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Friday, January 17, 2014

Being Intentional and Persistent in My Prayer Life


Do you ever feel like you pray for the same things over and over…day in and day out? I used to think there was something wrong with that, but now I know better. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing”. I don’t think that means that we have to pray every single moment of the day; although, I do believe in praying throughout the day. I think this verse means we can intentionally bring a specific prayer request to God consistently every day. I like what the Pulpit Commentary says concerning this verse: “This prayer is to be "without ceasing," implying constancy and perseverance.”

I love the parable Jesus tells us in Luke 18:1-8 about the persistent widow who did not give up going to the judge until she received her answer. Jesus told this parable to encourage us not to give up in our prayer life. We can apply this same persistence in our daily prayers!

I’ve realized the importance of this kind of persistence in my prayer life since living with and walking through the struggles that having a son on the autism spectrum has brought into our life. It’s a truth that I’m teaching my son as well. There is nothing wrong with seeking the face of God for a specific prayer request every.single.day. To come before God with a humble heart seeking His victory over struggles we are facing shows a strong faith in our mighty God. I believe that pleases Him.

I’ve also learned the importance of praying God’s Word back to Him. The Word of God has power that we cannot get any other way. We can use its power to tear down strongholds Satan attempts to place in our lives. We are told in Hebrews 4:12:

For the word of God is living and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

My Prayer Life
Source: 123 Royalty Free

I’ve made it a daily habit to pray two specific verses over my son every.single.night. I’ve seen the difference it has made in his life as I’ve witnessed his victory over struggles that have sought to paralyze him in certain areas of his life. I praise God for the victory! Greater is He that is in my son than he that is in this world (see 1 John 4:4)!

In order to pray God’s Word back to Him, I must be in it every day, I must believe what it says, and I must memorize scripture. I’m teaching this to my son as well. Looking back, I’ve learned so much from my son actually; and my walk with the Lord has deepened because of all that we have faced these past two years now. God can truly work all things together for good (see Romans 8:28).

So you’ll know what I mean about praying God’s Word back to Him, I’d like to share part of my prayer that I pray out loud over my son EVERY night:

"Lord, I pray that Caleb would not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, I pray that Caleb would make his requests known to You. And I pray that Your peace that surpasses all understanding would guard Caleb’s heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Lord, You have not given him a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Help Caleb to walk in this truth every day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!"

The verses I use in my prayer are from Philippians 4:6-7 and 2 Timothy 1:7. I have seen first-hand the power of God’s Word working in Caleb’s life and for that I am very grateful. It is why I will continue to be intentional and persistent in my prayer life!

How about you? Has there been a time in your life when you’ve seen the power of God’s Word at work in your life or the life of your loved one? I’d love to hear about it, so please share in the comments.

Walking in His Grace,
Laurie

9 comments:

  1. this post was such encouragement for me. I have a 4 yr old son just diagnosed with ODD. He could also have OCD. I go Monday to get him evaluated. I am going to try this over my son and know God hands are all over my situation. Thanks again

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    1. Oh, Amy! I am so glad this was an encouragement for you. I'm praying for you this morning and for your sweet boy!

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  2. Hi Laurie,
    I came across your blog throughout Juicing Momma and the prayer journal. I too have a son with autism and is about Caleb's age. He is high functioning but non-verbal for the most part. I have been remiss in his spiritual upbringing… I wrongly assumed that he would not really understand and have not taken the consistent time needed to teach him to pray and know the Lord. We do go to church and he does the kid's ministry, but, as you know, with autism, it's all about routine and trying to start a prayer life now has me a bit discouraged. I would love to start having discussions with him about the Lord and start him on a consistent prayer life, but do not know where to begin. Any suggestions?

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    1. Dear Erika,

      Please do not be discouraged. It's never too late to begin helping your son develop a prayer life and to encourage him in his personal relationship with the Lord. It's great you are in church and he is in the kid's ministry!. It's not too late to develop your own routine with your son at home.

      I would suggest reading some of your favorite verses to your son. The Psalms are wonderful too. Explain to your son that prayer is a way for us to communicate with the Lord. We can talk with him like we talk with each other. You mentioned he is non-verbal for the most part. If you can, ask him what he would like to talk to the Lord about, and you can lead the prayer using what he said. If he doesn't give you anything, just pray over what you read and pray for the needs of your son. I would suggest doing this every night before he goes to bed. It will be a special time to share together and will hopefully help him to settle down for the night in a peaceful and quiet way. I will be praying for you, asking the Lord to bless your efforts.

      I hope I've been able to help with these suggestions. Please feel free to contact me again if you need to.

      Blessings,
      Laurie

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    2. Thank you so much for your advice, prayers and encouragement!

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  3. A prayer journal has (in the past, I should set it up again) helped me to be both persistent, intentional and consistent with prayer. I always left spaces to record bits of encouragement when I would see God working.

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    1. That's a great idea, Tess, to leave space in a prayer journal to record when we see God working. We have a prayer journal that we use for our family devotions. I need to suggest this to my husband. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. We do this and trust that the Lord's Word does not return void! Great post- a good reminder and very encouraging.

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    1. Amen, Lisa, His Word will never return void! So glad to see you here...thanks for stopping by! :-)

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