick at my stomach and I felt as if the nausea bug was throwing a dance party in me!  This shy girl did not know what to do!  

But God knew exactly what He was doing.  I went into that classroom, I taught the class that morning and I can tell you, the entire lesson was as if my brain was in a huge Fog, thicker than pea soup. I had no clue as to what I was even saying.   I did follow up with a prayer at the end, and I can tell you without a doubt that God was speaking those words through me.  At the end of class, the ladies were so very appreciative of my teaching and told me how much they enjoyed my insight into the lesson.  

  It wasn't until Sam and I were older, that we  changed Church denominations, mainly because we both were searching for a deeper relationship with God.  This is where I truly learned what it meant to be intimate in my prayer life,  and I then realized, that I was totally reaping the benefits of engaging in a personal relationship with God.    I learned to bring every need before Him and I also learned to talk to God not only as my Lord and Savior, but also as my friend.  I even learned that God is okay with my comedy, especially when I say, "God, it is me AGAIN."

I had the opportunity to teach our daughters about how important it is to Pray and to reach out to God, not only for needs, but to worship Him and give Him praise.  

The more I prayed, the more comfortable I became at being able to verbally pray out loud.  What a huge difference this made in my life.  

I simply cannot imagine riding the roller coaster of life, without daily prayer.

If you are not spending time in prayer each day, then I would encourage you to do so.  It will change your life. 

Life is short.....Pray every day.....and pray some more!

Shug.....💫