What If?

What if we were to fervently pray for each other, for our community, our state, our nation?

What if our collective prayers, petitioned before the Throne of the Most High God could radically change the culture we live in?

What if we saw those in our neighborhood, school, community, our workplace as family and prayed for them as such?

What if we used our words, thoughts and actions to build up and not tear down?

What if we prayed the full Armor of God over others and ourselves?

What if we united together in sincere and extraordinary prayer for each other, our family, our workplace, our church, our school, our state and our nation?

What if we stand in the gap and seek the Father’s heart and will for all our lives?

In this world we see so much anger, bitterness, lack of self control, tearing down, strife and chaos.  When we turn on the television we are bombarded with negativity not only in the news but on many programs and movies.  With so much negativity, sadness and heartache it’s easy for our hearts, our spirits to begin to see the worst.  How much positive impact could we have if we lifted each other up and looked for the good in each others lives?

When I was growing up, I watched daily my precious grandmother live out her faith as she would sit at the dining room table with her bible, the church bulletin, notepaper and pens.  I watched how she spent time each day in study and prayer for her family.  I watched her prayers be answered as members of our family and community came to Christ.  I watched her follow her mother’s footsteps of daily quiet time.

I am blessed to have a copy of my great grandmother, Lillie’s diary for a year.  Every day she started with “up at __ time and had my talk with my Lord”, then she would share her thanks, daily life, joys and concerns.  What a legacy she left for our family.

My grandmother would write out her prayers and verses and tape them to mirrors, cabinet doors and in places she would see them daily.  She truly wore out her bibles from daily use. I can remember a time when I would be embarrassed for my friends to see the verses and prayers taped all over her dining room.  Today, I am very thankful for my Grandmother’s fervent prayers for I would not be who I am today without her and her prayers heard by the Father above.  I am very blessed to have one of her bibles along with her notes and thoughts written in the margins and on scraps of paper.  She was a bible journaling before her time.

Oh to be more like them, to put the Lord first, to pray more for others daily, to give thanks in all things, to look for the good and to strive to be more like our Creator each day in all that I do, think and say.  To have the kind of faith that moves mountains, that childlike amazing faith.

As it says in “The Battle Plan for Prayer” by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, “No church program, religious event, political effort or humanitarian cause can trump the awesome power of what God can do in response to the prayers of His people.”  What if our prayers could make a difference?

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may you and your family find healing, comfort, peace, protection and provision.  May you be filled with joy everlasting.  Blessings to you.

The photo is one of the last I have of my precious grandmother and me together.  Alzheimers robbed her of her memory and eventually her life.