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Thankful Thursday ~ Prayer Works

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:5-7 ESV)

My friend Lori at Lori’s Reflections, posted a great article about prayer. I have to say that sometimes I get discouraged when I pray. Do I pray like I really mean it? Are there days were I just go through the motions of prayer? Maybe sometimes my heart is not believing what my head is saying? Have you been there?

I know, I am throwing a lot of questions at you. I do know though deep in my heart that God answers our prayers. Sometimes it takes longer, or God even says no. Where I find comfort in though is that God knows the big picture. And if a prayer is not answered the way we hoped for, it may be better for us in the long run.

I do have to share with you about a prayer I prayed on Monday. It still gives me the goose-bumps just thinking about it. I have shared with you about my portrait business more than once. On Monday I asked God for two wedding photo opportunities for this year and thanked Him for it. I kid you not, about 20 minutes after I prayed the prayer, I had a request for a wedding on my inbox. I will meet the potential client on Friday afternoon. Will the client book me for her wedding? I do not know, but it gives me at least the opportunity to present my business 🙂 .

I am nervous about the appointment, but I am also confident because my God will be by my side. And with God at my side, I will step courageously out of my comfort zone. Even if this does not turn into a wedding shoot for my business, I am very thankful for the opportunity God is giving me.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by this week. Remember: Prayer works and God’s timing is always perfect.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Mia / When Clowns Cry
2. jhunnelle
3. A Letter To The Mothers of All Babysitters
4. Putting the past behind us…FREE online journaling group for women		 5. Daily Journey
6. Lorig
7. Bp
8. He Will Wipe Away Every Tear		 9. Adena F- Finding the Silver Lining
10. Natasha

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Prayer

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV)

Trust me, I am not a true prayer-warrior. Don’t misunderstand that statement. I do pray, constantly throughout my day, but I do not schedule prayer-time each and ever day. My first prayer I whisper; before my feet actually hit the floor. The first prayer is in bed, face down, asking God to help me focus on Him.

I truly believe that there is no right or wrong way to pray. Some prayers are said laying on the floor, others close their eyes and fold their hands. For me prayer is more like a conversation throughout the day. Sometimes I even hold my breath. Do I ever hear God answer my prayer audible? No, but more often than not I feel His peace flood over me. What an awesome feeling that is.

The other morning, my beloved was not happy with me. Actually he was seriously upset because the alarm kept going off (from 4am on) and he does not get up until 5. I honestly forgot to turn it all the way off when I got up. I was devastated to say the least and I uttered a quick prayer for God to soften my beloved’s heart. And God did. When I got out of the shower, my hubby was in a much better mood. All I could say at that point “Thank you, sweet Jesus”.

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. ~ Martin Luther

So, this week, I am thankful that I am able to approach the throne of grace with all confidence knowing that my Heavenly Father will hear my prayer and answer in His time.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below. Please note that next week, in the month of September, my friend Laurie at “Women Taking a Stand” will be hosting Thankful Thursday.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: God’s throne of grace is just a prayer away.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Through Jesus I’m a Superwoman!
2. Understanding Your Teenage Daughter (There is Hope!)
3. FREE Printable: Kids Morning Routine Chart
4. FREE eBook for Moms!
5. Janis@Heart Filled Moments		 6. How God Turns Our Mourning Into Dancing
7. How to Have Peace and Joy in Hard Times
8. Mia / Dancing in the Rain
9. Peace That Doesn’t Make Sense
10. Tiff @ The Faery Inn		 11. the Songs on the Way
12. LaughingLady
13. bp
14. Triplets of Faith: Were Adam & Eve Saved?

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursdays ~ Prayer

“Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”
~ Psalm 5:1-3 (ESV)

The other day as I was working through my 40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the quote stuck in my head:

“Prayer offered in early morning is decisive for the day”

You see, most of my prayers I write in my journal at night before going to bed. I offer a couple quick prayers in the morning; but they are rushed and not written out. The last couple of days I have headed David’s advice from the Psalms, and Bonhoeffer’s thoughts on prayer.

It seems like that my days are a little less hectic when I sit down with my prayer journal in the morning; I think it has to do with the mind-set once we had a prayer time in the morning. I hope that I can keep this up going forward.

My pastor gave us a visual aid the other day about prayer, quoting Martin Luther (my mind sometimes tends to start wandering while praying, don’t know why):

“Think of a dog who sits in front of a slap of meat; he stares at the meat without blinking. Put the same energy into you prayer life, as much as a dog stares at the meat in front of him.”

Honestly, this has helped me to stay focus when I don’t write into my journal 🙂 …

Prayer is powerful and I am thankful that we can approach the throne of God without hesitation. He hears our prayers and will answer them in His time.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving your link to your Thankful Thursday blog below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: a prayer offered in the morning will set your mind right with God.

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Lynn -Spiritually Unequal Marriage
2. Joan @ Reflections
3. In life and in death
4. bp
5. Karen
6. LaughingLady
7. It Feels Like Chaos
8. Laurie @ Women Taking a Stand
9. debi @ Who Says 8 is Enough?
10. UpLIFTing Words
11. At Peace
12. Mel Cole @ Hearts Content, USA		 13. I Would Take Her Thorn
14. Grace
15. Pastor John
16. Stefanie
17. Carol
18. Dawn’s Daily Life
19. Life is a Battle
20. Jessica
21. Brooke @ Smart Strong = Sexy
22. Stacy
23. Marsha @ Heart Song
24. Bernice @ My Journey		 25. Judy
26. First Cavity @Long Wait for Isabella
27. Theresa @ Frugal Experiments
28. Sherry
29. Joshlin@Saving Moms Sanity
30. God is On His Throne–Hallelujah! Wendy Gunn@Faith’sFirmFoundation
31. Phil D. Malmstrom
32. Lisa Maria
33. Jenny Anne@Royal Little Lambs
34. Full Lace Wigs

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ Help

In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. ~ Psalm 18:6 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)

This month we are meeting up at my friend Lynn’s place, Spiritually Unequal Marriage for Thankful Thursday’s. Head on over to link up, sharing your grateful heart.

Oh my — how often have I been speechless only uttering the words “help”! When my days go south, I stop what I am doing (and even if it is for just a second), praying for help. Even though it might not change the situation I am in, it keeps me calm. It also refocuses my mind so that I don’t get totally flustered. I am so thankful that He gives me help when I call on His name…

This week I had to work on a huge project to get completed. I wasn’t sure how to go about it (although I had instruction — they confused me though 😆 ). I asked one of my co-workers to show me how she works this particular part of the job. She was very helpful and I have the project almost finished. Sometimes we just need to ask for help — forgetting about pride.

So this week I am thankful for HELP!!!

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: Forget about pride and ask for help if you find yourself in an impossible situation.