prayer

I've read it countless times, but today it was as though Jesus' words shouted at me:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened...If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Mt 7.7-8, 11

I read them over and over and each time their vibration grew louder in my spirit.

Lately, I've been reading The Beginner's Guide to Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets. Sheets clearly emphasizes that the motivation for prayer and intercession is intimacy with God. On page 83, Sheets states:

"When we move into the unselfish ministry of interceding for someone, God finds it irresistible and meets (paga) with us. He always loves our company, but when we begin to represent His beloved Son, the heart of the Father is stirred beyond His ability to resist."

The combination of what I've been meditating on and Jesus' words caused a rise of faith inside me. You know those moments: when you experience faith, a certainty, that God is listening and longing to respond to his children.

So I began to pray for the issues that are dearest to my heart: my children's spiritual and relational futures, my husband's continued strength, our precious marriage's continued growth, health in body and spirit for my mom, God's hand to sovereignly open and close doors, God's favor to rest upon the message of Anonymous, God's guidance as I begin to write the new devotional...

Theologically, I know that prayer is powerful. Today I felt it--and though that is not the norm for me, it was still wonderfully refreshing for my soul.

Though its mysteries are many, somehow our human prayers cooperate with God's purposes on earth. "Ask, and it will be given to you..." Jesus said.

And he wasn't selling anything.