Prayer
A friend of mine had a wooden plaque hanging in her room which read:
PRAYER CHANGES THINGS
It's been a couple of years since I saw it, but I loved its simple truth and quiet challenge. I realized today when responding to a beautiful e-mail from my sister-in-law, that God was blessing me in special ways prior to 'my September 6th'.
The week before my September 6th was Fast Sunday. Even as I was getting ready for church, I KNEW that I was going to bear my testimony that day & that I would bear my testimony of prayer. I was the 2nd person to the pulpit, and I bore my testimony of that simple, powerful, life-altering truth: PRAYER CHANGES THINGS. At that time I actually wondered to myself why this was the testimony I was bearing, because everything in my life was really, really good and in great order.
I didn't give a storimony. I just bore my testimony of how real prayer is and how grateful I am for the Spirit to be our liason between this world & the next. How even if our circumstances don't change, we change, and things get better. Prayer really does change things.
3 days later, the foundation of my marriage dissolved. Everything that was built on my marriage crumbled within a week. But because of my foundation being the gospel & Christ, I still stand. And PRAYER has given me access to my support (the Spirit & the Love of Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ), as literally as my skeleton is a support for my mortal frame. I would not be standing (even with my skeleton intact) were it not for the gifts accessible through Prayer. Believe me, I would be a non-functional lump of flesh & bones sobbing on the floor & unable to move. I've been there.
How amazing that I would be prompted by the Spirit & by a Father in Heaven who knows the end from the beginning (& all the in-betweens) to share a truth which would bless my life beyond measure, and which would be freshly imprinted in my heart & soul as a reminder & a gift - I am not alone - and I have open communication with He who can heal all things.
Prayer Changes Things.
Also, my sister-in-law mentioned that she & her children have been praying for me. She has explained to her kids that my heart had been hurt, and they have been praying for me.
I KNOW those prayers make a difference. K, J, & J, I want you each to know that I feel the difference because of your prayers. I feel Heavenly Father's love healing my heart and making me strong every hour of every day. You make a difference. Your prayers make a difference. Your faith makes a difference. You are helping me every day, every time you say a prayer for me. And for all your love, faith, and prayers, I want to Thank You.
For the rest of my family & nieces & nephews, and for anyone who has thought of me and cared because they know my amazing sister (Some Semblance of Order), I express the same heartfelt Thank You. You help to make me strong every day. I know that God's blessings are magnified and more powerful through the faith and prayers of others. And I want you to know that I give thanks for all of you each night & morning and ask for you to be blessed in return. It is a beautiful magnificent circle of love & life which I am honored to be in the loop of.
PRAYER CHANGES THINGS.
What could it change for you today?
Challenge yourself.
I am.
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And yet, as much as you say you are honored, I feel that much so, and more, to know you and be considered your dear friend as well as sister.
ReplyDeleteYou have an amazing way of sharing what is in your heart.
Thank you.
I like that saying, thanks for sharing it. I will remember it. What a blessing to have such a strong testimony of it during hard times, I am sure Heavenly Father was preparing you for what you are facing now.
ReplyDeleteHello...found you through your sister's blog. I'm happy to hear that your faith is sustaining you through this time of trial in your life. I too, have a testimony of brokeness and hurt in life, and still face struggles because of the way my life was literally shattered- five years ago. I have talked at length about how I chose to hand God the 'pieces of my broken life'- asking Him to hole them for me because I was too weak. And He has more than doneso. He has helped put my life back together, piece by piece...and while it looks different than before, it's beautiful and worth living nonetheless. I now look to Him for my joy and peace in life, and I seek ways to share my life and God's grace with others. I know God is doing this same work in you. Blessings to you each step of the journey.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your powerful insights and testimonies over the past few days. I marvel at the strength and peace you radiate in your posts. Thank you for sharing your heart so openly, for sharing your struggles, as well as your source of strength. The words you write now, will bouy you and strengthen you, as well as all who read them, for years to come. May God hold you in his arms. Know we wish we could too.
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