I informed them from the beginning that I am in no way an expert...just a practitioner.
It has been an incredible journey as God has taught me the importance and power of prayer. I was blessed to be able to share it today.
I promised a list of resources. Here are the ones I mentioned and a few more:
Books
The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets
Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt
The Beginner's Guide to Fasting byElmer L. Towns
Websites
www.aholyexperience.com by Ann Voskamp author of One Thousand Gifts
Click on the Free Gifts for you Tab for some great resources
www.jeniferjerigan.com One of the table leaders, a good friend of mine, found a great resource on praying scripture for your family on this site. There are other tools as well.
Prayer Tools
For the Family by Sylvia Gunter
The resources above are wonderful. They answer questions. They inspire. They can help give direction. However, there is nothing more powerful, in my opinion, than praying God's Words. Here are some scriptures that I personally suggest to pray over your loved ones:
Psalm 91
Ephesians 6:10-18
Colossians 1:9-13
Ephesians 1:15-23
This not a comprehensive list of all the resources I've ever used. These are the ones that stand out in this season. I would LOVE to hear about what you are reading...even if it doesn't have to do with prayer!
If you have a resource or a book suggestion please leave it in the comment section!
I leave you with this today and pray these words for every reader,
Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.
6 Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!
Allison! Thank you for sharing your story today. I loved every word and I could have listened for hours. Your story makes a deeper prayer life seem so available and I loved how you said, Start using your heart (prayer) instead of your mouth. That definitely stuck with me. Thanks again, so thankful for you!
ReplyDeleteAllison, your story touched my heart as well and I am so thankful to have heard you speak! Thank you for the resources and the courage to be a woman of faith for my home and family.
ReplyDeleteThank you again Allison. I, like Megan, could have listened for hours.
ReplyDeleteI left yesterday deep in thought as to how I was going to change my prayer life or should I say re-engage with my prayer life.
Today brought day one of my 'prayer chair' time.
Thank you so much for who you are and taking the time to share.
I highly recommend committing key verses to memory so that they'll be available to you at a moment's notice. I memorized Psalm 91 so that I could pray it at troubling times, while driving or laying in bed at night.
ReplyDeleteI also recently released an iPhone/iPad app called Lamplight to organize your Scripture cards for prayer and meditation. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it has changed my prayer life. I feel so much more purposeful and organized now when I pray!