Prayer Journal

I was reviewing my prayer journal the other day. Shamefully, I hadn't looked at it much since the baby was born. As a matter of fact, the last entry I had written was, "Safe and healthy birth for Melanie and me." With great enthusiasm, I wrote and prayed, THANK YOU, as that prayer was answered in spades!

This doesn't mean I haven't prayed about anything since then, I just haven't been as intentional in my prayers, since I do much of it while nursing, in a half dozing state.

What I did notice while perusing my journal, is how many of the prayers have been answered. This shouldn't be shocking to me, but I do believe that deep down, I have always been afraid that praying is a little futile. God will do what God will do, and all that, and my little requests really are of no consequence. What I have found since keeping the journal is just the opposite. First, it really isn't about what God will or won't do, it is about how I submit to Him and bring my concerns and love to Him in communion with Him. It is how I offer my time and solidarity with those I pray for, and turn my energies outward, rather than in my usual position of naval gazing.

But the largest difference in my prayers since I have kept the journal is the gratitude that has occurred in my heart. I get the chance to remember what or who I prayed for, and either renew my zeal for their intentions if no outcome is obvious, or praise God with gratitude when the resolution has become known, in God's grace, with His love and compassion. I have a true sense of letting God work in my life, rather than using prayer as a way to just examine all my worries and pick through them like a jar of pebbles. Once the intention is written down and prayed about, it becomes much more than a worry, it becomes an offering to Our Lord.

The freedom to live after I have let God transform my worries into opportunities to Love is delicious.

So, this brings back to my prayer journal, and the fact that is has been dormant for a few months. It is now next to my nursing chair, and ready for action. If you need some prayers, leave them in the comment section, and you can rest assured the intentions will be entered swiftly. If you have had prayers answered, I will add prayers of gratitude instead of supplication.

May you all be blessed!