"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

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Friday, March 8, 2013

HOW DO WE PRAY AT ALL TIMES?

It is a joy to introduce to you my friend Julie Gillies.  She is the author of Prayers for a Woman’s Soul (Harvest House Publishers). Healed from a traumatic childhood and awed that God saved her seriously troubled marriage, her message helps women pray with boldness, confidence, and the certainty that God hears. Julie is the Critique Groups Director for Proverbs 31 Ministries, and serves on the editorial team of P31 Woman magazine. She’s the joyful wife of Keith, mom of two soldiers and one civilian, and Grammy of four. She loves hanging out with the entire gang at home, especially on days when her house is clean. Connect with Julie at: www.JulieGillies.com

                                 Details are at the bottom for a free autographed book giveaway.

If your life is anything like mine, you don't exactly lounge around in satin, leopard-print pajamas and feathery high-heel slippers while savoring gourmet chocolates all day long. Not that you wouldn't like to, occasionally. But face it, our lives are not foofy like that. (I just made up the word foofy, and think it fits here perfectly.)

Instead, you probably juggle commitments and family situations, run lots of errands, prepare a gazillion meals, squeeze in the laundry and vanquish dog-hair tumbleweeds lurking in the hallway, just like I do. But when it comes to praying, it probably doesn't happen nearly as often as it should, let alone at all times.

I think the reason most of us neglect to pray at all times, as Ephesians 6:18 tells us, is that we picture prayer as something done only on our knees, at a specific hour of the day. Or, we think prayer must happen while we're alone in our bedroom, with the door shut so we can actually have five minutes without being interrupted. And don't get me wrong, there are times we need to get alone with God and pray down heaven. I hope we do this more often than not.

But waiting for the perfect time to pray is like waiting for our lives to be perfect before we decide we're ready to have kids. If we did that, well, we'd all be lounging around in leopard-print pajamas....no, no, no. If we wait for everything to be perfect, prayer (and babies) will not happen.

The number one way to pray at all times is to pray the moment you think of it--even if you're doing something else. If while bathing your baby you suddenly begin thinking about all of the orphans in Haiti, whisper a prayer--right then and there.

If your daughter starts flashing attitude on the drive to school one morning, pray right then, while she's rolling those eyes. If you are chopping vegetables for dinner and your mind drifts off to an uncle that you haven't seen in ages, take the hint: pray for him while you cook. When you finish talking with an old friend and hang up the phone with a heavy heart, pray immediately--even if you go back to sweeping the floor.

These are all examples of promptings of the Holy Spirit, and they happen all day long. Praying at all times is simply a matter of paying attention to these promptings, then obeying. Remember: our prayers truly make an eternal difference...wherever and whenever they are prayed.
"Pray at all times, on every occasion, in every season, in the Spirit, with all manner of prayer and entreaty." Ephesians 6:18



**FREE AUTOGRAPHED BOOK GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  To be entered in Julie's book giveaway, please share in the comment section one practical way you can pray at all times and share this post to Twitter or Facebook.  (see links below)  (The winner will be selected randomly on March 14th and will need to supply Hester with their mailing address.)

25 comments:

  1. Loved this, Julie! You've taken off some of the self-imposed pressure and invited us into the Throne Room. I'd only add that we should also add prayers of praise and thanksgiving and confession with the same frequency and posture. :-)

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    1. Thanks for your comment Kirsten. Julie certainly has helped relieve the self-imposed pressure. I appreciate your feedback too,

      Love, Hester ;)

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  2. Great post, Julie and Hester!!! Loved your take on the "foofy" life! :) Great reminders to follow God's prompting to pray! I have some visible prompters that remind me to pray for certain friends...coffee mugs that a friend gave me, or ones that we bought together (Susan Stilwell!)...a friendship bracelet...convertibles remind me to pray for my brother...and so on! And Hester, you've joined the group of preacher's wives that I pray for regularly!

    Congratulations, Julie, on the book!! Can't wait to read it!!

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    1. Kristi,

      Thank you for your comment and practical suggestions. I love them and I'm sure Julie would agree -- visible reminders . . . I'm going to work on these.

      Thank you also for your prayers Kristi -- It means a lot to me to know you are praying.

