Your Prayer Life is A Reflection

by Susan Mead, in category #DanceWithJesus Linkup, Faith

Your Prayer life is a Reflection of Your Relationship with God

 Did you know that? I’m honored to share a post by Horace Williams Jr. as he launches his new book, Unleash The Power of Prayer. I love his writing and cannot wait to dig in, as I know he will dig DEEP – and take us with him. And digging deep is when prayer unleashes the power of God in our lives to transform us, right?

Your Prayer life is a Reflection of Your Relationship with God, so unleash the power of prayer in your life to transform your life!

Relationships. From the moment of our birth, every one of us has been in a relationship. There was the first relationship with our parents and then possibly one with siblings. Some of us even had relationships with imaginary friends as young children. Maybe you had tea with them as you played with your dolls; maybe you invited them into your tree house or your homemade blanket fort that you had built as your hideout (as was my case).

As you got older, you gravitated toward a real best friend; someone you could see, play with, and grow up with. There were birthday parties, sleepovers, campouts, and school field trips.

Your relationships have grown since those days; some of you fell in love, got married, and even had children of your own. God has created us with the need to be in relationships.

There is one relationship that is more important than any other; it is your relationship with God. He loved us so much that He sent His son as a sacrifice for ALL our sins. You might have heard the phrase “free gift of salvation,” and it is indeed free to us. Jesus paid the ultimate price to give us the opportunity to commune with Him, and he wants us to accept His gift. Oh, what unconditional love!

For years, I took His love for granted. When I think back on those times of rebellion and selfishness, I know how much I hurt Him. I thank Him for His grace and His patience with me. I want to show Him how much I love Him and talk with Him as often as I can. This brings me to a short story.

My first love

When I think of true love, my mind always goes to my first love. I was eighteen years old, and she was a month younger than I was. It was Christmas time, and I was playing one of the three wise men in our church play. I headed down the aisle singing the song “We Three Kings” with my fellow actors. When we reached the stage, I saw her sitting in a pew. Her beautiful brown eyes put me in a trance. I finished the song, but I was only focused on her; I had to find out who she was.

After the play, I introduced myself, got her number, and called her that night. We talked for hours. I still remember the long list of questions I had written down to ask her. Questions like what her favorite colors were, what flowers she liked best, what school she went to, and what she liked to do for fun. I had to know everything about this girl!

She was a talented artist who loved to draw. (I still have the sketch she drew for me on our first Valentine’s Day.) I shared with her some poems I’d written, and she seemed to enjoy them.

We were so caught up in getting to know each other that we monopolized the phones in our homes. Every time the phone rang, I dashed like I was in the Olympic 100 meter finals to the nearest one to grab it. We would talk for hours at a time; either until we heard that dreaded click indicating that someone was calling or a family member picked up needing to use the phone.

“I love you,” I’d say. “No, I love you more,” she’d reply. Back and forth we would go, professing our undying love for each other. Nights of conversation often ended with one of us waking to the sound of the dial tone after we had fallen asleep on the phone.

Now I feel the same way about talking with God (except for the falling asleep part). Remember this: prayer is personal. I get excited when I go to our special place to talk with Him. I cannot wait to thank Him for all He has done and continues to do each day. I ask Him to reveal any sins I need to confess so I can repent and keep our lines of communication clear.

Yes, I encounter trials and tribulations, but I am learning to approach God differently during those times. Instead of asking, “Why did this happen?” I ask, “What do you want me to learn from this, Lord?”

For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:3-5).[1]

I eagerly wait to see what He wants to show me. Spending time in God’s living word has helped me understand another important point: Prayer is about seeking God’s will for your life and the lives of whom you are praying for. Remember that God hears your prayers when they are aligned with His divine will.

Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)[2].

As Christians, we must make prayer a priority in our lives. We have access to God’s amazing power through prayer. Prayer is not about you but about our Savior. Be intentional in your prayers, and pray with purpose.

God’s blessings will overwhelm you as you spend purposeful time in prayer with Him. Your relationship with Him will grow deeper, stronger, and more intimate than you ever imagined. He is unlike any father you will ever know. His love is unconditional, His grace is undeserved, and His power is undeniable!

Prayer is about having intimate conversations with God—the one who loves you, sent his son to die for you, and delights in hearing from you. As you go through your day today, ask yourself this: “What does my prayer life reflect right now?”

A little about Horace:

Horace Williams Jr. is a stroke survivor and born-again Christian who loves Jesus Christ. He has seen the power of prayer and God’s healing in his own life as he continues to recover from a massive stroke that paralyzed his left side more than six years ago. He wants to inspire, encourage, and remind Christians of the power available to them through prayer. He writes at PleasingToThePotter.com.

You can get a copy of his new book, Unleash the Power of Prayer in Your Life, by clicking here.

[1] and [2] biblegateway.com/NASB

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50 thoughts on “Your Prayer Life is A Reflection”

      1. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my testimony and your encouragement Susan. I look forward to your review of the prayer book. I pray all who read are blessed and inspired to pray with purpose.

    1. Samantha, each week the link changes, so go to the blog – Susanbmead.com/blog for the most recent post as that will be the active linkup each week. We begin each Friday at 5 am Central. Thank you for asking! Susan

    1. Carol, Oh how I hear you (am I listening?!) on talking plenty, yet lack of personal listening. Oh to hear our Lord speak to us!

