A couple of years ago, the Lord told me to start a prayer blog. I waited far longer than I should have, wanting to be certain that I was being led by God and not my own prideful ambition. I was concerned about readers misunderstanding my motives. After all, I am a disciple, but no biblical scholar. I don’t have any fancy theological credentials. I am just a woman who loves God and believes in the power of prayer because I’ve seen it work. Trusting that God knew my intentions to glorify Him and not myself, on January 1, 2017, I posted my very first prayer-related blog post.

I often joke about being a recovering control freak. I was concerned about the undefined nature of this blog. How often would I write? How long should the posts be? Would readers feel encouraged to pray? Would people relate to the various examples and analogies that I included in my post? The planning techniques that serve me so well professionally were useless for this spiritual assignment. The Lord wanted me to step out in faith and trust Him to address every need.

To my wondrous amazement, the Lord inspired me to publish a new post each week. I never planned the blog in advance. I operated in prayerful expectation each week that God would show me a new way to encourage others to pray. Without fail, each week, the Lord gave me a fresh perspective. My life experiences amplified my personal prayer life and provided practical examples of the importance of prayer.

As 2017 draws to a close, my soul looks back with gratitude and forward with hope. The Lord has been dealing with my heart this year. Where I used to be guarded, the Lord has softened my heart – making me more emotionally flexible and spiritually sensitive. I rely less on my intellect and more on the urging of God’s Holy Spirit. I realized that God was there and speaking all the time, I just needed to tune in to listen to His instructions. The tranquil inner voice that reassures me of God’s love confirmed that I am to continue this work in 2018. However, where I would previously try to distill and generalize my life lessons, the Lord has told me that the next dimension of this blog will be far more personal. Revelation 12:11 says “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” I won’t whine, but I won’t gloss over the ugly spots either.

In 2017, I experienced heartbreak, rejection, criticism, hardship, fear, sorrow, frustration, and crisis. John 16:33 says “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” I was never without hope because I never held on to any particular problem for long. I outsourced my worry, fear, regret, rejection, depression, guilt, despair, and “disses” – distress, disease, discomfort, and discord – to the Lord. He allowed me to hold fast to hope and to never doubt His love for me.  Jeremiah 31:3 says “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” This blog may assume a different tone in 2018, but the constant will be my declarations of God’s goodness and the importance of prayer.

Praying that in 2018 you will live Psalm 27:13 which says “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Happy New Year! “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.” -1 Corinthians 2:9