Prayer Moves God

Year 6-Day 61: Today, I am grateful prayer moves God. 

Let me be clear, it does not and will not make God a genie in a bottle awaiting our best three wishes or Santa looking at His naughty and nice list. Our God is mighty, holy, righteous, thundering at times, all powerful and omnipotent. 

Humans are his soft spot. He designed us with the ability to love Him back and he can be moved by prayers that in line with His character, His truth, His will and the His big picture. Our lives are a part of that story, as we accept or reject Him, but God genuinely hears our prayers. 

"When you pray, real things happen that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't. Your prayers move the hand of God." -John Piper

When we pray for wealth, fortune or fame, we are missing the mark. When we pray for the widows, the orphans, the slaves, the ill, the broken, the addicted and the bitter people... he moves in the midst of our prayers. More time in prayer, makes us more sensitive to the "audible voice of God" that we can hear in our heads. Sometimes, it is startling. 

A little over a year ago... a special prayer was placed heavy on my heart to claim a particular child for adoption into the safe haven of a Jesus loving home, to live and grow up treasured and protected. It was scary to do that, and share it. What if I misunderstood - or their outcome was disappointing? Still, I had no rest until I jumped fully on the prayer wagon and gathered some amazing warriors for the ride. Amazingly enough, there were others who had the same seed and prayer planted in their hearts, too. They were already there. When we pray together, God moves mountains. Even bigger than mountains... the social justice system.  The wait is not over... but very, very close. Stay tuned. 

Warriors on their knees in gratitude, submission and offering up their lives to His service are game changers. When we come together, His Spirit is present, too. 

"Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” -Matthew 18:19-20

In this high tech age... we can gather in cyberspace to pray and seek God's hand of intervention in whatever storm arises. It has happened several times this week. What an honor to join in prayer with brothers and sisters nearby and around the world!  Remember, his spirit hovers over the earth. No place is to dark or two deep for His hand to reach or His ear to hear. 

Never take the power of prayer for granted or flippantly. Some days in my human weakness, I fall into the "Talking about it more than I've prayed about it" zone. It is a shameful place, but it is real for me. I need to bend the knee and raise the prayer and wait more patiently at times. 

Still, His grace floods my days with goodness I can't even count. He is faithful and hears our prayers. Even over all these many generations of believers. He still longs for one to come to him for the first time in belief and surrender... so He can restore all that is shattered and broken. He is so very good. 

Today, I am grateful  prayer still moves God.