Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Prayer


 The Christ-Centered Home

I've been reading a new book by Emily Belle Freeman titled: The Christ Centered Home.  I've found that it can be purchased at any book store, but the one I order from online most frequently is Amazon or here.

Our family has had an interesting couple of years, and as I read the chapter that focused on having a household of prayer and really conversing with the Lord, I realized that we really have been doing that.  We've called on Him in our times of great need.  We've prayed for others, by name and for specific blessings that we know they need and/or desire.  On my way to work, I often pray to thank Him for the beautiful valley that we are blessed to be living in, for our family, for the amazing scenery - and last summer - for the abundance of rainbows!   I've prayed for calmness, and it has come.  I've prayed to know how to serve others, and thoughts have come into my mind.  I've prayed for our children, their spouses and our grand-children. 

I truly have found that as I've included my Father in Heaven in the details of my life, I have felt His presence in greater abundance.  I have been made aware of times when others have prayed specifically for us and our circumstances, and we have felt lifted up because of those prayers.  

I want to share a bit of my own testimony about prayer by quoting a short paragraph from this book.

"Making prayer a part of our daily routine may require us to set aside and turn upside down many of our original daily patterns.  We have to shift our thoughts vertically.  Inviting the Lord to be part of our lives will require us to live intentionally.  But the blessing of constant companionship is worth it.  The ongoing conversation will bless our lives in a way that we may have been missing out on previously.  Through prayer we can receive answers, comfort, and strength.  We can experience the miracles that can come only through prayer and fasting.  We can find direction.  Perhaps the most important lesson we can teach our children is the importance of regular prayer."

I hope that your life can be enriched and your relationship with your Father in Heaven and Savior will be enriched by making prayer a part of the intimate moments of your life.