A Story of the Impact of Prayer
Laura Devine
God has given me the gift of believing that prayer works and a strong desire to pray with other people. When I pray Scripture out loud with other people I feel such joy, so close to Jesus. I know He hears us, and our praying makes a difference. God has taught me that if it makes a difference when I pray, I must also believe it makes a difference when I don’t pray; what is God not doing because I didn’t ask?
When I was young, even as a Christian, I did not have this excitement about prayer. My prayer journey started over 30 years ago when in a hard marriage. There was nothing else I could do and no one else I could go to except God. I prayed regularly for my husband and children-regularly, not every day and not perfectly. While God did not miraculously heal that marriage, He changed me. He softened me, and I grew closer to Him. I don’t think I could have survived the years I was alone after my husband left and the children moved out without His presence through prayer.
In different seasons of my life prayer has looked different. Currently, one area in which God is calling me to pray is before and during worship service on Sunday mornings. Listening prayer has also become very powerful. I first experienced it three years ago at a Women’s Prayer Summit at Cannon Beach. Those four days I prayed with a dozen other women in a way that felt like a symphony. Last year five women from LC3 attended the same prayer summit, and in the Fall we had our LC3 women’s Prayer Summit. It was an intimate experience, both with Christian sisters and with God. I’m very thankful for this precious gift.
God has given me the gift of believing that prayer works and a strong desire to pray with other people. When I pray Scripture out loud with other people I feel such joy, so close to Jesus. I know He hears us, and our praying makes a difference. God has taught me that if it makes a difference when I pray, I must also believe it makes a difference when I don’t pray; what is God not doing because I didn’t ask?
When I was young, even as a Christian, I did not have this excitement about prayer. My prayer journey started over 30 years ago when in a hard marriage. There was nothing else I could do and no one else I could go to except God. I prayed regularly for my husband and children-regularly, not every day and not perfectly. While God did not miraculously heal that marriage, He changed me. He softened me, and I grew closer to Him. I don’t think I could have survived the years I was alone after my husband left and the children moved out without His presence through prayer.
In different seasons of my life prayer has looked different. Currently, one area in which God is calling me to pray is before and during worship service on Sunday mornings. Listening prayer has also become very powerful. I first experienced it three years ago at a Women’s Prayer Summit at Cannon Beach. Those four days I prayed with a dozen other women in a way that felt like a symphony. Last year five women from LC3 attended the same prayer summit, and in the Fall we had our LC3 women’s Prayer Summit. It was an intimate experience, both with Christian sisters and with God. I’m very thankful for this precious gift.
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