Category Archives: Prayer

A Mentor’s Prayer Life

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Devotional-journal, 3In 2012, my California cousins gifted me with something precious from their mom, my Aunt Joyce. It was a green leather book with her name embossed on the front. At first I didn’t recognize it, but inside I saw my own writing, a birthday gift to my aunt on her 88th. It was a devotional journal, and after each day’s entry, there was space for written reflections. Aunt Joyce had recorded her thoughts and prayers, and in this gift I was given a glimpse of how a wise mentor talks to God.

In reading what she wrote, I was impacted by her honesty before her Lord and am wondering if you readers might be impacted, too. Below are quotes from her journal, plucked with care so as not to reveal her secrets but answering the question, “What does a mentor’s prayer life look like?”

  • Oh God, my trust is in you. I ask for deliverance from my feelings.
  • Lord, order my conduct, and take my burdens.
  • Remove my fear and anxiety. You said you would. I depend on that. Keep my mind stayed on Thee.
  • Rejoice exceedingly, Joyce!
  • God, if it’s not too late, I commit my cause to you. Help me do your way and will.
  • “…that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Wow! Me?
  • Lord, keep my attention on your side, not mine.
  • Lord, I need to be motivated by your love. I ask this by your Spirit. Thank you, right now.
  • Lord, open my eyes to see my enemy, which equals my captivity. Give me your equipment for fighting against captivity to sin. I want to conquer sin in my thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
  • I feel like I’m going through your refiner’s fire to purify my wickedness. I’ve had anger, stress, and frustration when I should have had hope!
  • Thank you for my Edward [husband of 62 years then]. I did not have sense enough myself to choose such quality.
  • God’s grace is like a sandwich. The top of the bun is what I deserve from Him. The filling is God’s grace. The bottom is what I receive from Him… life eternal.
  • I thank God for blessing received with no sorrow added.
  • I need someone greater, wiser, stronger and more powerful than I am. In Him I have everything.
  • Often God’s way up is down, but He’s there with us, too.
  • Aunt Joyce's prayers, 3I became a new being today, started all over – forgiven, cleansed, powered by Him through the Holy Spirit. Praise to the Almighty, over and over! I’m so grateful.
  • To know Him is to love Him. I love you, Lord, and want to know you more.
  • I’m starting to understand what grace is, and what my comfort can be.
  • Stress and suffering shows me so clearly how very much I need Him, how hopeless and helpless I am without Him. I surrender all, dear Jesus, to you.

One of Aunt Joyce’s favorite verses, written out in her journal, is: “The Lord will perfect what concerns me.” (Psalm 138:8)

Mary views the future.

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In the last three days we’ve heard from Mary as she’s thought about cancer’s effects and God’s counter-effects. Today she addresses you, blog reader, with a desire to encourage:

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It will never cease to amaze me that so many people have offered to pray for me and are continuing to pray. Some of them I don’t even know. Maybe this incredible gift has come because both you and I are members of the same family: God’s family. Though we may not know each other in this world, we’re going to be close siblings in the next, and that’s a lovely thought.

 Meanwhile, for you I’m praying, “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” (1 Timothy 1:2) Though I don’t know your specific needs, I do know that these amazing gifts (grace, mercy, and peace) are always welcome and beneficial.

Mary and Anders (2 months)As for me, please pray that any and every decision I’ll need to make in the days ahead will be made in God’s wisdom and by his leadership. It’s possible I’ll be asked to join a medical study with other pancreatic patients or to undergo a new series of chemo treatments stronger than the ones I’ve already had. The doctor may request further testing or specific scan dates. My loved ones might present alternative treatment plans to help me. If together you and I seek God first, he’ll let me know which choice is best in every case.

For now, I’m content to lead a “normal” life for as long as I can. I’ll let you know through this blog when symptoms of my cancer appear or when any other significant development occurs. Thank you for standing with me during this past year; my heart is bursting with gratitude!

The future may bring new lows and new fears to fight. But God’s Word tells me that no matter how cancer mounts its attack, the Lord will be right next to me, ready with a spiritual (and sometimes physical) counter-attack. And no matter what happens, I know without doubt he’ll continue to bring good from even the darkest of days.

“We exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

P.S. The baby I’m holding in the picture is our little Anders, the one born prematurely who had to spend 3 weeks in the NICU. I’m delighted to report that at 2 months old, he is thriving!

What good will it do?

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One of life’s great privileges is being able to talk to the Almighty. After reading the Old Testament and seeing how he kept a distance between himself and people to the point of causing whole mountains to shake, it’s astounding that he allows us to approach him at all. He not only allows it, he encourages it, warmly inviting us to come into his throne room. He even suggests we “come boldly,” and that we do it “with confidence.”

One of my great joys during the last 24 years has been to sit with others for extended times in God’s throne room. This week while meeting with 4 women to pray over a list of requests given to us through the church, a spirit of discouragement flooded me.

As we got ready to pray, we divided up the requests so each of us could cover some of them out loud while the others prayed silently. We do it this way each week, but for some reason this time I felt swamped by so many needs. There were nearly 100 in all, some of which had mini-requests within the bigger ones.

Prayers neededHow could we pray for them all in the 90 minutes available?

As the first woman began praying, my mind stayed stuck in the enormity of our task. My head was bowed, but my eyes weren’t closed. They were reading the requests: physical maladies, emotional crises, relationship divisions, financial struggles. How could our little band of 4 accomplish anything significant for this mob of needy people?

My desire to converse with God began plummeting, snowed under by the overwhelming odds against us. God’s simultaneous point of view, however, was the exact opposite. His desire to talk to me remained strong. And talk he did.

“Do you think your invitation into my throne room is so you can show me what you can do for these folks? Or is it for Me to show you what I can do?”

And that’s all it took. He had pulled me into the conversation.

I’m thankful for his timely reminder that prayer is all about God, not me. My part is just to approach him, believing he hears and answers. And sometimes he does it well before reaching #100 on the list: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24)

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)