e-mail 10/9/6

When Debbie was in college,Bob and I used our vacation and attended a special conference in Macon,Ga, called "Prayer for Spiritual Awakening", sponsored by the Home Mission Board, SBC. The few days we were there, God opened Heaven's windows and poured His blessings on us. We were camping in a Pop-up camper at the KOA and each day after the meetings, it poured rain, not just little showers. The rain came down as if it were being poured from a bucket. Our plans had included going to the mall, perhaps ride out to visit my grandmother or just see the area, after all, we were on vacation. But, God had other plans for us. We were confined every afternoon to a 4-person canvas pop-up camper. It amazed me that the sun was shining when we went into Macon each morning and yet, when we got back to the camper, it was raining. POURING RAIN!!!

The first thing that happened at the conference in the very first hour was that a sheet of paper was given to us and we were asked to find a solitary place where we were to sit and write. We were to write down every unconfessed sin. I had thought that I was a pretty nice person until God brought to my mind things that I had forgotten about. I sat and wrote - my sin list. After about an hour, I started crying, and after another hour while I was still writing, I knew that God was definitely involved in what we were doing because only He knew about sin in my life. I thought I would never run out of things to write. We returned to the Fellowship Hall when we were finished, where the group met together and the papers were destroyed as God no longer held those things against us. They were forgiven and were to be forgotten. Confession had to happen before genuine prayer could begin.

In the education department of the church, there were opportunities to buy books on prayer so we bought one of everything and every afternoon we stayed in the camper and read. The reading caused us to think and pray. The closer we felt to God, the more we wanted to read and the more we read, we wanted to pray. God was working in each of our lives in the same way at the same time. We had a daily assignment in the workbook for the conference and it took only a few minutes but God had other things to show us.

Years later, we know that everything God's word says about prayer is still true. God wants to communicate with us through prayer. He also wants some quality time with us because prayer is very personal. Our prayers will reflect our personality and our relationship with our Heavenly Father. I like to write my prayers. Writing helps me to stay focused on God. It helps me to come boldly into the throne room of God and share the most intimate things about myself and then I can destroy them. My love letters to God are personal.

Have you ever noticed that when you pray, other things start to happen? First the mind will start to wander onto other things, the doorbell will ring and you may find a stranger at your door, a telephone marketer will call or the dryer buzzer will sound. Satan does not want us to pray and that should be proof enough that it is something that God does want us to do. As God's child, this alone should make us be more determined to pray.

I admit that sometimes I do not feel like praying. There are even times when my heart is just not in it and I have learned that this is the very time I need to pray most. This is the time that God is just waiting for me because He has something He wants to share.There is an old chorus that Jake Hess used to sing that says "Prayer is the key to Heaven, but Faith unlocks the door"* Prayer without faith is worthless. It is empty words whether spoken or written. We must believe (faith) that God is Who He says He is, we must believe (faith) that God wants to hear from His children and that He has our best in His plans for us.

When my daddy was alive, I know how happy it made him when I called. I remember one special night when Daddy's favorite baseball team (S L Cardinals) were playing the Braves. It was the end of the 8th inning and the Cardinals lead 9 to 5 and my phone rang. I knew who was calling that late. It was Daddy. He called to tease and I had to remind him that it was not over yet. We hung up while they played the 9th inning. In the bottom of the last inning, the Braves scored 5 runs after 2 outs. Braves won!!!! and my daddy's phone rang. You guessed it! Daddy was laughing when he answered the phone knowing that it was me on the other end. He must have been sitting on the phone because he answered on the first ring, teasingly, with the words, "They cheated. I don't want to hear about it. They'll get them tomorrow."

If my earthly daddy could be so excited about a phone call, how much more does our Heavenly Father want to hear from us? Can you envision your Heavenly Father's excitement when He gets an unexpected call from you, and your call (prayer) is not just a crisis call for help but a call that says, "Father, I love you. I am so glad that you are always there for me. You always want the best for me and I am so thankful. Thank you for loving me, thank you for Jesus, thank you for............."

I am not convinced that our prayers need an "Amen" attached because Amen means "So be it" or "Goodby, the prayer is over". Just as I seldom ever wanted to say good-bye or hang up on the phone with my daddy, I never want to break the connection with my Heavenly Father. Without our connection, I cannot.............

Share God's Love,

Peggy