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an illustration of prayer
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I was amazed at how much God wanted to say once I started listening. It must grieve His heart when we ‘pray’ and all we do is talk, talk, talk, talk - never stopping to see if He has something to say. All of my long lists of prayers had merely been words. I was in charge before, speaking my own words, setting the agenda, deciding what each person that I was ‘praying for’ needed. We do that kind of praying individually and we do it at the prayer meetings at church. We charge ahead with our words and verbally go through our lists of things we want, things that need to be changed, things that are bothering us, things that God should do so that our ministries are successful. That is what we think of prayer – asking God for something that we want. That is what prayer has been reduced to! But God was showing me a better way. It saddens me to think of the many years that I ignored God’s gracious voice and the things I have missed as a result. But God wasn’t looking back at my failures, He was pushing me forward to see how much my life could be changed by simply listening to Him and I was ready.
My times alone with God took on a totally different appearance. Instead of me telling God what I wanted Him to do, I was listening. I would sing to Him and read the Bible, but mostly I listened. It felt almost illegal. My mind would occasionally return to my lists of prayers and I would be tempted to pull them out and read through them until the Holy Spirit said to me:
-When you pray lists of prayers, when will you know you have done enough? If you pray them everyday but then skip a day – what happens on the day you skip? Prayer at MY initiative is effective. I know what needs are pressing – the Big Picture is always at the forefront of MY mind’s eye. Only infinite knowledge can know what must be prayed and what gifts must be given to accomplish that prayer.
-Trust ME. Prayer lists keep you in control. You feel like you are doing something good – like you have gained MY approval, but You ALREADY HAVE MY approval…
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About the Book
If prayer has ever felt frustrating, complicated, laborious or even useless to you, this book has the potential to give you a fresh perspective on the heart of prayer. The author shares her experience of crying out, “Lord, teach me to pray!” and the Holy Spirit’s response to her cries. Included are six lessons about the principles of prayer and the author’s gained insight into why prayer is a necessity; the very heartbeat of a believer. These insights can move you into a place of simplicity and rest in prayer and reveal that prayer is not something you do, but rather someone you become; a pray-er.
About the Author
Rebecca is a devoted and grateful student of the Holy Spirit, who patiently teaches her the same lessons over and over again. She has also been a teacher of children and adults for the past thirty-two years in a variety of settings: public schools, churches, retreats, and youth camps. She loves to pass on to others the things she has learned in hopes of stimulating, in them, a desire for Father- Spirit-Jesus.
Rebecca lives in Greenville, Illinois with her husband, John, of thirty years. She has a daughter, Rachel and a son, Josiah. She is currently privileged to be teaching her granddaughter, Ava Charlotte, the lessons in this book.