      Much Love, Hester ;)

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  3. Awesome, ladies!! And so true. (And I'm with Kristi -- I pray for her and her family every time I use my "Famous Louise's" mug)

    I actually did this with my kids, and it started with a funeral home. We pass one almost every day, so we'd pray for those families anytime we saw cars in the parking lot. It carried over to praying when we heard sirens, pulled over for an ambulance, etc. Now they hear me do it when I've lost something around the house. I hope they continue their wacky mama's tradition with their own families!

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    1. Susan,

      You've got me laughing girl. ;) Love your ideas and thoughts too. (I've done the siren one too).

      Love to you, Hester ;)

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  4. Great post! I have gotten better over the years. there are times (like now) where it seems like things have been so hard and I find myself getting ready to pray and actually thinking...Is it working? Maybe I just need to do it another time. It is nice to be reminded that we need to continually pray no matter what!!

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    1. Brandy,

      Thank you for honest feedback. This is a growth process for us all. ;)

      Bless you, Hester ;)

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  5. I am trying to incorporate more prayer in my daily life, even when cleaning or doing laundry.

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    1. Thank you for sharing with us today.

      And, if your laundry is like mine -- I'll be praying A LOT! ;)

      Bless you!
      Love, Hester :)

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  6. I am not an eloquent prayer warrior, I pray out of desperation, fear, thanksgiving, and merely just to let God know that I am Always in Need of his presense in my Life!!! Praying at all times with songs (when it may be odd to speak out loud to him in public places)I am desperate for him and I let HIM know it!!!

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    1. Sweet Janet,

      Desperate is a good place to be sister. . . Blessings to you! We all need more of Him don't we?! ;)

      Love, Hester ;)

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  7. I pray Daily All Day & post ones that help me on my Facebook page to "share" with my friends

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    1. Vonnie,

      This is wonderful -- I've not heard of this before. I'll have to check it out. ;)

      Thank you for sharing.
      Love, Hester ;)

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  8. Good words Julie. Thank you for the reminder of Ephesians 6. Prayer can blossom into every day living as we surrender to God's promptings in our lives... "Hi Hester"! :) ~Blessings out, Amy

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    1. Thank you for your comment Amy!

      Surrendering God's promptings does help doesn't it?!

      Blessings to you, Hester ;)

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  9. Thank you for your words, Julie, and for the forum, Heather! I need to be more purposeful in regard to prayer. I do better praying when I have cards of encouragement in front of me and can send them out. Praying throughout the day is something I have to remind myself to do because the day gets away from me. At night I seek out scripture because my sister is suffering from multiple myeloma (a form of Leukemia) and I decided to give her a special scripture each day. As I pour through the Bible, it seems God prompts scriptures not only go give my sister, but also to remind me to pray for others. I would love a copy of your book!

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    1. Amy,

      Thank you for your comment today. Your sister is very blessed to have you and for you to pray for her. Your encouragement to her is a blessing I'm sure. ;)

      God bless you both,
      Love, Hester ;)

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  10. Good posting about praying at all times! I pray when a lady at the library looks like she really does not want to help me. I pray when the baby does not want to go to sleep as I am rocking him. I pray for the relative who has an attitude with me. I pray for others when the Holy Spirit puts it on my heart and/or mind. Thanks, Hester!

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    1. Dawn,

      Thank you for your comment this afternoon and for sharing such great promptings. ;)

      Keep praying sister,
      Have a great weekend,
      Love, Hester ;)

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  11. Julie, thank you for allowing us to benefit from your experiences. There's much freedom in knowing we can pray at any time. One way I practice this is to pray every time I hear the fire truck siren (we live across the street from the local fire department.) I pray for them, and for those they are going to help.

    Thank you, Hester, for introducing us to Julie and her book, which I look forward to reading whether I win a copy or not. :)

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    1. Cathy, Thank you for your comment today. I love your example of praying for the fire department. ;) You will definitely enjoy her book. I'll let the winner know on Thursday. ;)

      Have a great week,
      Love, Hester ;)

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  12. Great post! I try to pray when I'm doing "unimportant" things like folding laundry and vacuuming. I also like getting updates from bloggers like you, Hester, who prompt me to stop and pray. God doesn't need formality; He wants our attention. Even a quick prayer for someone reminds me of what is truly important and I stop fretting over things like... Dog hair!

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    1. Julia, You're funny! I love when you say, "God doesn't need formality; He wants our attention." So true and I appreciate your heart.

      God bless you as you get rid of the dog hair! ;)

      Love, Hester ;)

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