It's Okay to Ask for Prayers

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”—Matthew 21:22

While God’s Word tells us, ask and you will receive. That doesn’t mean God is a genie in a bottle. Our request needs to be made in His name according to His will. This means that I can’t pray for anything and tack on, it is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things and expect God to honor my request. He will say yes to our prayers that align with His will that will glorify Him.

When my thoughts wander during my prayer time, I need to stop and address what is on my mind with God. If my mind is drifting, I obviously need His help to either conquer that thought or help me with it.

Perfect example happened this week. I had a doctor appointment this past Wednesday. I have something called, white coat syndrome. Just about any time I go to the doctor and they take my blood pressure, it is sky high. My mother has been on medication for her high blood pressure since her 30’s. It stems from her worry/anxiety. I have never had an issue with it, except at the doctor office.

I have even gotten to the point where I usually take it the morning of an appointment and screenshot it so I can show the doctor my normal reading, but I forgot to do it this time. I do have an app where I try and chart my blood pressure once or twice a month, so that I have something to show the doctor if needed.

It’s not like my doctor appointment was a high stress situation. I even bring my knitting to calm my soul. Despite my knitting and praying, when the nurse took my blood pressure, it was really high. As soon as that cuff is on my arm, worry kicks in. I get in my own head and have a hard time not thinking about it. Am I going to be like my mom? What if I really do have high blood pressure…?’ Of course, once I got home, I took it again and it was normal. Okay, maybe I took it 2-3 more times that day just to make sure…which it was.

I have to be careful and not get sucked into, Why can’t I calm my nerves before it is taken? I thought I gave it to God this morning. What is wrong with me? This is a mindset that only makes it worse. As I am writing this, I had an epiphany. I felt God impress on my heart, yes, Lisa you pray about it, but you haven’t ever asked your prayer warriors to pray for you too.

I’ll be honest, up until now, I thought, how embarrassing. How can I ask my friends to pray for something like this. I should be able to have total faith and not give into this mindset. That’s pride on my part. Yes, I should be able to give this to God, but I also need the prayers of my friends knowing they are praying the same thing for me. It gives you comfort when you know that others are lifting you up in prayer to give you the needed strength to conquer whatever fear or stressor you are facing. No need it too small to give to God and friends in prayer.

Satan knows how powerful prayer is. Of course, he wants to shame me. His desire is to get me to believe the lies of self-sufficiency. I obviously can not do this on my own. God uses our weak spots to depend on Him for peace and strength.

I will never forget when my late mother-in-law was dying from lung cancer. She was having to go to the hospital on a regular basis to get her lungs drained. My sister-in-law and I would tag team. I would take her and get her all checked in; she would stay with her to bring her home. Every time, they would take her blood pressure it was really high. I get it. She was about to get her lung aspirated. That would give me high anxiety too.

One morning, when I went to pick her up, before we left, the Holy Spirit pricked my heart to pray with her about it. I specifically prayed for God to calm her nerves and for a normal blood pressure reading. Guess whose blood pressure was perfect? Yep! I told her, that is because we gave it to God this morning.

I didn’t feel silly asking her if we could pray about it and praying it for her, so why am I not doing the same? I had the faith then that there was power in our prayers together. Like her, she might have been praying about it, but it took the love and prayers of another person to truly soothe her soul for that normal number. God convicted me as I wrote this, that pride has been my issue.  I have no problem asking how I can pray for others. I shouldn’t be embarrassed to ask others for small prayers for myself.

Next time I know I am going to the doctor, I plan on sending out a text to some of my prayer warriors asking them to pray for a calm soul that will lead to a normal blood pressure reading. God doesn’t want us to try and cope on our own. He knows that those of us with anxiety need intercessory prayers of others to help our peace. It is okay for us to ask. It IS God’s will for us to receive His peace through prayers. “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”—Matthew 21:22

Father God,

Forgive me when I let pride keep me from asking for prayers. No prayer is less important than another. Help me let go of what is on my mind. I know You want me to trust You to calm my soul. One way to ensure this is the intercessory prayers of others. Thank You for those people You have put in my life. Use me to be that person for someone else this week. I lift those up to You who are struggling with worry or fear. Fill them with a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.

