Tuesday, May 08, 2007

I know I've posted this picture before, but it is a reminder for a call to prayer. Whether you know how to, Him who is the One listening, or whether you believe it works or not, there are a lot of people who need encouragement through prayer TODAY, right now, many of them YESTERDAY, and all of us TOMORROW! God knows our hearts before we approach Him humbly. There is no such thing as a secret. Your prayer does not need eloquence, nor need it be memorized or rehearsed. He's got a 1-800 line that never rings busy. And remember, when you're driving down the street and someones face pops into your head or their name in your mind, that's a call to pray. That's God talking, laying that person or situation on your heart. At that moment, pray. Face it, when you get home, busyness will set in and you'll forget. Here are some, but the list is endless...
  • The Coble family in California whose 3 children entered the kingdom of heaven last week...
  • Marriages of your friends and family, or your own, that God would bring healing and restoration, along with a newness grounded in Him alone...
  • Missionaries' wives around the world, but namely in Turkey who are facing today and the future without their husbands due to a horrendous torture and slaughter that occurred last week...
  • A family that lost their 34 year old daddy to a pulmonary embolism just last week...
  • Your neighbors, your in-laws, your parents, your siblings, your boss and co-workers, the guy that just cut you off on the highway...
  • Children around the world who are thrown into parental roles because theirs just died of: overdose, AIDS, a tragedy, natural disaster...
  • A teenager's family here in Denver that is grieving the suicide death of their son who just returned from a missions trip...


I know it all seems overwhelming and horrific! It is, especially when we try to comprehend the whole of it. I encourage all of us to lay it down at His feet, trusting in faith that His MUCH BIGGER PLAN is in His control. Then, after all of that is laid at the cross, I encourage you (and myself) to thank the Lord for all that is good, all of the blessings...the fact that you might have running water, electricity, food in the refrigerator, a roof over your head, your health today, oxygen to breathe...


I know it sounds cheesy, but I used to 'practice' my thankful ABC's every morning in the shower, along with putting on my armor (Ephesians 6). I would sometimes and still do (I say that because it was part of a discipline at the time, now it comes more naturally throughout the day...) go through the alphabet and thank God for something that started with that letter. Also, I would praise God, blessing His name with a letter in the alphabet. 'X' is a little hard, but this isn't legalism here, folks:) I'd usually call Him, "Excellent" when it came to that letter. It is more about where my heart lies, and if it's too focused on me, or the reality of the world around me, then my eyes aren't on Him, and then, yes, the world in which we live is too overwhelming to bear.


He bears our burdens...

15 comments:

  1. thank you for your encouragement to pray for others. i am so blessed and reminded that there are others who are hurting and need prayer. so many things are unimportant. i am and will be praying for those who you listed and know that when God does bring you to my mind I pray for you. with love because of Christ, Carol

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  2. Thanks so much for your message and your prayers Adrienne.


    Love,
    Paula and Family

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  3. Anonymous7:46 PM

    You are such a blessing!!!

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  4. Anonymous8:09 PM

    Adrienne
    Thank you so much for this reminder and encourager to pray.
    I will say a special prayer right now. You are right....I KNOW GOD IS GOOD...Life though can be hard
    and in those moments it can be
    hard to focus on WHOSE WE ARE!
    Thank you so much for the beautiful reminder Adrienne.
    God bless our sisters & brothers.
    love & blessings~
    Lynda
    bishopswife@comcast.net

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  5. Adrienne, I love your cheerleader personality! Keep cheering for Jesus!

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  6. Anonymous8:13 PM

    Loved the reminder, too! I've also followed the Coble family story - makes me hug my 3 a little tighter and longer! :) I also "pray" the ABC's - sometimes things to be thankful, sometimes things that challenge me, sometimes people's names - it's a great way for me to take my mind off of MY worries if I wake at night and my mind is too busy! :)

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  7. Anonymous8:18 PM

    That's a beautiful picture. Post it anytime.

    God has been teaching me a lot about prayer in the last year or so. I am always inspired by what a prayer warrior my little Julia (5yr --my middle child) is. And seeing her rejoice when prayers are answered has been so great. Her faith is inspiring.

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  8. Adrienne,
    I am with you in this one. I always have these visions of people that are not in my life but have been in the past and I know that is God calling me to pray for them. Sometimes I used to think why? that is such a weird request Lord. I don't ignore those callings anymore. I consider it such a blessing that He would trust me with that task and so I do it with gratefulness.

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  9. Anonymous8:08 AM

    You could never post that photo enough Adrienne. In fact I don't recall you posting this exact photo as his hands are together.

    I really like the ABC prayer. I have never heard of it before but I like it a lot and have incorporated it in my own life.

    I went on a prayer marathon the other day. A very close friend of mine has a grandmother who was admitted into the hospital with Meningitis that had gone up into her brain. The woman is 80 years old. That makes for a very bleak outcome. They said she would be a vegetable if she ever woke up.

    As of this morning she is awake, alert and doing wonderful. The power of prayer can never be measured or compared. It takes my breath away every time I think of things that I know have been changed through prayer.

    Thank you for the reminders and I will be praying for those families that you mentioned.

    Love,
    Mandy

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  10. I agree with Mandy, you could never post that picture of Noah enough. He is just precious. I also heard about the family who recently lost their 3 children and my heart goes out to them as it does to every other person who has lost a child. I love the "ABC" prayer and am going to start practicing it each day.

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  11. Anonymous8:08 PM

    Thanks for reminding us to pray. May God lift you up today!

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  12. Yep, I'm praying, Adrienne. Thanks for the reminder; my prayer life is being revolutionized, and your posts only fuel this new fire.

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  13. Anonymous7:02 AM

    Adrienne...thank you for your continual encouragement and reminders. I ask that you would pray for my son's former college roommate's family the Bennington's. Shannon killed his wife and then turned the gun on himself and took his own life...there are no answers as to why? Also for my son Mike and his friend Kyle serving the Lord in Haiti at an orphanage this week. So many hurting people who need to know Jesus. I pray I can be a light just has you have been a light to so many. Blessings, Gail (from Ohio)

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  14. Anonymous2:35 PM

    Adrienne - I was going to contact you regarding prayer for the Coble family - they live very close to my home here in California - I really wanted them to know of your strength - the loss of their 3 children has affected the entire community around us. Stacey told me today that she had acknowledged the family - I don't have an email for them, but if you can reach them I know your comfort and prayers would bring a lot to them. Love you, Mom North

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  15. You are an amazing woman Adrienne, thanks for the encouragement..

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