Praying God's Word

I like to think back, ponder actually, over the last little while of my life now and then, and see if I've learned anything or discovered something new about myself (or others).  The thing that I am most excited about lately is learning, after 30 some years of praying, how to pray God's word.  It's not a new concept to me, but for some reason it is hitting home.

I know that words are powerful.  We teach our children that once you say something, you can't pull it back.  It's out there and for good.  I'm not always the best example of speaking kindly or positively.  In fact, if I was to really think about it they could probably pop some popcorn and sit back to watch a full-length show when I open my mouth sometimes...but hopefully my kids can learn from my mistakes.  Maybe me, too.

Anyways, if my words are powerful, just imagine the power of my Creator's words.  In various studies I have been encouraged to use the bible as the model for my own prayers, my prayer about others, and even to pray for events.  For many years now I have felt compelled to pray for other countries, but honestly,  rarely do because I don't know how or what to pray.  Countries are big and have lots of aspects to cover!  The other day I chose to pray for the U.S., and then asked God to lead me to a specific scripture.  He did, and I ended up using a psalm to pray that God would raise up prayers within the U.S. for the U.S.  I wrote out the prayer, and then prayed it aloud.  A few days later I reread that prayer, and was blown away.  My words and my heart were entwined with God's thoughts and heart, and it was really exciting to read.  These weren't my thoughts, but they were spoken in words that i understood:  mine.

To some this might seem elementary, to others this may be a new concept.  Regardless, it is really exciting to me and I hope that some of my excitement might rub off on someone else.

Thanks for reading.