prayer

Talk About It Again

Posted on by Denise Harper

One thing I have come to count on over the years of being married to my husband, Ken, is that if we put something on our calendar, he will bring it up in our conversations nearly every day until it comes to pass! I’ve come to learn it’s not because he’s afraid he will forget. It’s not even that he thinks that I might forget (although I’ve been known to forget a time or two!). While I used to get tired of having that same conversation over and over again I have come to recognize that it’s important to him and he’s looking forward to us doing whatever it is — together!

Have you ever thought – God must get so tired of hearing me pray about this over and over and over again?! Or should we treat our prayer time with God as a one-and-done kind of conversation? Essentially believing that God is God and we only need to bring it to Him one time or we run the risk of insulting Him or giving the impression that we don’t trust Him. When we bring things to God over and over do we come close, at times, to the persistent cries of the Israelites in the desert who certainly had short memories of God’s miraculous power and provision? Remember when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, the Lord descended in a cloud and confirmed, “I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with my people”. Exodus 34:6 (CEV)

God is the same then – as He is now – and will be forever more. His very nature is patience! So when we continue to talk to God about what is on our heart, our repeated prayer is really our admission that we’re not trying to do it on our own. What is it that your heart is crying out to God to handle? Begin to thank Him for hearing your prayer and answering. Be ready. God rarely answers the way we anticipate! But it is not our responsibility to figure out the “how” of the need. It is our responsibility to bring every thing that is concerning us to Him. All of it! When we do, it can actually free us, to anticipate what God will do.

Stories From The Chaise

Posted on by Denise Harper

I loved to play in my grandmother’s basement when I was a kid. She had all sorts of interesting things including a few antique furniture pieces that I loved to pretend were my formal sitting area. That was my first encounter with a chaise lounge… and I loved it. So years later when I was looking for a chair to create my personal Bible study and prayer space in our new home it was no surprise that when I happened upon a cozy chenille overstuffed chaise lounge… I bought it!

Oh, the journeys we’ve experienced together that chaise and I! Not only was it my spot for quiet times, but many phone conversations with friends were had as I got comfortable and curled up in it. I have laughed and I have cried in that chair. There were prayers of desperation and anguish while tucked away in it. Likewise, many prayers of thanksgiving and praise were whispered toward the heavens from it.

When we downsized and moved into a much smaller space a few years ago we had to part with many things but that well-loved old friend, my chaise lounge, which is almost twenty years old now, is still with me. The arm has lost its padding. The chenille is worn in a few places… but it’s still my favorite place to sit. It is a tangible reminder of God’s presence and His faithfulness in my life.

Now that I have a granddaughter, she and I love to sit in that chair together. And I am reminded of the instruction God gave us in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NCV). “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.” Macey and I have the most wonderful conversations about all kinds of things… especially about God… right from that chaise lounge.

The Sound of a Heavy Rain

Posted on by Denise Harper

Have you ever been so sure of something that you went way out on a limb to boldly say it to another? There have been a few times in my life when I had zero doubt that God was going to do something specific and I shared it with others with bold confidence. When it happened I was not at all surprised.

So when I read 1 Kings 18 recently about Elijah boldly proclaiming to the King that heavy rain was on its way, after three years without ANY rain in ALL the land, I noticed part of a verse that I’d never considered before. In verse 41 of 1 Kings 18 (NIV) Elijah tells King Ahab to “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” Did I mention that it hadn’t rained there in almost eleven hundred days?! But God had allowed Elijah to hear the sound of good drenching rain!

The king went to eat and drink and Elijah went to the mountain to pray. In fact, Elijah got into a posture of prayer that resembled that of giving birth. That was a serious prayer time! And while he prayed, Elijah sent his servant to look toward the sea for the rain. Seven times he sent his servant to look as he continued praying. What kept Elijah so confident that the rain was coming? God had allowed Elijah to hear the sound of a LOT of rain! When the servant returned the seventh time and said there was a little cloud the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea that’s all it took for Elijah to send word to the king that he had better hitch up his horse and chariot and skedaddle or he was going to be soaked!

What does the sound of answered prayer sound like in your life right now? When you’ve prayed and prayed and you keep watching… and still there is no sign of the answer… Keep remembering the sound of that answered prayer that God gave you. Keep praying. Keep watching. Remember the sound of Elijah’s heavy rain!