Praying for Others

This morning as my opened, I saw that it was light outside.  I looked at the clock and it said 4:30 a.m.  I then realized it was a full moon and the light was the reflection off of the galvanized table.  I laid all snuggled up underneath the blankets.  The cooler air hit my face and I thought about getting up and turning up the thermostat.

I chose to lay there.  My heart was burden for others and I knew that this was a good time to pray.
These verses came to mind as I laid there in the warmth of my bed.  "Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit" and "Keep on praying".

I snuggled into the warm blankets and I began to pray for my husband, my family, my parents and my friends.

I prayed for my niece, who was recently released from prison, and is now living in a half-way.  I asked that the Lord would give her wisdom in making smart choices, to give her direction and that other's hearts would be open to give her a chance at a job.

I prayed for my great-nephew, who is a teenager and is living with my parents.  That the Lord would protect him and give him confidence and self-esteem.  Praying for strength and wisdom for my eighty year old parents.

I prayed for my job and that the Lord would give me the words and confidence for my upcoming presentation.

I prayed for relationships with family and friends.  I prayed for family and friends that are fighting various illnesses.  That the Lord would heal them and give them the strength and wisdom that they need on a daily basis.  The list goes on and on and on.

Philippians 4:6-7 tells me "Do not worry about anything, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  These two verses tell me not to worry, but to pray.  God gives me a peace in knowing that He is in control.

As I got up and made the house warmer, I sat in my flannel pajamas and read my various devotions. The verse that hit home to me was "This is the confidence, we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."  1 John 5:14-15

The interpretation for this scripture was, "the emphasis here is on God's will, not our will.  When we communicate with God, we don't demand what we want; rather we discuss with him what he wants for us.  If we align our prayers to his will, he will listen; and we can be certain that if he listens, he will give us a definite answer.  Start praying with confidence!"

I can handle today knowing that my prayers make a difference!