      May His richest blessings be upon you. Merry Christmas! Susan

  5. Goodness yes, we (I) certainly need reminding about keeping lines of communication open and regular with our Heavenly Father! Loved the story, Horace… reminded me of the never ending phone calls with my first love (who then became my husband!) Congrats on the book—how exciting! Stopping by from #ThoughtProvokingThursday 🙂

    1. Amen Laura. It is so key for every Christian to continue pursuing time with our Savior. I’m glad to read the story resonated with you. Thank you for visiting and your congratulations. I am excited to see prayer lives affected as they read this book. May you and yours have a Merry Christmas. Blessings.

  6. That is pretty powerful stuff. Something that I need to really look at it and think about deeply. A lot of my personal relationships growing up were horrible due to issues of the parental unit and way older sibling unit (She is passed and him and I haven’t talked in almost six years). But I like the question “What do you want me to learn, Lord” is something I need to really think about on a deeper level.

    Merry Christmas and thanks a lot.

    1. Thanks for sharing your heart Patrick. I’m glad this post has you thinking. Everything that has taken place in our lives happened for a reason. We may not always understand but God is at work. He is molding us through those experiences so we can be a service for Him. I hope your relationships will improve as you allow the fruit of the Holy Spirit to permeate your life. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. Have a blessed holiday season.

  7. love your analogy, Horace – oh, those days of unending convos and undying love! a great question when facing difficulties (does having 3 daughters constitute facing difficulties? I think so) – What does God want me to learn from this? Amen. Merry Christmas and kudos for hanging out in blog land with mostly women – !

    1. Thanks Sue for visiting and your comment. Yes, I agree your hands are full with three daughters. I remember those endless conversations with my first love and the feeling I would have after being forced to hang up the phone.
      I love talking with my Savior. Right now I am asking Him for a word for 2017. I know He will give me the word to carry me through the new year. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. Have a blessed holiday season!

  8. I remember those days when we had to share the phone, too. No individual phones for each person in the house. ha. We had a 10-minute rule, which was incredibly short when you were trying to court.
    Our relationship with the God is definitely the first and best and most lasting of them all! May you have a blessed Christmas, Horace. And Susan!

    1. Haha Lisa. I remember the time limits on our phone tine back then, but we always went over most of the time. May we seek to speak with God with such passion and purpose. Have a wonderful week and a Merry Christmas to you and yours!

    1. So true Elizabeth! Jesus has loved us before we were born. May we show our love by our actions and talk with Him always. He loves hearing from us. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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  13. Wonderful to read about your book, Horace. May God use this book in ways you could not even imagine as you were writing. Thank you for bringing the reminder: “Be intentional in your prayers, and pray with purpose.” May you and yours have a blessed Christmas!

    1. Thank you Joanne. I am thrilled to read you have already read this book! As I was writing this book, I found myself inspired and encouraged after each sitting. For so long, I had been nonchalant with my praying, but the past few years I have seen God’s power revealed not only in my own life, but lives of siblings. I wanted to share with everyone what God had put on my heart. Thank you for the encouraging words. the verse, “beyond what we can ask or think” comes to mind Joanne. It is exciting to see God at work. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.

  14. Horace, I love how you tied talking with your sweetheart with prayer. I’m so excited about you new book! Many blessings on it. I know you will bless many.

    1. Hey Debbie…always great to hear from you! Yes, I was crazy in love with her. We would talk for so long we’d lose track of time. I now enjoy talking with my Savior. I feel myself smiling at times while thanking Him for his love. Thank you for your support, prayers, and encouragement, friend. Blessings. To God be the glory!

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    1. Thank you Sherry for your encouragement and prayers. God continues to bless me throughout this writing/publishing/marketing process. I pray He is glorified from this book. Blessings.

    1. Thank you Ami! I appreciate your good thoughts. Wren God is in control, everything works out for good. I trusted His leading in doing this book. Thanks again for visiting Susan’s site today.Have a fantastic weekend and blessings to you and yours.

  18. Horace- your book looks great! I’m putting it on my wish list;) I have a lot to learn about prayer!

    Susan- thanks for hosting and pointing out Horace’s book!

    Julie

    1. Thanks Julie. Praying is a necessary for every Christian. God has blessed us with the privilege of talking with Him. Jesus”s sacrifice has given us, 24 hour access to God. I hope you enjoy the book and it inspires you to pray with purpose. There is power in prayer. Have a fantastic weekend and a blessed holiday season!

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  21. Good Morning Susan!

    Thank you for sharing Horace’s book. There is nothing more essential to our walk with God than our prayer relationship with Him. But what a painful reminder this is for some of us. I really have to discover my “first love” again. I’m afraid I’e let the fires die down. Thank you so much for sharing and hosting this link-up. I will be in prayer for God’s complete healing of Horace’s body.

    Blessings,
    Tiffiney

    1. Thank you Michele. I am excite0d to watch God work as I have followed Him through this process.. I pray many are inspired to make prayer a priority in their lives. Blessings to you and yours.

  24. Hey, Horace. 🙂 So excited for you and the new book. I pray it is a blessing to all who read it. Lovely post, my friend. So grateful for a God who intimately converses with us. What a gift prayer is. Thank you, Horace, and thank you, Susan for sharing. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you both. xoxo

    1. Thank you Brenda and happy Friday to you. Thanks for your encouragement. I too pray that all who read the book are blessed. Have a wonderful weekend and may God bless you and yours this holiday seson.

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