Tag Archives: prayer

After “Amen”

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How often have we prayed, “Father, help me love everyone I meet today”,  only to walk away from our prayer spot and forget we ever asked?

Then someone says something that irritates us…

Then our carefully made plans fall apart…

Then someone repeats what another person has said about us…

Then we feel overlooked, misunderstood, or hurt…

Those little “thens” may be God’s answer to our prayer.

I’ll be honest. My first response isn’t always love.

Sometimes I fuss. Sometimes I fume. Sometimes I can think of a hundred ways to defend myself or get even. That’s usually when I call a trusted friend, spend time in prayer, and listen carefully for God’s voice.

Years ago, I would simmer for a while and then simply let it go. Well…I still simmer once in a while. But I don’t simply let it go anymore.

If the relationship matters, I’ve learned to go to the person and honestly say, “What happened really hurt me.”

Most of the time, we talk, we listen, and we understand each other better. Sometimes we can’t resolve everything, but I’ve learned that love isn’t passive. Love is willing to have difficult conversations with grace.

Jesus said, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)

Perhaps loving like Jesus isn’t found in avoiding conflict.

Perhaps it’s found in choosing kindness, truth, forgiveness, and humility in the middle of it.

So tomorrow morning, when you pray, “Father, help me love everyone today,” don’t be surprised if your first opportunity arrives before breakfast. 

The Red Slide

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Watching children play is a reminder of the freedom that comes from simply being who they are.

A while back, we took our four-year-old God-niece, Annabelle (AB), to McDonald’s Playland for supper. Like most children her age, she was far more interested in exploring the tunnels and slides than in eating her chicken nuggets. Still, she mostly stood watching instead of joining in. Then I remembered something she had said earlier in the car. Someone had warned her not to be afraid of the red slide.

Wanting to help her feel more comfortable, I asked a nearby mom if I could introduce AB to her daughter and if she might help her navigate the play area. Introductions were made, and the two girls happily disappeared into the maze of tubes and tunnels together.

A little while later, AB came back looking concerned. She couldn’t find her new friend, who had apparently gone into one of the bubble windows. When AB finally found her, she discovered the little girl no longer wanted to play because AB wouldn’t go down the read slide.

Not long after that, AB met another little girl named Emma. As the two of them played, I noticed something important. AB still stayed on the green slide, carefully avoiding the red one altogether. But Emma didn’t seem to mind. She wasn’t worried about which slide AB chose. I wasn’t a big deal to her; she was simply happy to have a friend.

That small moment became a beautiful reminder of the love of Jesus. He does not wait for us to conquer every fear before He draws near to us. He, very simply, invites us to build a relationship with Him. He meets us where we are and loves us unconditionally, even while we are still learning to trust Him with our own “red slides”. Actually, His love is what encourages us to face them in the first place. Jesus loved us before we conquered our fears.

Abba Father, help me recognize the “red slides” in my life and trust You to help me through them. Give me the courage to follow where You lead, even when I am afraid. Thank You for loving me before my fears were conquered. Amen and yes!

This post is being shared with many other writers’ entries at Five Minute Friday.

I first wrote this post on October 7, 2011. Today I revisited and made a few updates.

Dining Room Theology #1 GATHERING

Welcome to Dining Room Theology — where the coffee is strong, the Bibles are open, the conversation is lively, and apparently even the cat prays.

Our little group (the Spirit Sisters) gathers around the dining room table each week to study God’s Word, ask hard questions, laugh a lot, and encourage one another in faith.

Tonight, Chewy decided he would lead the closing prayer.

“Amen.” 😄

I’ve been having some fun and relaxing time with my AI program, and it created these cartoons of our Bible study. I hope you enjoy them! Laughter is good for all of us.

Yes, Chewy joins the Spirit Sisters regularly—every Monday, in fact. He seems to think he’s an official member of the group.

We go live every Monday evening on Facebook. Just head over, follow my page, and it will pop up in your Reels when we start.

Right now we’re live at 5:30 PM EST, but soon we’ll be moving to 6:30 PM.

Come join the conversation… and the cat.

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

MEND


God wants to mend our hearts, minds, and souls. He wants to repair what’s broken in us. James 5:16 says we are to confess our sins and pray with one another. When we do this, we bring our deepest hurts into the light, and healing can begin. Praying then becomes an act of restoration that allows God to begin the mending process.

We are reminded in the same verse that healing doesn’t happen alone. As believers, we are to pray for one another. In doing so, God can use those prayers to heal any kind of brokenness, be that physical, emotional, or spiritual. Over time God renews and restores us fully.

Mended by Matthew West


Forgiven

The poem in the picture above is a Haiku. The simplicity of this Japanese poetic form has been an unexpected gift in my meditation and prayer time. It helps me clear my scattered thoughts and focus on a specific word of God’s Word and applying it to my life.

For me this is a deliberate act of submission. It helps me take a broad and powerful truth from God’s Word and make it into a focused, crystal clear declaration.

When I rise from my quiet time to go on with the pleasures and pressures of the day my focus remains on what God has said to me in this sweet moment of clarity.

If you would like to use this in your own quiet time here is an outline:

A Haiku is a powerful little poem that helps clear your mind. It follows a strict 3-line structure: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. We use this structure as a spiritual filter to capture God’s truth, not our own thoughts.

5 Steps To Creating Your Own Haiku

1. 📖 Find the Core Truth

Begin by reading and meditating on Scripture.

  • Goal: Pinpoint the single most impactful truth, command, or revelation the Holy Spirit is highlighting to you right now. This is your foundation.
  • It’s not about your feelings; it’s about His Word.

2. 🔍 Distill to One Image

Take that spiritual truth and find one concrete image that represents it.

  • Goal: Give the abstract concept a visual form (e.g., ‘Grace’ becomes ‘shelter,’ ‘Forgiveness’ becomes ‘clean flowing water’).
  • Focus on the image that best clarifies God’s action or character.

3. 📝 Submit to the Structure

Using the 5-7-5 syllable constraint, draft your three lines.

  • Goal: Let the structure force you to select only the most precise, potent words.
  • This is an act of submission—letting the form strip away your own unnecessary words.

4. 🔗 Bring Clarity to the Message

Ensure the lines connect but also create a moment of insight in the third line.

  • Goal: The last line should offer the spiritual conclusion, application, or humble response to the truth presented in the first two lines.
  • The final line should point the meaning back to His glory.

5. ✨ Pray and Act

Read the final haiku aloud slowly. Do not over-edit it.

  • Goal: Use the finished poem as a concise prayer.
  • Commit to letting this truth guide your action as you move from meditation into the world.