I may be too literal but I take prayer as talking to God...so I talk to Him anywhere and everywhere. I talk to Him as I get ready in the morning...sometimes in the shower as I remember what I am facing for the day....just a conversation...God you know that....sometimes I turn off the radio and talk to Him as I drive to work....God this is really bothering me....or Lord what an amazing morning...thank you for the beauty of those clouds...the sky...the mountains....help me to....sometimes I have to pray for crazy drivers...or myself for being upset by the crazy drivers :) I start my day with an adoration (thanks Sara!) and I read a devotional and try to "apply" something from that through the day...asking the Lord to help change me/use me somehow. I look for ways to "see Him" in my day and point out to others how He is working in my life - to notice Him. In the evening, I want to be aware take time to be thankful...do I accomplish that each day....no...sometimes I complain....and I try to catch myself and stop and look for what I can be thankful for instead on those hard days. My husband and I pray at night before bed....that means we have to prepare and make the time to get up to our room in advance and not be too sleepy so we have time to read Scripture together and then pray -- boy does the enemy fight us!! We are older and it has taken us MANY years to get here, but we are more faithful than we used to be - it means sacrificing sometimes, but worth the time together and with our Lord.
i have had a long season carrying the question; "i don't know what to expect from you Lord" (long story, it was after a traumatic event) which impacted my ability to ask in prayer. (i could adore, confess, give thanks, but struggled with asking) Amy Carmichael introduced me to the "Deal with....according to [aspect of God's character]" prayer that has carried me thru as Jesus and i work thru my question.
I also recently finished Paul Miller's book "A Praying Life" - the section on "following Jesus out of cynicism into trust" was especially helpful in naming some heart things impacting my prayer life as well.
So helpful, Nate and Sara! Thank y'all - I always find the practical tips/ideas so helpful and not at all overwhelming. It's just nice to hear fresh ideas of what's working for others sometimes. But also loved what Nate said at the beginning about how prayer is just connecting with our King - in whatever way that looks like. The Psalm circle sounded really interesting, and loved Sara's growth book method for the kids. Thank you as always for being a resource!
Thank you, Nate and Sara! Loved these suggestions and I’m definitely going to look into learning more about the Psalm Circle!
Just got back from vacation and realized that prayer has become such a part of our lives/marriage in a very simple way and wanted to share it. We have found that throughout our day together, there are simple reminders. Reminders of people, circumstances, an yes, our grown children, a lot! So as we encounter a reminder, we simply pray! Example: we might say, “Hey, didn’t that guy remind you of Teddy back at home?” So we simply pray for Teddy. Or we might discuss a particular problem we’re facing in our ministry and we end with prayer for that situation. They are never long prayers, but just the end result of our impressions and thoughts throughout the day. Even as we share our gratitude for simple things (like sunsets) , we often end by a prayer of thanksgiving or worship to Jesus. Our prayers are weaved throughout our conversations...mainly, best described as the end mark of our conversations. This is a habit that has formed throughout the years and I guess I wasn’t aware of how prevalent it has become until we enjoyed a week alone away. It really encouraged us to see this during our vacation! We’ve been married for 33 years, and I would say that this is one of the greatest blessings of our relationship.❤️
Thanks for the ideas! I am always blessed by your videos!
I just began dating/courting a godly young man after many years of praying for God to bring the right one into my life.
It has been precious at the end of each phone call to ask one another how we can pray for the other one the next day and then to spend moments throughout the day (as I wake up, as I wash dishes, as I am struggling with my attitude and remember to pray for him, etc) to pray for him and then each night to hear from one another how God answered our prayers that day. It also reminds me at those moments when I get done praying for him to also pray for others or to pray prayers of worship to God at those moments!