 February Verse:

“You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”—Psalm 18:28

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make. 

One Prayer; One Person at a Time

“But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”—Matthew 19:14 (NLT)

It all begins with one prayer. I know in my younger years I had my parents and other relatives praying for me. God often works through one person and one prayer at a time. You never know who will be led to Jesus from the prayers you are praying and the seeds you are planting.

As I reflect on my life before Jesus, I am reminded of those who subtly shared their faith with me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I see it now. Please don’t judge when I share this story. When my son was born, I had a sister-in-law give us a VHS tape called “The Donut Man and the Donut Repair Club.” I have no doubt she was also praying for my salvation. Through this gift, she was planting seeds and I didn’t even know it.

Remember, this is before I was walking with Jesus. I played the tape, rolled my eyes thinking this will gather dust. It had horrible acting and singing about how “life without Jesus was like a donut because there is a whole in the middle of your heart.” I wasn’t offended by it, but I sure didn’t understand the whole concept. My life was just fine the way it was. Growing up in the church, I heard about Jesus. Sometimes I prayed and went to church on Christmas and Easter. I felt as if that was enough.

Guess who pulled out that tape to play it for my son after my first husband died? Yep, it was me. I think I was playing it for me as much as for my son. I knew that there was a hole in the middle of my heart and the only person who was going to fill it was Jesus. His presence within me was the only thing that could provide me with fulfillment.

I don’t think it will surprise you to hear that I also bought multiple Donut Man VHS tapes for my children to watch. My kids can still sing (at least my daughter does) the Donut Man theme song and so can I.

Isn’t it funny how God works? He used something as simple as a children’s video to open my eyes to how empty my life had been. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus addresses how we need to have a child-like faith to inherit the kingdom of God. When we are children, we depend on our parents to meet our basic needs. This is what Jesus was trying to tell His disciples and what He is telling us. Releasing control and depending on our Father to provide for us is how we do this. Just as I provided love and security for my children, God, my Father does the same for me.

The person who gave my son that video for a gift was married to my first husband’s brother. I didn’t know her very well, so it took boldness on her part to give that as a gift. She was also someone who was able to guide me to scripture after my first husband’s death.

We are to be ambassadors of Christ. He wants to work through us to bring Him glory. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, He has called us out of His darkness into His wonderful light. What are you doing to shine that light? One of our callings is to share the light of Jesus by spreading the Gospel in some way to our broken world; not a select few, but all of us. Is there someone in your life whose salvation you have been praying for that you might be able to reach through one of their children or grandchildren?  I am a perfect example how something meant for a child opened my eyes to how I needed Jesus to fill my heart.

Can you think of one person in your circle of friends/family that is in need of intercessory prayer? What are some creative ways you can share Jesus with them? There are numerous Christian movies on streaming services. You might be able to send a link to one of them that could speak to them. Either they watch it or they don’t. You never know what seed you might be planting if you don’t act on that gut feeling and share with them something that speaks to you.

In less than a week, we celebrate the birth of Christ. December 25th isn’t about all of the physical gifts we might receive, but the gift of our Savior born into our world to save us. When I accepted Jesus into that hole in my heart, the Holy Spirit came upon me and Jesus was born within me (1 John 3:24). As believers He has touched our lives so that we can change the world with one prayer and one person at a time. This is the perfect opportunity to invite others to church with us or share an online link to watch on their own.

Father God,

Forgive me when I let fear of what others might think, stop me from sharing the Gospel with them. I ask for wisdom and gentleness on how to share the love of Jesus with someone who doesn’t know You. Only You can speak to the lost in creative ways such as a child’s video or movie. Thank You for the intercessory prayers that led me to You. Help me to be that person for someone else. I know that You care for every lost soul. I pray for hearts to be softened to receive Your love. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things.Amen.

 December Verse

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”—John 1:4 (ESV)

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.