Some days my prayer sessions with God go something like this, I open with praise. Thanking God for who He is and all the things He continues to do in my life. Then I go through my list of "people" that I am praying for; sometimes that leads to looking up a certain verse of Scripture, which leads me into, "now where is that verse anyway?" Sometimes I have no words at all, just sit in the silence and know that He is near.
Sometimes it turns into something like bargaining with God, sometimes my prayers edge dangerously into manipulation territory, sometimes I sound like a whining child. Sometimes, He surprizes me with something I never expected! But always He is there. Always, He hears me, and always He loves hearing from me.
Today, I just handed Him my wadded up tangled mind, "Here you take it!" My thoughts were scrambled today, and I felt unfocused. Finally I just told Him all that was on my mind. I sensed Him saying, "I already know all this, but it will make you feel better to share it, so just climb off your prayer pedestal and talk to me."
So I did....After that I reflected on a study I had awhile back, that impacted me greatly.(Thank you Lucy for answering Gods call to lead it) It was on the names of God. The Holy Spirit reminded me of how He has been all those names to me at different times in my life, and I cried as I remembered.
YAHWEH-RAPHA: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) After the death of my husband, and dear sister in law....and the morning long ago when I woke up and knew that God had healed my anorexia.
EL ROI: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – The name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14), when she met the Angel of the Lord and realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all. How many times I have felt alone, and have been comforted by the "God who sees"
YAHWEH-JIREH: "The Lord will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – The name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. I reflect on all the years God has so wonderfully provided for my needs by giving me good jobs, and without a college degree!
I left my prayer closet with a very thankful heart and a renewed sense of God's power today. I will post the full list of the names of God tomorrow!
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