'Some people say I look like me Dad...'

My Sweeties will recognise the blog title from one of their fave childhood pop songs though it was only a few weeks ago that we were together and the subject of the lyrics came up! WHAT was I thinking letting them listen to it? Some of those lyrics were VERY racy! How was I oblivious to them? I guess their cute rendition of the dance together totally distracted me. If only I could find the video film...one day.

Meanwhile this has been a week of trying to be more deliberate in spending time with my Heavenly Dad and several things have struck me afresh, prompting me to explore my thinking and praying processses. 

Due to various situations in the lives of friends and for us personally in family and church life, I have been more focused on praying and a quote from Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has challenged me.

Praying is simply sitting before God and allowing Him, through Jesus, to shape who we are

So, I figured maybe God was trying to get my attention through this quote and I decided I should have a think about what it means to me.  

I have always tried to be a good pray-er. I remember people saying to me years ago about one of my Christian leaders at the time that if you ever got on HER prayer list, you KNEW that you would be prayed for. I wanted then to have that same trait. I can't honestly say I stand today as her equal in prayer warriorship, but I made the decision that as soon as I would ever say to someone that I would pray for them, I would do it - there and then, or as soon as conversation stopped so that at least they would get prayer from me, even if it was only once. More often than I would care to admit, a one-liner to place them before the Throne of God was what I would manage. Other times of prayer have been more deliberate and fervent. But even a one line prayer releases the power of the Holy Spirit into the purpose of heaven.  

In recent years, I have been with various people, sometimes with Hubs, who have really challenged me in my relationship with God and that has changed my expectation of prayer. In our days of co-leading a university student ministry, under the leadership of Annie and Nigel DiCastiglione, they challenged us all to really take God at His word and to see ourselves as He sees us. This began a big change in our lives, not only to greater adventures in faith for all of us, but letting God shape our prayers and actions as this faith grew in who God is and who Jesus is in us. The journey continues constantly, added to by friendships with other Christians; teachings of other Christian leaders in, for example, Eastgate Church in Gravesend and Bethel Church in Redding and spending time with God as an individual via prayer, bible study, art work, reading, walking - all sorts of things.

How have I let Jesus shape who I am in my prayers? First, it's an unfinished and ongoing job! I was reflecting with a friend recently that I have come to want my prayers to be filled with faith and believing. I used to pray for things with the proviso, '...if it be Your will...'  Now, I want to base them more on the faith that I believe God, my Almighty Father, wants me to have. As Romans 4:17 puts it, God, 'who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.'
The challenge is to ask myself -
'How would the world change if all my prayers were answered?'
This may not only increase my faith to ask big things from my BIG God but also help me to temper those prayers for my 'enemies'. (I won't confess to those here but let's settle at 'they need praying with a different heart.'

I know the path may be a bit bumpy and seem unlit at times but faith in prayer is an ongoing journey between God and me.
I dare to say, we're excited about it