Thank you, Nate and Sara, for these tips....helpful as always. I too love the Dwell app. Having the Bible read to me has refreshed my reading of the Word. I had not discovered playlists on it yet so I will have to dig into that. The pause app is one I have to admit I had but wasn't using so needed the reminder of it. I can tend to feel like I am not doing enough but know that God knows our hearts and always there to talk like a parent is always there for their child when they are ready to share. Truly appreciate you sharing yourselves with us as we all journey on our life paths with God.
Thought I'd reply to your caveat as that feeling really resonated with me - I dreaded being shown what I had been doing 'wrong' and would shrink into myself when people lovingly challenged me about the impact my past was having on my present. Especially when this was related to parenting and working through my son's early life trauma.
I couldn't tell you exactly what God has done to help me through this but I can see that he has this year, through a combination of my marriage falling apart and being lovingly repaired (couldn't keep pretending to God that I had it all together perhaps?!) and some walls in my heart being brought down through prayer-filled counselling. There was a specific memory in there that needed rooting out. Turns out I always get an A+ on my report card from my heavenly Father! Perhaps fasting has also helped - learning that God gives me enough for each day, and that he makes me new every day. I can laugh at what the 'old Lisa' did yesterday and let him make me new again today.
Greetings from Ireland Nate and Sara. I love your videos and thank you for fresh ideas to keep us praying and abiding in our Saviour. Please pray for our small local church in Naas Co Kildare as our pastor resigned on Sunday due to stress. This is an attack of the enemy as God is moving in a mighty way. This nation is very gospel resistant and we are praying for a mighty revival. Please pray for our pastor and family for Gods guidance for their next step and also for wisdom for the elders to find a Godly humble pastor to lead us in Christ for the next phase of our journey. I keep you and your family in my prayers and may Gods perfect will be done in all your lives.
I am using your monthly Adoration printables as prayer prompts specifically for my husband and children … THANK YOU, dear Sara, for making this valuable resource available. I have been printing them each month for over a year now (and I print an extra copy for my almost-teenage daughter … she loves the daily Scripture nuggets, too! What a gift from you to us! I praise the Lord for your generous heart ♥️)
I may be too literal but I take prayer as talking to God...so I talk to Him anywhere and everywhere. I talk to Him as I get ready in the morning...sometimes in the shower as I remember what I am facing for the day....just a conversation...God you know that....sometimes I turn off the radio and talk to Him as I drive to work....God this is really bothering me....or Lord what an amazing morning...thank you for the beauty of those clouds...the sky...the mountains....help me to....sometimes I have to pray for crazy drivers...or myself for being upset by the crazy drivers :) I start my day with an adoration (thanks Sara!) and I read a devotional and try to "apply" something from that through the day...asking the Lord to help change me/use me somehow. I look for ways to "see Him" in my day and point out to others how He is working in my life - to notice Him. In the evening, I want to be aware take time to be thankful...do I accomplish that each day....no...sometimes I complain....and I try to catch myself and stop and look for what I can be thankful for instead on those hard days. My husband and I pray at night before bed....that means we have to prepare and make the time to get up to our room in advance and not be too sleepy so we have time to read Scripture together and then pray -- boy does the enemy fight us!! We are older and it has taken us MANY years to get here, but we are more faithful than we used to be - it means sacrificing sometimes, but worth the time together and with our Lord.
i have had a long season carrying the question; "i don't know what to expect from you Lord" (long story, it was after a traumatic event) which impacted my ability to ask in prayer. (i could adore, confess, give thanks, but struggled with asking) Amy Carmichael introduced me to the "Deal with....according to [aspect of God's character]" prayer that has carried me thru as Jesus and i work thru my question.
I also recently finished Paul Miller's book "A Praying Life" - the section on "following Jesus out of cynicism into trust" was especially helpful in naming some heart things impacting my prayer life as well.
So helpful, Nate and Sara! Thank y'all - I always find the practical tips/ideas so helpful and not at all overwhelming. It's just nice to hear fresh ideas of what's working for others sometimes. But also loved what Nate said at the beginning about how prayer is just connecting with our King - in whatever way that looks like. The Psalm circle sounded really interesting, and loved Sara's growth book method for the kids. Thank you as always for being a resource!
