Encouraging Quotes on Prayer and Trials from the book War Room

Recently I read the book War Room and was so blessed by it!  Many similarities, obviously, to the movie, but the book was so much better!  There were many things that I walked away with from reading it that challenged and encouraged me, so I thought I would share a couple of those with you all to hopefully be equally as encouraging to some of you.  Both quotes are from "Miss Clara".
~Breanna

Sometimes the best gifts God gives us are not the easy times when everything goes our way.  The best gifts are the hard times when your life is reduced to a couple of good questions: What is this all about? Why are we here?  God is not interested in making me comfortable or happy.  His goal is to make me holy, like His Son.  And I've never met a follower of Jesus who hasn't encountered some suffering and pain.  God doesn't tell us to pick up a memory foam cross.  It's rugged and it's heavy.  You can run and try to find some easier way, but eventually He leads you through the thorns and the briars and that valley of the shadow.  But I promise you, if you trust Him, He will lead you to green pastures and peaceful waters.  Not just when you get to heaven, but right now.  Peace and contentment in the middle of the storm.  In the middle of the disappointment and fear and anger.  The bad times are really the good times in disquise.

The goal of prayer is not to change God's mind about what you want.  The goal of prayer is to change your own heart, to want what He wants, to the glory of God.  When we pray, we participate in what God is doing.  He gets the glory, and we get the privilege of walking with Him, and in that process we are changed.  And guess what happens from that change?  He gets the glory. 

Tidbits from "The Battle Plan for Prayer"- What is prayer and what is it's purpose?

I was so blessed and tickled to be able to borrow a used copy of the book"The Battle Plan for Prayer" by the Kendrick Brothers, a book inspired by the film War Room.  If you haven't seen the movie yet, it's so worth watching!  Our family was very blessed and challenged by it.  Which is why I was so tickled to be able to get my hands on this book.  Many aspects of prayer that they are sharing I'm very familiar with and seek to practice.  But I have been challenged by having my mind refocused on what prayer is actually and what it's purpose is.  Also, I've been challenged in the ways of focusing on praise and thanksgiving.  But for this post, I wanted to share with you all tidbits from the book that most challenged me in regard to what prayer is and what it's purpose is.  We know this stuff, but I know that at least for me, I become lax and forgetful and need to be reminded of these things so I can refocus.  We can become so lackadaisical, half-hearted, irreverent and in many ways selfish in our praying.  But when we look at what prayer is and what it's purpose is, it wakes us up and reignites our hearts to seek the Lord, the true purpose of prayer.  I hope you'll be blessed and challenged as well!
~Breanna

 

 

Prayer is not about prayer...just like a cell phone is not about a cell phone.  A phone's primary purpose is not for itself but to serve as a conduit to connect us in relationships.  If held up to our ear without engagin another person with it, we're not making it do what it's been created to do.  Likewise, there are activities you can undertake that may  look and feel like prayer, but they're not really prayer if God is not truly engaged.

Prayer, at its heart, is communicating with God.  Reverently and openly.  Sincerely.  Interacting directly with the magnificent God of the universe who is really there.   

What is prayer? Prayer is communion with God in order to...
1. Intimately know, love and worship Him.
Knowing Him and loving Him leads to worshiping Him.  The natural response the the presence of God is worship.  Honor and loving adoration.  Dedication and delight.  Willing submission.

2.  Understand and conform our lives to His will and ways.
Prayer doesn't merely change things; it will change us.  As we pray, God reveals His will and ways to us, and then starts to align our hearts and minds with His.  We yield to His awesome lordship.

3. Access and advance His kingdom, power and glory.
God is unlimited in His capacity to accomplish anything.  At the same time, we don't just receive these things but we seek to advance them.  When we seek first His kingdom, that's when so many other things fall into place.  Prayer allows us the priceless priviledge to not only know Almighty God better, but to join Him in what He is already doing among the nations for His glory.

Prayer is not about prayer.  It is about a Person- God Himself.  When it becomes merely about accessing the provision or protection of God rather than knowing and pleasing the Person of God, then we are getting off track.  But when the one goal of our praying is to live in relationship with Him- one on One- He will cause prayer to also help us experience His purposes, His plans, His provision, His protection, and everything else He intends.  All for His glory.

-Tidbits from The Battle Plan for Prayer by the Kendrick brothers.  Well worth reading!