Thursday SHINE.....

Today's Reading: Lamentations 4

Happy Serve-day Thursday, SHINE girls! Go out and serve someone today! Now that we are in full-on prayer mode, I guarantee that the Lord has already laid someone on your little heart to serve today.

He is so awesome like that. He will draw others to our mind and heart that need some extra prayer and TLC. The cool thing is, He draws YOU to others minds and hearts as well.

Oh, how He loves YOU!!

Be blessed today by Rebekah's post. Rebekah heads up our SHINE prayer team. She is an inspiration to me and so many. She has an incredible prayer life...no, not prayer life, but praying life. ;)


the significance of prayer
by: Rebekah Vepraskas

Prayer to me is kind of a funny thing. It is our language and communication with God. It has some sense of mystery. Like whispers or clouds... you can't touch it or feel it exactly, but what is prayer? Really.

"Prayer is the most aggressive, pro-active, offensive, invasive action one can take in any situation."   

jennifer kennedy dean

This lady is a prayer guru and I love her take on talking to God. Wow!!! :)

Prayer is language. Prayer is serious. Prayer is powerful. Prayer engages God. That almighty Creator and Maker that we LOVE? Him.

Since I was a little girl, my mother always said,  "Who wants to pray?" (Silence.) She would follow, "Oh! God is very sad, no one wants to talk to Him...? We must not grieve the Father, we must pray when we have the chance, always. Do not let silence fall when someone asks 'who will pray'?"

Instinctively, my twin sister, Mary, and I, pray. Never just the right words or just the right impressive God talk, but we pray so the Lord will not be grieved by our silence.

That seed in my life has grown this year. It is a seed that needed time to mature, perhaps. I know that reading and marinating in the word emits prayer. It just does. They could not be more interrelated.

Guess what? God doesn't care about your prayer language, he just wants to hear from you. If you feel like there is a prayer barrier in your life and God doesn't hear you-- or you don't hear Him, TELL Him. 

Ever get a chance to talk with your mother, sister, husband or best friend and need to spill your guts? Just let it out... do you look for all the perfect words? No. It just flows. It's because it is the honest, organic-truth, from your heart. GOD wants THAT from us! It's truth you don't have to apologize for. It's truth that our Father loves because he made us. He made us.

OK, so if you are like me or any other Christian out there, you may have hit a prayer funk. Your funk might be for just for this morning. Your funk might be because you're feeling grumpy the last few days and are isolating, a little. Your funk might be since you had a major loss and you are mad at God. Your funk might be your whole life and you don't even know how to begin talking to God.

It kinda reminds me of singing in rounds. Seriously. Remember as a kid trying to start in the right place once you goofed up...? "Row, Row, Row Your Boat..." and then by the second or third line, you lost your place and you didn't know where to jump back in because you were stuck and afraid to start back again and be wrong. You know what I mean?

A prayer funk is like that. It was always a huge relief to me when everyone stopped singing for just a second and just. started. over. again. (A funk doesn't have to linger.) 

I pray our funks away, in Jesus' name. I pray that we ask the Lord to remove any mystery of prayer in our lives and make it as real as the conversations we have with our closest friends. I pray that the Lord will give us a thirst for prayer and a thirst for praying for those around us who need prayer. A thirst to close the gap in the question, "Who wants to pray?" A real sense of "Eureka!" (an exclamation of triumph at a discovery) when a friend comes to you with an unsolvable problem that they need help with. Offer to pray. It is the only way that the Lord can release His will in our lives. He needs us to pray. Often. Always. Without Ceasing. Yes, really. "Without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

So, I just have one question. "Who wants to pray?" I pray that there is an endless community of SHINE girls saying, "Me!"    "Me!"    "Me!"    "Me!"    "I do!"  "I will!"  
"Dear Lord, I know I have been in a funk, I miss my time with you...."  or
"I have never really talked to You like a friend, God, but I need a friend who understands me. Thank you for being there to listen-- and help me to talk to you, like the friend that You are. You made me, you know me, meet me right here, sweet Father. I do not want you to be grieved by my silence. Help me to think of prayer as a first resort, Dear God. Be Glorified in my life."


Start over with me?

James covers it all here where he writes...

"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."  James 5:13-16

I am praying for you and I love you,

Rebekah :)