This last week I have written about prayer. To review, here are five reasons to pray:

1. We pray because it is how we communicate with God.
2. We pray because Jesus prayed and He expects us to pray.
3. We pray because God grants us the power to pray in the Spirit. 
4. We pray because it helps us not be anxious about anything. 
5. We pray because it is one way to be a doer of the Word. 

I have written briefly about my grandma and how she prayed using lists, and how my mother prayed using mind mapping, and today I will share about my aunt Sue and how she prayed using Prayer Packs.

My aunt Sue, who passed away in 2010, was not only my aunt, but my dear friend and mentor. I wrote about her several posts ago.  Here is the link to that post: 

He is Near and you, in Him, are Heard

There is hardly a day that goes by that I do not think of her as I pray using my Prayer Pack, which was inspired by her. Susan had a deep and abiding faith in the Lord.  We talked by phone often and our talks always ended in prayer.   She would say, “Heath, let’s bring this all before the Lord and pray.” There are just a few that call me ‘Heath’ and I loved that she was one of them. 

The Christmas after Susan died, my oldest daughter Elizabeth and I made Prayer Packs for everyone in the family to give as gifts.  Since then, I have had the privilege of speaking at MOMS groups at different churches and elsewhere on how to put them together, and now I am blogging about them. I am hesitant to use the word ‘system’ in praying, but this truly is a precious way to be intentional about praying not only for yourself and immediate family, but for many others as well.  In the days ahead, I will walk you through how to make one for yourself. 

This is a photo of a quilt that Susan made for me and my husband Paul for our 10th wedding anniversary.  It hangs in our living room and is really the focal point of that room.  Susan loved being home as a wife and mother and encouraged me time and again in that endeavor. This treasured piece of artwork declares this so beautifully.  All the scriptures point to the importance of home.  If you notice there are 12 squares and they follow the 12 months.  Here they are:

January – Proverbs 24:3 “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.”

February – Psalm 84:1 “How lovely is Your dwelling place.”

March – Acts 7:49 “What kind of house will You build for me?”

April – Psalm 84:3 “Even the sparrow has found a home.”

May – Proverbs 31:27 “She looks well to the ways of her household.”

June – Titus 2:5 “To be busy at home, to be kind.”

July – Matthew 12:25 “A house divided cannot stand.”

August – Matthew 7:24 “Like a wiseman who built his house on the Rock.”

September – Matthew 21:13 “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”

October – Job 27:18 “He has built his house like the spider’s web.”

November – Psalm 84:4 “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house.”

December – Luke 10:5 “Peace to this house.”

The word home or house in these verses have their full meaning not in this world, but in the world to come and Susan knew that. Our homes this side of heaven are not permanent; they are fading away like everything else, however they do provide us with a dim shadow of what’s to come.

Hebrews 13:4 says, For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. This home to come is being prepared for us at this moment. John 14:1-3 says, Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.  This home to come which is being prepared for those whose faith is found in Jesus was seen by John and he wrote about it in Revelation 21:1-6. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

My grandma Jan, my mother, and my Aunt Sue are all in the presence of the Lord now.  His word says that for those that are believers ‘to be absent from the body is to be present with Lord.’  Each of them knew the Lord, knew who they were in Him, and were faithful to pray.  Those prayers go before us even to this day. 

Who is God? He is our Dwelling Place.

Who are you in Him? You are Safe.

I will post the song “My Dwelling Place (Psalm 91)” by Keith and Kristyn Getty.

Blessings to you,

Heather