Day 9 - Lord, Teach me to Pray

I can't believe it. I feel at peace today.

I haven't felt this kind of peace in nearly 10 years.

Ten years ago, my eldest two girls were little. In fact, my middle daughter was just a baby. We had rented homes for several years and really prayed hard about owning our first home.

There it was, in a black and white photo in the classified section of the local paper. Only $49,000 (compared to $149,000 and up). It was a total fixer-upper. My father, who had remodeled old homes for nearly 20 years, flew out to help. His first words when he stepped into our home: "Oh, no. What have you done?" Not comforting words. But we loved our first home. It was filled with peace and love. Every single room in this house required new flooring, new electrical wires, new plumbing, new paint, new windows...it was an endless to-do list.

I remember that our used dryer broke, and I had to hang dry all of our laundry throughout the little house to dry because we couldn't afford the laundromat. There was no central heat. We had to daily build a fire in the wood stove. It was next to that wood stove that we could sleep on our portable mattress every night during the cold Montana winters. We'd snuggle up beside the fire like cozy bugs in a rug.

I was at peace with my children and my home back then.

Because although we lacked the frillier things in life, we had our needs met. And...this is the biggest...I had Jesus close to me. Daily I read my scriptures, daily I sought Him in prayer, and daily I gave of myself to the local nursing home or neighborhood children in need or my local church as a Sunday School teacher.

I see on the side of this blog site that there are a few followers. Are you praying? Because it's helping. And I wanted you to know it.

Sometimes, we don't know when the prayers we pray are ever answered. Sometimes, it's nice to see a positive result from our prayers. I think it encourages us to pray harder the next time, or to continue praying...or even to start praying for another person's difficulties. So...thank you.

I've been praying, too.

The Lord teaches us to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. "Prayer" is talking out loud or in your thoughts to God. Prayer includes praise to God, confession of sin, asking for your daily needs, and praying for others.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

"But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."

And then the scriptures go on to site the Lord's Prayer:

"Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgie us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

We are also need to know that God knows ALL about you. He knows what you need. So why do we pray then? One reason: you are very, very selfish if God always gave you good things without your even asking or thanking Him.

If you need something, don't you think you should ask God? And by asking God for what you need, you show that you believe in Him and in His word and you are obeying His command to pray. Most importantly, believing what God says pleases Him.

Edited: I wrote the above post at home at my dining room table this morning before I left for work. When I arrived to work, I turned forward my daily prayer calendar and this was the scripture for today, August 23: "When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Matthew 6:6

Now isn't THAT amazing?!

And yet ONE more edit: My mother emailed me to remind me that my father did more than help with our first home purchase. So let me be very clear: My father was the one to replace floors, put in new electrical wiring, replace windows, and paint rooms in my home. In fact, he did much more than that.