Unlocking the Power of Praise

Thank you Rachel Wojo for today’s message….

My 21-year-old daughter, Taylor, stares at me as she sits propped up in her hospital bed. Not many young adults would ask for a hospital bed in their room, but she hasn’t been able to ask me for anything in 15 years. I attempt to read the communication in her eyes and will her body language to reveal her needs and desires. She’s been a frontline disease fighter since birth and since age 4, we’ve faced the eventual outcome of no cure and no treatment. My thoughts turn to prayer, an instinctive reflex I’ve cultivated for all these years, but somehow, I can only be silent.

Though I can find no words in the moment, I long for God’s presence. Just as my girl will move her leg over to touch mine so she can simply know that I am here, so I find myself seeking moments to be still and know that He is God and yes, He is here. I remind myself that prayer begins with praise. Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name.

How do I find words to praise God when my child, my heart existing outside my body, is suffering? Limbs that once ran everywhere have withered down to skin and bone. Hands that once grabbed with lightning speed can barely hold a sippy cup to her mouth. Voice box that once chimed “Mom-my” is lost, never to be returned on this earth. Though together we’ve practiced gratitude day after day, frankly, we are running out of things to be thankful for.

But Jesus didn’t begin His prayer with thanksgiving. And the praise didn’t begin with things God has given. Nor did it begin with God’s work. Jesus first reminded God of Who He is. With this epiphany, the prayer that I couldn’t begin starts to form as I grip my girl’s hand. Just as Jesus began his prayer with words of adoration, so my prayer reflex is stimulated to follow his model.

Praise is the most powerful tool in our prayer arsenal. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. (Hebrews 13:15, NIV) As today’s truth explains, the blood of Jesus sacrificed on the cross provides our direct access to God. As a result, we are privileged to enter the presence of our Father and whisper praises directly to Him! When we stand before the Almighty God, we come as we are. It doesn’t mean we have a complete understanding of His work in our lives. It simply means our hearts are trusting and believing Him to be the ever-present, never-changing God who loves us beyond our comprehension.

When we can’t find praise in our hearts because we don’t understand what God is doing, we can always praise God for Who He is. He is the God Who never changes and has loved us since the beginning of time. Praise Him!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

How Many Half Read Books Do You Have?

I’ve noticed over the last few years, I have developed a bad habit – leaving books half read.  I was never a HUGE reader but I did and still do enjoy reading. Life was crazy as a single mom with a stressful job as a Social Worker but I did like to escape for a little while in a good book.  I am a fan of fiction and some self-help books.

My concentration level has drastically changed with the onset of MS symptoms. The MS has affected my memory so reading became difficult.  I would read something and within hours forget what I read.  It now seems like a great excuse for the many piles of books I haven’t started yet – or worse, half read and then forgot about. My Kindle app is full of books but the truth is, most of them are half read or have never been uploaded to my Ipad.  Collected for “some day” when I “have time”.

I love reading.  Books were my happy place.  A chance for me to get away from the craziness of life.  Now, reading requires lots of concentration – no music in the background just silence.  But on a typical day where I’m balancing my business, my home, my relationships, and my health, I seldom find time to carve out 30 minutes or so for getting lost in a good book. Of course, reading before bed is a definite no-no.  I am asleep before I have read the first page.

The truth is, I’m just not prioritizing reading.  Whether it is to help me grow my business, strengthen my relationships or just escape from life, I need to give it time since it is important to me.

I have similar experiences with my long distance relationships – my mom, and my best friend.  Our lives are all so busy, we’ve got into a bad habit of letting weeks go by before we are actually talking to each other.  Communication falls to texts and emails.  I know no matter what, in the long run – we’ll always be there for each other – but the truth is friendships or relationships can’t thrive without communication.

As for the books, I’ve made a promise to myself I will stick with a book from start to finish (unless it’s really bad) and actually give myself space and time to really take something away from it, instead of just dipping in and out now and again before bed.  So far, that is what I’ve been doing and reading is becoming enjoyable again.

Why am I sharing this with you on a Friday – the first Friday of the New Year?  I am being “accountable” for my actions, in all areas of my life this year.

So, what’s important to you?  Family? Worship? Friends? Reading? Work?  Do you realize there are always things we say are important to us but we’re not actually prioritizing them in our lives.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What are the things you say are important to you, you’re not actually making space for?
• Dive deep for a minute and ask yourself: is this actually important to me? If so, why? If not, how can I let go of it?
• For the important things, how can you dedicate more time to them? It’s totally natural in our busy lives to struggle to “do it all” – it doesn’t mean it’s not worth still making space for – but what can you put in place to make it easier for yourself to actually do the things you want to do?

For me? I’m going to finish reading “You are a Badass” by Jen Sincero.  Then I am moving on to a fiction book.  As for what is FIRST in my life, I’m going to put a date in my planner to hang out with my hubby, my mom and my best friend,

Comment below and let me know – how are you going to make space for what’s most important to you this week?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!