Wednesday, April 24, 2013

stories about prayer

As most of you reading this probably know, my name is Natalie and I am a story collector.
It's something I have loved for as long as I can remember. The real, gut spilling, heart-to-heart, life changing, world shaking stories are the ones that I will carry with me for as long as I can. I also love to write. Not the most eloquently, but with authenticity. I feel like I haven't been doing enough of it lately and it is a way that I can connect with the hearts I love, correlated throughout the world (Nyack, Pennsauken, Phoenix, Flagstaff, India, London, Michigan- you know who you are). So that is why, once again, I begin another blog, to share the everyday, mundane, miraculous, weird, silly, heart-breaking, eye-opening, gut spilling stories with you.

Here's another fact about me... I love prayer. It's something that I have become more and more passionate over the past few years about. Over the semester I have been trying to collect all that I can about a fruitful prayer life. And here is what I have heard and tried to implement lately:

1. Under my breath prayers: A friend told me a few weeks ago that she does this all the time. Walking to classes, in restaurants, in public places... If she sees someone who looks sad, or stressed, or who seems to be in pain- she will shoot a prayer up under her breath ("God, please give this person joy today", "God, please help her on her test she's about to go take). It seems that these under the breath prayers have become more frequent as you use them. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (pray without ceasing).

2. Believe it's gonna happen prayers: I'm the worst at these. I think it's because I'm impatient. But I have been trying to pray more with confidence. I pray as if I know that tomorrow God IS gonna answer. Matthew 21:22 (if you believe, you will receive).

3. Spontaneous prayers: Sometimes I get insecure and nervous about these. But I have been trying to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me into times of prayer with people. In the past week prayer has happened in the car, in the cafeteria, and in my office. I just ask people to pray for me or if I can pray for them. It can be awkward sometimes, but I think spontaneous prayer is my fav. Romans 8:26 (sometimes we don't know, but He does).

4. Post it prayers: I just have a wall of post its next to my bed. And I add prayers about people whenever they ask or I feel like I need to pray for them. Right now there are 48 there. And at least a few have already been answered! But I try to pray each one at least once a day to remember my friends and family in need of prayer (let me know if you got some to add :) ). Philippians 1 (remembering your friends in prayer).

5. Honest prayers: Yikes. Why does our culture teach us that we need to be dishonest with God? He already knows our hearts and every thought we might have. I've been learning from stories like David's, Jonah's, and Jeremiah's- that it's okay to be honest with God about how we are feeling. Lately when I don't know what to pray, I just start praying through some of the Psalms ("God would you restore in me the joy of Your salvation") as if they were the prayers of my own heart. Psalm 51


Well, that's all I have tonight.
I pray that He blessed your night with abundance and love and meets you wherever you're at.

Love,
Natalie

PS. Share with me your prayer stories. :)