James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Recently, my blogging friend, Linda Stoll, writes about how she often sends emails to family and friends that contain these seven, heartfelt words: How can I pray for you today? The response, as you might imagine, is vigorous. After all, who doesn't like to be prayed for?
This time, Linda adds a twist - she invites all of us, her followers, to submit our own prayer requests in the comments' section of her blog. How fantastic is that? And of course, yours truly takes her up on it without a moment's hesitation.
Because intercessory prayer works. How do I know? I have felt its enormous power when the unexpected storms of life came crashing down in the spring of 2017. You can read the entire saga beginning here, but long story short, my husband, Danny has to have a pacemaker put in when we are supposed to be on a mountain vacation. So here I am, in the unfamiliar city of Asheville, North Carolina, feeling lost, uncertain and afraid, even though I know God is with me.
So, what do I do? I begin texting and calling everyone I know to please be in prayer for both Danny and me. It isn't long before a sense of calm, that peace which passes all understanding, descends on my heart like a warm and comforting embrace. It's like no sensation I've ever had in my life, and one I will always remember.
I close my comment to Linda with the assertion that I'll be praying for her, too. And that's no casual sentiment. Because, she, like all the bloggers I follow, is on my permanent prayer list, which I keep close at hand.
Yes, blogging buddies, every last one of you is prayed for daily! No, I don't know your specific needs, with a few exceptions, but God certainly does.
At the risk of imitating Linda (isn't imitation the best form of flattery?), I'm inviting all of you who comment here, bloggers or not, to leave a prayer request, for yourself or someone you love or both! Hope all of you will join in.
And if I might be so bold, I ask for your prayers for me as our family is making some adjustments, and facing some important decisions moving forward. It's all good, my friends, but it is a challenge.
May we all pray for one another, and receive God's gifts of healing, peace and grace.
Amen!
Prayer is the greatest gift we can give and receive from each other.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your much needed prayers, Martha. Praying for you and yours right now.
God bless you all.
Prayer IS the greatest gift, Victor, I totally agree! Thanks so much for yours, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, thanks for spreading the word about this opportunity we've been given in our communities! To pray for each other is a beautiful gift, a sacred calling.
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe that you pray daily for your followers. I wish I could say the same ...
Linda, I might miss a day here or there, but I make it a point to pray for those I follow in Blogland, and those who follow me. Prayer has a way of bonding us closer together and realizing the strength and grace of this online community. What a blessing!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Linda's post was meaningful. Yours is too Martha. I deeply appreciate your prayers for me. I know you tell me you pray and I believe it. As you know, we are having to make decisions about Jo's sister which are not pleasant or easy to make. Please be in prayer for us, but especially Jo. She is torn over having to take care of all her sister's stuff but also having to watch her sister not care and now not grasp the gravity of it all.
ReplyDeleteI will most definitely keep Jo, her sister, and you in my prayers, Bill. Jo is in a tough spot, that's for sure, and can use all the comfort and peace God can give her.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Amen prayer is one of our most powerful weapons of our armor of God! <3
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it is, Marla. Praying for you!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I love this idea, Martha! In fact, I've just shared this with my Bible study sisters.
ReplyDeleteI so appreciate that you shared this with your Bible study group, Mevely! Hope some of the ladies will choose to follow my blog and, of course, pray for one another.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Prayer is powerful. Martha, I am praying for you and yours as you make adjustments.
ReplyDeleteMy prayer request is guidance and wisdom with these last rounds of edits on the third book in my series. We ran into a few issues. Better now than when in print. I was just hoping to be done sooner.
It's all in God's timing, Beckie, and your message in this latest book is so powerful, you want it to be as free of issues as possible. Rejoice in the delay, knowing the Lord has your best interest at heart. Yes, I'll be praying for you in this situation, rest assured! Thanks for your prayers, too, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Dear, sweet Martha! You have a heart of gold—a heart like our Lord. Thank you ever so much for your precious comment at my blog, and I am SO comforted in spirit to know that you pray for me daily. What a gift that is to me, especially right now. Oh, the trials are intense, and many times I have felt the very powers of darkness grip my soul. I know my redeemer lives, and I know He is in control, and it is through people like you that He reminds me of that truth. I am going to go over and visit Linda's blog. I seem to have seen her name somewhere before, and now I want to get better acquainted after reading about her here. You are a gift from God to us all, my friend. Thank you ever so much!
ReplyDeleteOh, Cheryl, I am humbled and honored by your kind and thoughtful words here. Yes, I will continue to pray for you and yours, and I know the Lord will see you through these difficult and trying times you now endure. So glad you will be visiting Linda, too - she is a gem!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Thank you, Martha. Will you please pray for my sweet WK that his cancer treatments are working for complete healing.
ReplyDeleteNells, ever since I saw you mention your husband's cancer, I've been praying for healing for him and for the trials you are both facing right now. May God heal WK to His honor and glory.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Amen to you, Martha, and also to Linda! I am so blessed with the blogging community who inspire me, cause me to think, and pray for me. God's provision is ALWAYS more than enough!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, My Dear Friend!
I feel so blessed by my blogging community, too, Loralu, and so appreciate your friendship and wise words shared at your blog. It's an honor to pray for you!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Hello sister Martha. I am a Pastor from Mumbai, India. I am glad to stop by your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I am blessed and feel privileged and honoured to get connected with you as well as know you as an aughor of six novels and your interest in praying for one another. I am encouraged by your blog post on interecessory prayer. I believe what you have said in your blog post. I certainly will remember you and Danny in my prayers for I know and have experienced the power of prayer in my life. Our church do have interessory prayer on every Wednesday. I love getting connected with the people of God around the globe to be encouraged,strengthened and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 40 yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with a great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reachout to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the brokenhearted. We also encourage young and the adults from the west to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. we would love to have young children of you or from your family circle to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. I am sure they will have a life changing experience. My email id is: dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and my name is Diwakar Wankhede. God's richest blessings on you, your family and friends. My prayer request: Pray for the out reach ministry to the poorest of poor in the slums of Mumbai.
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased and honored that you have reached out to me Pastor Diwakar! I will definitely add you, your church, and your outreach to the poorest of the poor in Mumbai to my permanent prayer list. How wonderful it is when God connects folks half-way around the world to pray for one another!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, as you well know, prayer is powerful--it changes us (even if the situation doesn't change). Prayer is something each child of God can do--no matter the age or abilities or anything else. I'm confident that God hears ALL prayers and answers them--sometimes not the way we want so we think He doesn't answer all prayers.
ReplyDeletePraying for you and the situation that lies ahead. Thank you for your prayers for me too.
Love and blessings!
Always, always praying for you, Kim! And isn't that the beauty of prayer? That no matter what our physical abilities or our age, we can all do with equanimity? God so loves us all, and for that, I'm ever grateful.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Thank you for your prayers, Martha. You are on my list too and yes prayer is powerful.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Jean, it certainly is!
DeleteLove and blessings!