The Little Homestead: December 2017

Sunday, 17 December 2017

December & Old Prayers

Oh how I love this Christmas season :)
even though its a busy time, and hot and humid here in New Zealand. There's just something about Christmas..the whole month of December really, that is magical to me. It's always been a joyful time. Maybe it's because my mum always put so much effort into making it special for my brother and sisters when we were young?
This time last year I was recovering from an illness, which was mostly self-induced burnout. It helped me to re-prioritize and make more time in my days for people and making our home and garden a much more pleasant place to be.

But what I really wanted to write about today wasn't Christmas, but 'Old Prayers'.

I'm sure every christian knows about old prayers. They represent pieces of our heart, our dreams, hopes, longings, either for something in our own life or somebody else we care about. They're prayers we've possibly prayed over and over again and can't seem to let go of, or their prayers we may have prayed once and stand strong in faith that God heard us the first time and will answer the prayer in His own way and in His own time.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 encourages us to rejoice always and to pray without ceasing.

There are many examples in the bible of persistence in prayer. I believe whenever the Holy Spirit prompts us, no matter how frequently, we are to pray for a person or situation.

1 John 5:14-15: Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we asked of Him.

I know and believe that God knows what is best for us. No matter how long it takes, all prayers will be answered eventually. Sometimes we forget we even prayed them, and then see a resolution to a situation and a memory comes to mind that we petitioned God about that.

I just wanted to write this to encourage anyone who may feel their prayers are simply 'OLD' and that it's time to give up !!! I say no, continue on, until you get a response. :) Maybe write different prayer requests /situations in a journal and then at the end of the month or year, read back through those old prayers and see if any of them have been answered. I bet you'll be surprised.

So I will close this with saying I wish you all a beautiful, joy filled Merry Christmas :)
I'm truly thankful and encouraged by all who stopped by my little spot and read or commented on what I wrote. It always makes me smile. I'm going to finish with pictures from our Christmas thus far..baking cakes, garden, decorating our home etc.

Blessings to you all ~ Linda xo