Face to face

Prayer is powerful. The beauty of this message has echoed all through my life. Especially in this past year I have heard that over and over again.
Prayer is something we can carry with us wherever we are- in the cities, in the country, on our knees, while we walk, with many people, when (if!) we're swallowed by fish (Jonah 2), "before the cross", before the altar, in church, in the allies, our homes 'behind closed doors', during the day, in the long nights ~By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life~Psalm 42.8
Our prayers are like burned incense, it rises up like smoke and is a sweet smell to God. All of the prayers in the world rise up and is a sweet smell to God. As said here in Psalm 141:2 ~May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

This picture to the right reminds me of that. We are face to face with God. We are meeting with the Almighty, our soul continuing to shift to be in line with Him, life is pouring into us. Our life lifted up in prayer before God... as sweet incense. Something I also see in the picture is that as the prayers are lifted up, there's an aroma going up, like fire. There are people on the 'outside', going towards the light of the aroma, the light of prayers. Power of prayers are evident in this world.

Anna is one of the girls who I chill with at GRITS youth, she's just entered into her relationship with God. When I'm with her and everyone's singing, she often sits and listens. She tells me she loves the voices of everyone singing together. There's something beautiful about a thousand voices, or congregation full, of people when they're all lifted as one voice, on prayer, one song. I love it too. It reminds me of unity God desires us to have, a community with the same heart after God. It's beautiful. I am also reminded of heaven when I hear all the voices lifted together. I imagine the angels singing with us as we give glory to our King.

I admit, I think.. wait, I know that my prayers really do stink sometimes. There's no meaning to it. I pray for selfish reasons, or I WANT certain things from God. There's a lot of reasons prayers go stinky. Ewk. "I'm sorry God!" Doesn't mean God loves us any less or doesn't mean He doesn't want to spend time with us. Often times, it's Him wanting to spend time with us more than we want to with Him!
Prayer was a habit for me in every circumstance and I didn't sleep until I prayed. Slowly overtime my prayers were every other day and then whenever I was in need. The less I prayed, I noticed the more I had trouble in my life's walk. My actions became slower. My faith became more "work" rather than jus living it simply. I looked and looked, but did not perceive. "Aah God! I need help!" And this was the thing, I knew I could talk to God, I knew I could hear Him and knew He was listening, but.. shame. It drove me from kneeling before God. Unworthiness told me I could no longer look into the face of God.
But...
God is forgiving. Anyone who confesses wrong-doing and takes forgiveness, straps it to himself and comes before God... is embraced. They stand in GRACE. "Grace is sufficient" (vs?) He whispers "I have heard your prayer". The barrier is then removed FULLY, I imagine for those who hoped in the Lord in the Bible and I know for me, life HAS poured out once those words were spoken "I have heard your prayers". Relief like waves of peace wash over my soul and bless my heart, 'I am heard. Someone is listening'.

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"He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him"~1 Chron. 5.20
*The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective*~James 5:16

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Prayer is WORSHIP. It's a gift given by God that we may go face to face with him boldly, we may receive from Him. In our prayers our heart, our soul, our mind is drawing back to God. Prayer enables us to hear from God, move with His Spirit to carry out His plan of Shalom. In prayer we are centering ourself in the One whom has made us, in prayer we are giving God glory.

Verse to pray: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12)