Pray Always

     "Thank you Lord for keeping me in Your care through the night.  My soul is in Your hands; I have nothing to fear. I pray that You will also have Your hand of protection on my loved ones [each named].

     Give me grace to face a new day and whatever it holds for me, and the strength to perform my daily duties.

     To God be all praise, honor and glory."

I always knew my mother was a woman of prayer, but I didn't know until after she passed away that she kept journals and wrote out her prayers.  The Apostle James told us in chapter 5, verses 13-16 of his letter:
   "Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise.  Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  If he has sinned, he will be forgiven... the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  

...or a righteous woman!  Mom believed this and lived it.  My mother's prayer journals remind me very much of the Psalms.  She praised the Lord in times of happiness, and to acknowledge answers to prayer; and she poured out her heart to Him in times of difficulty.  In those journals, she left her children a memento of how she lived her life.  It can be neatly summed up like this...

"Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I Thessalonians 5:16

God calls us to be people of prayer.  The New Testament is full of encouragements to pray.  We are invited to come boldly before the Throne of Grace in our times of weakness and need (Hebrews 4:14-16).  And He has promised to honor those prayers.  God pays attention to our prayers!  That's an awesome concept.  The Creator of the universe longs to have a personal relationship with me... and YOU.  He speaks to us through his Word; and once that connection is made, we communicate back to Him through prayer.  It is a supernatural link that is capable of facilitating miracles, in our own lives and the lives of others!  Does God always answer the way we want or expect?  Heavens, no!  But you can be sure He always answers in our best interests (Luke 11:1-13).

I am thankful to God for my mother's steadfast example of faith; and I am challenged anew to pray consistently -- for my family, for my country, and even for my enemies.  For all things are ultimately in His hands... and He is able!

God bless!