Prayer Unspoken

Hey guys.  So I know I just posted a new update on here yesterday, but I wanted to share with y'all something The Lord has really laid on my heart several times recently.

So there's no doubt about it - prayer is a big deal.

I'm a strong believer in prayer, and I believe that through prayer, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do awesome things.  With it, we get to talk directly to our Heavenly Father, and bring our requests, praises, burdens, blessings, and everything else we humans have to deal with directly to Him, and lay them down at His feet.

As Christians, prayer requests are a normal thing, especially in group settings with our close friends and family.  I know that anytime my friends have prayer requests, I'm eager to lift them up to the Lord, and continually pray for them during their time of struggles.

But ever since a few weeks ago, The Lord has really been working on my heart regarding prayer, and has shown me something that I've really been overlooking.  Like I said, anytime my friends or family request prayer, I'm eager to jump on it and add them to my daily/weekly prayer list.  But last night I realized something: what about the unspoken requests? And no, I'm not referring to the kind of prayer requests where people say they have a request by it being unspoken, I'm talking about the people who don't even bring theirs to the table--the one's that are literally unspoken.

We all have that one person--you know, that one human being that may not have particularly said or done anything specific to you to make you not like them, but they just don't appeal to you? (if this doesn't apply, yay for you).  I know for me, they're the last person I think of or want to pray for.

But then God stopped me in my tracks, and that's the exact thing He told me, "Pray for those that you don't want to pray for." 

I have an acquaintance that I've known for probably over a year now, who goes to Christian events I go to, but we just haven't made a good connection with each other.  I mean we've made small talk, and I see them a couple times a week, but we've never laid a foundation for a good friendship.  I mean, they seemed reserved and came off prideful, so they probably aren't too worried about being a close friend with me anyway, right?  Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Because I just found out that they just recently - and I mean reeecently - accepted Christ as their personal Savior, and are now teaching their family about Christ.

And then, I completely deflated.

For this past a-little-over-a-year that I've known them, I've also been going to my church, talking about prayer, talking about spreading the Word, talking about witnessing to the lost and all the things Christians talk about...yeah, talked about.  I've learned that I need to stop talking about showing Christ, and need to start portraying Christ and His love.  All this time I just assumed that this acquaintance was just 'one of those people' who is a Christian, but just not the friendly, social or outgoing type.  When really--they were just a lost kid who needed Christ's love and needed a friend.

I cannot express the disappointment and frustration I felt when I discovered this.  All this time this person probably just needed a friend and someone to talk to, and I've missed the opportunity time after time again to be just that. And that's when God told me again, "Pray for those you don't want to pray for."

While praying for good grades, dogs that just passed away, and the silly new iPhone that someone wants aren't bad things, I've learned that, sometimes the people who need praying for the most, are the people who seem to request the least.  I pray that God will continue to allow this person to stay in my life, and that I might be able to make up for all the time and opportunities I've missed to be their friend.

I encourage you to join me in beginning to pray for those who you don't want to pray for, and next time we meet someone who just doesn't seem to connect with us, taking the extra effort to dig a little deeper to get to know the person that they really are, not just the person they seem to be.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day, and may God's love and grace abound. 
Abby-Lynn

Our Heavenly Father

Ever since last week, when I was requested by a friend to babysit her nieces for the evening, I have really been thinking about my relationship with God, and how He sees me and my relationship with Him through His eyes, versus my own.

Being a sophomore, I use babysitting as my way to earn a little money on the side here and there, versus of getting a 'real' job (but I'm not complaining).  I started babysitting a couple of years ago when I was 13 or 14, but never imagined it would grow and develop into the positive thing that it has become.  I imagined that babysitting would grow to be tedious, and nothing more than "just trying to get through it," but even time after time, and hour after hour, for some reason it never seems to get old.  Even through the messy meals, dirty diapers, endless episodes of kids' Netflix shows (sometimes a movie and popcorn if we're really getting fancy), and the cleaning up of lots of toys, there's something through the act of babysitting that gives me a joyful fulfillment that I haven't been able to find through anything else yet.

I think the most joyful thing I get to experience through babysitting, are the relationships I get to develop over time with the kids I get to watch.  It's gotten to the point where babysitting doesn't really feel like a job anymore, and I look forward to seeing my little friends.  Something that has surprised me through babysitting is just how attached kids can get to you.  I've learned and discovered over time just how vulnerable kids will become, and how they begin to trust you - a lot.  The majority of kids I watch are usually the ages between 2 through 5, and I've come to realize that they are at the age where they want to tell you everything.  Like literally - everything.  From the general common things, like the new activity they're in, or the brand new toy they got as a birthday present, or the more personal things, like how they're learning to use the potty and now they're in big girl/boy underwear (because diapers and pull-ups are for babies/little kids, Abby-Lynn - duh). They're eager to share, eager to tell, and want you to be excited with and for them.

But in the end, above all else, I think the thing I treasure and find most precious, is when the kids want to be with me.  From, snuggling on the couch while watching a movie, to me hugging and holding them because they fell down and got an owie, or just wanting to lay down on my lap or shoulder because they're tired, these are the things that come with babysitting that can't be beaten. I mean, I guess even if it weren't me, they'd naturally do the same with whoever is watching them, but regardless, it still gives me joy when I can be there with them to share those little moments. 

And that, friends, is where The Lord comes in.

God is the exact same way with us. God is our Father and He loves us! Even in the middle of our messes, having to get us through our stinky situations, and picking us up when we fall down, He doesn't grow tired of us, and His love most definitely does not run dry.  Like I said, I treasure the moments when the kids come to me, wanting me to hold them, asking me for help, and trusting me to take care of whatever is wrong. What makes us think that God doesn't want the same from us?  God wants us to want Him; He wants us to feel vulnerable and to be able to go to Him when we need help.  He wants to be there to pick us up when we fall down, and He wants to share every single moment with us - whether big, or small - because God not only wants us, He desires us. 

But the thing is, do we want the same?

Do we want to share with God everything that's going on in our lives?  Do we desire Him?

Are we going to Him when we fall down, wanting Him to pick us back up?  Are we asking Him for help when we don't know what to do?  Do we ask Him to heal our hurt when we get wounded, or rely on Him for our rest?  If you're like me, the answer may be no. Which then leads me to ask another question - why?  I know personally, sometimes I find myself running to my parents or other Christians when I'm in need, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but why am I running to other sources other than The Lord?  Why do I do that?  Sometimes I feel like I might 'bother' God if I come to Him with ALL my burdens, and I catch myself thinking "why would God want to deal with my problems?" when really, God has shown me that He doesn't deal with us in our problems, He disciples and directs us through them, because that's how we learn and grow 

Matthew 11:28 says: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

I realized that kids don't hesitate going to their parents when their toys get broken, or when they need help because they got themselves into some sort of predicament.  They don't hesitate because they know that their parents want to help them; they know that's what mommies and daddies are for - to help them and teach them.  Anytime they're hurt, they're in need, or maybe they just need to a big hug and an occasional cry (girls will understand this) they always run to their parents.

Just like our parents, God wants us to run to Him when we're in need, and He wants us to allow Him to hold us when we need comfort and security.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!  Feel free to comment or let me know any thoughts you might have.

May God's grace and love abound,

-Abby Lynn