Thank you, Nate and Sara! Loved these suggestions and I’m definitely going to look into learning more about the Psalm Circle!
Just got back from vacation and realized that prayer has become such a part of our lives/marriage in a very simple way and wanted to share it. We have found that throughout our day together, there are simple reminders. Reminders of people, circumstances, an yes, our grown children, a lot! So as we encounter a reminder, we simply pray! Example: we might say, “Hey, didn’t that guy remind you of Teddy back at home?” So we simply pray for Teddy. Or we might discuss a particular problem we’re facing in our ministry and we end with prayer for that situation. They are never long prayers, but just the end result of our impressions and thoughts throughout the day. Even as we share our gratitude for simple things (like sunsets) , we often end by a prayer of thanksgiving or worship to Jesus. Our prayers are weaved throughout our conversations...mainly, best described as the end mark of our conversations. This is a habit that has formed throughout the years and I guess I wasn’t aware of how prevalent it has become until we enjoyed a week alone away. It really encouraged us to see this during our vacation! We’ve been married for 33 years, and I would say that this is one of the greatest blessings of our relationship.❤️
Thanks for the ideas! I am always blessed by your videos!
I just began dating/courting a godly young man after many years of praying for God to bring the right one into my life.
It has been precious at the end of each phone call to ask one another how we can pray for the other one the next day and then to spend moments throughout the day (as I wake up, as I wash dishes, as I am struggling with my attitude and remember to pray for him, etc) to pray for him and then each night to hear from one another how God answered our prayers that day. It also reminds me at those moments when I get done praying for him to also pray for others or to pray prayers of worship to God at those moments!
Thank you, Nate and Sara, for these tips....helpful as always. I too love the Dwell app. Having the Bible read to me has refreshed my reading of the Word. I had not discovered playlists on it yet so I will have to dig into that. The pause app is one I have to admit I had but wasn't using so needed the reminder of it. I can tend to feel like I am not doing enough but know that God knows our hearts and always there to talk like a parent is always there for their child when they are ready to share. Truly appreciate you sharing yourselves with us as we all journey on our life paths with God.
Thought I'd reply to your caveat as that feeling really resonated with me - I dreaded being shown what I had been doing 'wrong' and would shrink into myself when people lovingly challenged me about the impact my past was having on my present. Especially when this was related to parenting and working through my son's early life trauma.
I couldn't tell you exactly what God has done to help me through this but I can see that he has this year, through a combination of my marriage falling apart and being lovingly repaired (couldn't keep pretending to God that I had it all together perhaps?!) and some walls in my heart being brought down through prayer-filled counselling. There was a specific memory in there that needed rooting out. Turns out I always get an A+ on my report card from my heavenly Father! Perhaps fasting has also helped - learning that God gives me enough for each day, and that he makes me new every day. I can laugh at what the 'old Lisa' did yesterday and let him make me new again today.
Greetings from Ireland Nate and Sara. I love your videos and thank you for fresh ideas to keep us praying and abiding in our Saviour. Please pray for our small local church in Naas Co Kildare as our pastor resigned on Sunday due to stress. This is an attack of the enemy as God is moving in a mighty way. This nation is very gospel resistant and we are praying for a mighty revival. Please pray for our pastor and family for Gods guidance for their next step and also for wisdom for the elders to find a Godly humble pastor to lead us in Christ for the next phase of our journey. I keep you and your family in my prayers and may Gods perfect will be done in all your lives.
Love Maria
I am using your monthly Adoration printables as prayer prompts specifically for my husband and children … THANK YOU, dear Sara, for making this valuable resource available. I have been printing them each month for over a year now (and I print an extra copy for my almost-teenage daughter … she loves the daily Scripture nuggets, too! What a gift from you to us! I praise the Lord for your generous heart ♥️)