The WORD on Wednesday: Reflections on Brick Walls + Prayers

A brief departure from the tour of the Olympic Peninsula (even though this photo is from there)...

I've been troubled about my praying lately, feeling like there was a brick wall between me and God. My prayers seemed empty, hollow, repetitious, without passion or love.

Yet the needs kept coming into my 'inbox'; needs that were real and great; personal, family and other needs.

I know that the challenges in our life right now are big, and yet, are they larger then what others are going through? Are they larger then the early Christians faced? Different, yes, but not larger.

And then it occurred to me (and a friend also confirmed this) to pray the WORD of God...by this I mean to take scripture from the Bible, personalize it to that person that has the need and then voice this to the Almighty. It does make sense...praying the Words of God, who inspired men of God to pen them. Words of love, Words of power, Words of instruction; the Words of the ONE who knows each individuals REAL needs far more than I can.

So this is what I am determined to do and I have already tried it. Sometimes the right Scriptures pop into my mind at just the right time; other times I have to seek the out the right Words for a particular need (of course I have to be in the WORD to do that).

During my life I have prayed sentence prayers (Lord, help me through this-- said on the twisty and rainy Highway 20 high above Discovery Bay one day when a driver was crowding our vehicle). I have prayed from prayer books during some church services. I have prayed in other ways...and now I am praying the Word.

What are your experiences with prayer? Do you ever hit 'brick walls' in your prayer life? The Bible says to combine 'thanksgiving' with our prayers...do you do that?
Blessings, Aimee

The WORD on Wednesday

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness:

Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

 Psalm 4: 1

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry;

hold not Thy peace at my tears:

for I am a stranger with Thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

Psalm 39:12

Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.

Psalm 54:2

Be careful for nothing;

but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known unto God.

Philippians 4: 6

and finally a personalized prayer...

good for a twisty Highway 20, above Discovery Bay, on a rainy day

 or any other scary situation you find yourself in.

Original:

(Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death),

I will fear no evil for Thou art with me...

  Psalm 23:4a

Personalized:

Dear God,

(As we travel this twisty road, I feel anxious because of the rain, the darkness 

and the fast drivers behind us that are crowding us)

Help me to fear no evil for YOU are with me.

Amen.

Note:

All verses are taken from the King James Version.

A good Internet source for different versions of the Bible can be found at:



http://www.biblegateway.com.

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