Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It was a little too chilly to be sitting outside on the front porch this morning but the beauty made up for the chill. I watched the Living God illuminate my world and I gave thanks for the new life that wasn’t visible yesterday and my senses came alive faster than you can say “Amen”. It was as if I was seeing with my eyes what my Heart was feeling and the sounds of the birds were like a Heavenly choir. Anything I might be inclined to fret over today was washed away, and just by being in His Presence, and I felt warm from my head to my toes. Isn’t that what being in His Presence is like for you too?

Nothing can knock me into a Spirit of Praise and Gratitude like tuning into everything around me, and nothing could bring more Peace to my Life than His Words: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” I don’t need to be outside to feel His Majesty, and I don’t need to be entertained by nature, to set my Time with Him in motion. I meet with Him when He wants to meet, where He wants to meet, and for as long as He wants to meet. I walk with Him and talk to Him all day long, and He hears my every Word – the ones that cross my lips and all the others that are silent within my Heart. I’m not just a Prayer Warrior…I’m ready for Action too, and that’s a key component to what sets some people of Faith apart from all the others.

It can be so easy to fall into organized prayer time, and then forget to invite the Spirit of God into the process. A few memorized prayers, or adding prayer time to a calendar as if it’s an obligation, falls short of what prayer time can (and should) look like. I’m pretty sure the Living God wants to hear the words to our unique (and heartfelt) prayers and not just words written and recommended by man. You can tell a lot about a person’s Convictions just by hearing them pray. Some people pray with Authority and it’s as if they Believe the prayers they utter have already been answered even though they can’t see it yet. Some people pray with meekness, and it sounds as if they don’t actually believe that God will do what they’re asking for at all. Usually, these people wrap it up with “if it’s your will” and it sounds like they think they’ve been a burden to the Living God by making a request at all. Some people THINK they need the name, rank, and serial number as if God won’t Know who they’re praying for unless He’s given all the Information first. And some people think they need every dirty little detail so that they “know how to pray”, but God already knows every finite detail, and He doesn’t need to be filled in on the cast of characters or their actions. There’s not a right way or a wrong way to pray HOWEVER the only way we REALLY make a difference is when we pray AND BELIEVE that He Hears us and that He knows what’s best in every situation. When we learn to pray like that, it’s a Spiritual Game Changer.

I don’t presume to know the Mind of God, but I do know His Nature, and I know that if someone or something is on your Heart and you’re prompted to pray…He put it there. Every Encounter and every Circumstance has already filtered through His Hands, and He has a Master Plan for everyone and everything. But how often do we appeal to the Living God on behalf of someone else when we ALREADY have the ability to take care of the need on our own? Maybe WE need to gather around them to bring them comfort. Maybe WE need to be sure there is food on their table. Maybe WE need to pay for the car repair. Maybe WE need to be willing to watch the kids. Maybe WE need to facilitate the action of others when we aren’t otherwise in a position to help. Sadly for some people, it’s a whole lot easier to whisper a prayer or two and hope that God will do something about the circumstances so that we can avoid getting our hands dirty. God is the Way Maker and He can do anything anytime He wants to. He can absolutely meet every need and fill every Request! BUT I believe that if He places a person and their need on our Heart, He’s looking for Action…and not just prayer. This is the KEY to serving the King of all kings.

Every prayer we utter is “like incense” in Heaven…a sweet aroma to the Living God…and every Life has Purpose. It’s when we combine those two things – when we pray with Purpose and ask Him to show us how WE can help whoever (or whatever it is), that we become part of the Solution in ways we can’t begin to imagine. I’ve whispered a whole lot of prayers for people and their circumstances this morning and I prayed with Conviction and Belief. But during those prayers, I also asked the Living God to show me what my Part is. I’m ready to kick into Action anytime with every Resource I have and with all that I am whenever He comes Calling. After all, He died for me….the least I can do is Live for Him. If I’m going to Proclaim that I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, then I need to be living a Life that resembles His ministry. Jesus got His hands dirty. Jesus Believed what He prayed. Jesus Loved unconditionally.

How about you?