A Peace of Prayer

It's no big secret that I haven't been attending a church on a regular basis for just under a year now. However, that doesn't mean i am a bad christian, it doesn't even mean my faith is shaky or that i am less interested in God. It just means that i haven't felt led to go to any one particular church!

So for the past three weeks now, i've been attending a church near my house that, i have to admit, i've been going to on and off for about 3 years anyway and surprisingly, it's been really good.

Sometimes the pastor there can be a bit all over the place and he has some weird ideas and so the last sunday i went there, i wasn't expecting anything too challenging, my heart wasn't even in the right place. But i went along nonetheless! There's something about the atmosphere there, the people, that draws me in, the different nationalities definitely. Sometimes, i find myself just watching how different people are and how they all interact differently with each other, the oldies, the newbies - it's fascinating coz it reminds me of how brilliant God is!

The sermon blew me away! It actually caught me off-guard because i wasn't expecting anything much, definitely not something that pulled at my heartstrings anyway!!!

The Pastor talked about prayer and instantly i tuned in because prayer is my favourite part of my relationship with God, coz i can actually talk to him. I think i tuned in because i wanted to know just how fine-tuned my prayer life actually was! He also talked about forgiveness. These were two huge topics for me and what's more, is that they applied to things i was dealing with at the time!

I've always thought i knew exactly what forgiveness was and i actually thought i'd mastered it to some extent. But I really haven't, which i kinda knew but just denied.

The Pastor said that forgiveness is forgetting the sin once it's been dealt with. That blew me outta the water. I always thought that forgiveness was something you did for someone else. But that's wrong. Forgiveness is my own responsibility. Holding a grudge or bringing it up again, isn't forgiving someone. Making someone feel bad for what they've done is also not forgiveness. Letting something go and 'forgetting' that sin, is forgiveness. It doesn't mean that the memory is erased, and there's sure to be scars left in some circumstances but letting go of the actual sin, is up to us. When God forgives us, he throws that sin into the sea of forgetfulness, he doesn't hold it over us and that's what i need to learn to do for people i need to forgive - no grudges, even if that means i am always the one to submit.

He also talked about prayer. Prayer is my favourite part of Christianity, in fact, it's an integral part of my faith. But sometimes i get so caught up with what is on my 'list' that i feel like a broken record. Sometimes i feel unheard, which i know isn't true but when i can't see the results or lack the answers, something has to give!

It works both ways, i know! I definitely have to put more effort into getting to know God's word, the bible but i also need to let God be in control of my requests! The Pastor shared two verses of scripture, the second one is one of my favourite verses in the bible:

^"14We are certain that God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him. ¹⁵And if we know that God listens when we pray, we are sure that our prayers have already been answered."

1 John 5:14-15 (CEV)

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

We don't need to have a list. One prayer is enough. I need to rest assured that God has heard my prayer and will or has dealt with it. Once i hand it over to God i should have a peace within my spirit that a. it's been heard and b. God will answer the prayers of my heart.

Upon leaving the church that night, i knew God had spoken truth into my heart, it wasn't just some words the Pastor put together but God had used him to clarify some things. It made me a little emotional knowing I'd been spoken to by God, directly into my circumstance too! i know that he hears all the things i talk to him about, he knows the worries i have and the things that i don't understand. My prayers don't fall on deaf ears. Trusting the bible, his word, will ensure i receive that unfathomable peace in my heart.

Crazy and pretty in ya face what God will share with you when you don't even think he's gonna say anything!