Fervent Prayer

Hiya Everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote! A lot has been going on the last two months, there's hardly time to even write in my blog! Before I go on to my topic of thought, I wanted to share with you all some exciting things going on in my life! First of all, I got accepted into the Early Childhood Cohort!!! I was super excited and super thankful that God has decided to lead me in this direction. I'm going to be a teacher! Secondly, my application for my internship to Japan also got accepted! So that has been set into motion as well! God has been good to say the least, and I am excited to see what He'll do in my life the next two years. I'm still not sure yet where He's leading me after college, but I will trust that He is good (for He is good) and He knows what's best for me. I ask that you all be in prayer for me as I prepare for both the cohort and my internship in Japan.

I just read this update email for my internship to Japan that had an attached article that touched my heart. It was based on fervent prayer. The more I grow in my walk with Christ, the more I see how truly important prayer is, and I think it is often overlooked. The article (by David Smithers) opens by saying, "Did you know that the Kingdom of God will not come apart from PRAYER?" Wow, that hit home. I pray, and I do pray fervently from time to time, but am I doing enough? I don't think we as humans can ever do enough, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try our best. I think the imperfection argument is a cop-out a lot of times to get out of something we KNOW we should be doing, but it could mean becoming uncomfortable or doing something unpleasant. Matthew 7:7-8 states, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives." That's a promise we as believers can hold onto. Of course, this goes along with God's will. If we seek His kingdom first, our wills will be aligned with His, and what we ask, He will give since it is already His will. "Seek first His kingdom, and all these things will added to unto you." The question is, will we trust that He will make due with His promise?

Fervent prayer must also be done with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. I think this is a hard thing for us humans to do. For me, my heart may not be in it because I have an idol residing there that takes more precedence over God, and our hearts are meant to be God's, not shared. For us girls, this can be a very hard thing to let go of. We want to be loved by a member of the opposite sex so badly, we deny He Whom can truly fulfill us in every way. I know that's a hard thing for us girls to comprehend. God as our husband? God as everything we need? You mean I don't need to get married? This is something I daily have to let go of. It can be a day by day struggle, a hour by hour struggle, and even a minute by minute struggle. I fail a lot of times too, but God is so gracious! He's like a boyfriend who sadly watches as his girlfriend cheats on Him time after time, and yet has His arms out wide open whenever the girl realizes what she's doing is wrong. This is a hard metaphor for me to hear. I like to think I'm good, and I like to think I've got it all together. You know, Jesus is #1 in my heart! But is He really? This goes with the verse in Matthew, "If anyone wishes to follow after me, He must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." This isn't just for girls who struggle, this is for guys too. There are soooooooooooo many things in this fallen world that can tempt us away. Grades (that one is hard for me), looks, sports, money, popularity, food, video games, and anything and everything we think above God. So if anything has precedence in your heart, I think it's pretty safe to say you are not praying with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

If anyone has anything to add to this (I don't have as much time to write as I would like, I've got class in a few minutes), please feel free to do so! Or any discussion questions etc. Or if you have any questions about my trip to Japan or the cohort next year, let me know!

Peace to you all!

Keri Lynn