17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;
18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.
20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.
21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.
24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.
Where do we pray, and about what? I don't have any flocks, and I don't have any fields, but I certainly have a house, and a job, and errands to run and.... I also have the devil influencing me and enemies that I need power over. I can pray - and should pray at any of those places and about any of those things. As an experiment this week, I tried to think about this scripture in the many places and situations I found myself in. Here are some of the highlights of my week. Monday we attended a family gathering. I have a complicated relationship with one of my family members who doesn't seem to have a lot of respect for the rest of us. I let myself be stressed and upset by her, and did not use this power! On the way home, I remembered my experiment and quickly said a prayer in my heart to ask forgiveness. Immediately I felt lighter. Tuesday I attended my daughter's choir concert. A quick prayer that she would do her best calmed me and hopefully her! Wednesday was a difficult work day. Some of our special needs kids have a difficult time with change and the end of the year is rough! I already found by this day that my thoughts were turning to prayer for help more quickly. I know it helped me keep my patience that day. Thursday, I was with a group of individuals and the topic of conversation was fairly negative. At other times I may have been able to ignore it, or maybe there would have been times that I joined in, but because of the prayer that I had carried in my heart, I found that it really bothered me, and what I wanted most was to leave.
This is just a few highlights of my week. Do I have enemies? Yes. Are they vicious people that want to fight with me? No. They are everyday influences. Moods, negative words, strained relationships, etc. I proved to myself this week, and have proved it in the past, that when I make an effort to turn my thoughts to my Heavenly Father, consciously say a little prayer in my mind throughout the day, He will give me the power to overcome those things. Maybe they seem like little everyday things, but they add up. If we turn to Him for help before they get big He can make our days so much smoother.
I am grateful for this week that I made an extra effort to have this in my mind. Where are all of the places you can pray today and this next week?
Have a wondrerful day!
Love, Sis. Norris
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