Cornerstone Community Church

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Take a moment this Sunday to be still… then say cheese! 📸😊

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Prayer… The Greatest Gift
Karen Richards

Today we honor all the Mom’s for their hard work and dedication. Many of us wouldn’t be where we are today without the determination our Moms put into us. Today we celebrate these incredible women that made such a difference in our lives. As we age I believe we start to realize how much we relied on them and how much credit they deserve for it. So thank you to all the Moms who have loved and cared for us unconditionally.

Josh has been trying to get me to speak on Mother’s Day for the last 19 years and as I was thinking about what I would share, all the examples of Godly women from the Bible came to mind. It’s very difficult to narrow it down because each of them have amazing qualities worth noting. Hopefully in your life you have had a least one or two special women that you consider a Mom, whether it’s in the physical or spiritual sense. I personally, have had the honor of having two very special Moms in my life, one being my actual Mother, who is one of my closest friends. The other is my Mother-in-law, Judy Richards. She has treated me like her own child and has always been such an inspiration and source of help to me. I couldn’t have been a good Mom without her help and I probably wouldn’t be in Church right now if it weren’t for her prayers and faith.

Ever since I can remember, every time we would say goodbye, she has always said, “pray Karen pray.” I will admit there have been times when this was difficult to do, but there were also many times when this reminder to pray made a difference that was life changing for either myself or a loved one. Maybe you have had a situation like this, when you prayed and immediately knew that God had moved on your behalf. And it was directly because of the prayer you made in faith either for yourself or someone else.

You see, a Godly woman is not afraid to pray, especially when it matters and we see this in the many examples in the Bible.

Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) who prayed for a child.

Deborah, the warrior judge who prayed for the Lord’s enemies to perish (Judges 5:31).

Mary, who prayed and rejoiced when she was told she would give birth to the Messiah (Luke 1:46-56).

Anna, the prophetess who was in her 80’s, prayed at the temple night and day and told everyone who would listen about the redemption of Jesus Christ (Luke 2:36-38).

The widow who Jesus tells us about, who prayed with persistence for justice (Luke 18:1-8). This one is particularly important because it takes persistent faith to pray.

All of these examples show woman praying in moments of fear, barrenness, desperation and praise, directly to God with tremendous impact. So I encourage you to pray like all of them.

Another Godly woman was Esther. She was faced with a very difficult situation but she prayed and challenged her people to pray with her and that simple act of faith combined with obedience, gave her the courage to do what she needed to save their entire nation. She didn’t have a Mother but she understood the power of prayer because she was raised by her cousin Mordecai who taught her to pray. Like her you may not have had a Mother in your life teaching you these things, but God is sill challenging you to pray, because when we pray heaven moves on our behalf, miracles happen and the spiritual realm is affected.

We all know we ‘need’ to pray but it would be helpful if we all knew ‘how to’. I’d like to share some advice I think is helpful. I’m sure you have all known very devout people that are so inspiring when it comes to prayer. It can be very intimidating trying to be like them especially when we can’t quite pull it off. The point is we don’t have to emulate anyone, we can just be ourselves. However we talk to God, He will hear you. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. If you pray, he honors that.

Here are some points to help you.

Point one… remember to use the ‘right door’. Prayer is like being in the drivers seat of your life. Sometimes we may have the right keys but find ourself at the door of the wrong car. Jesus is the right door. We are forgiven and restored to fellowship with God through the blood of Jesus. It was Jesus, it is Jesus and will always be Jesus. He is our access to the throne of God and the Bible tells us to go boldly before the Lord to make our petitions.

Point two… quit trying to pray in ways that you don’t normally communicate. Scripture tells us to ‘pray continuously’ which seems daunting but it doesn’t necessarily mean ‘non stop’. Think about catching up with a close friend you haven’t seen in a while. When you finally meet up with them, you try to remember the most important things to share. Compare this to your conversations with God… you may have an idea of what you think your prayer should be like but that’s not a real conversation, that’s an email. Often times, it can come out reading like a ‘to do list’. You don’t have to conform to a specific prayer formula but you want an encounter that is worthy of building a relationship.

In John 17:6, during the last supper, Jesus prays for his disciples in a sort of show and tell style teaching format. He states His basic request and then expounds on it. From there He repeats His request to God and circles back to something that He had already prayed. Just like you would in a normal conversation with a friend.

Point three… when your mind wanders, bring it back. It’s as simple as that. The Lord knows how easily distracted we are. Distractions do not disqualify our prayers, but the next time you find yourself going off track, ask God what He is maybe trying to show you. Sometimes distractions are actually detours constructed by God. When you get off your normal path you see things you wouldn’t otherwise see. Wandering thoughts can be a blessing in disguise.

Point four… you don’t have to be the last one standing when it comes to prayer. It’s not a competition, praying without ceasing means continually involving God in your day to day happenings and not giving up. Praying without ceasing, means persistence, living with an awareness that God is always with you and actively involving Him in your life. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.”

Point five… remember the team God gave you. God has given us the Holy Spirit to help when we don’t know what to pray. In Romans 8:26 the Bible tells us, “Now in the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.” We basically just need to show up with intention, the Holy Spirit makes it perfect for us.

Point six… take a note and free your mind so you can linger in God’s presence longer. This is for all the multitaskers out there. Take notes… jot important things you want to discuss with God down in notebook, back of an envelope or the notes app on your phone… whatever way works best for you. For myself I use sticky notes arranged on my desk. However you do it, if you struggle with freeing your mind when you are trying to focus on praying, make a note of that important thing that keeps interrupting and be free of it. Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows us and nothing about our lives is surprising to Him. So when we stop to take a note with the goal of staying in His presence we are demonstrating our belief that He cares about everything that concerns us.

As a Mom you will do many special things for your children but if you are not praying for them then you are missing out on the best gift you can give them. While mothers provide countless special things for their children like time, love, and instruction many believe that consistent prayer is the most valuable gift a parent can offer. A mother's prayer is often described as impenetrable armor that covers a child's life and future. Children do not need a perfect mother; they need a praying one who takes everything to God.