Evening Prayer

Prayer is a very important part of "soul life!" It is oxygen to the soul and energy to the heart. Each morning we should embrace the whispers of prayer. Each evening we should close the day with prayer.

It is important to close the activities of the day in resolution. Enabling us to be sure not to carry into the next day unresolved residue of the previous days issues, pains, heartheark, and lack. Not to imply that ALL issues of the previous day are finished but that we have made resolve that we have done ALL within our prayer to effectively deal with the issues had been done.

Also, understanding that life is a journey with many processes that are resolved over time.

James 5:16-18

New International Version (NIV)

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Prayer empowers the soul to walk through each day of our journey of life, while confronting its conflicts, disappointments, and joys with renewed confidence. It is the substance of energy that moves us into effective problem-solving and reconciliation.

It reminds us that even though we are not content with our life journey at the moment yet we have the courage to be content within the circumstances. Knowing that the lesson that we are learning will produce a better us that will enable us to move to a higher plane of our human existence and move us to a more compassionate expression of our God.

In Luke 11, we find that Jesus came to a certain place and begin to pray, The scripture then let's us to know that after He finished praying, His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray!

This has become one of the most repeated, rehearsed, learned, taught, reviewed, and preached prayer known to this world. Many of us know it as The Lord's Prayer and it has also been called The Model Prayer. However, in recent years it has been called the Disciples' Prayer for very good reason.

We do not know what Christ prayed for in Luke 11 but we do know that the disciples felt the urgency to learn from the Master on how to pray. Here is the account from Luke 11:

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.

For all practical rhyme and reason, there is no magic formula to prayer. It is the whisper of the heart of soul that communicates with God. It is an opportunity to voice to Him our desires, disappointments, needs, concerns, our life journey and our on-going need to have Him in our life.

I pray in the car, bathroom at work, on the train as I commute. In the evening, I start my prayer in the Bathroom! Yeah, it's about the only that I get to be alone after a two-hour commute, dinner, and answering e-mails. The shower has become "symbolic" of washing away the debris of the day and allows me the time to reflect on all that I was able to successfully accomplish.

.

This is a time of reflection. Reviewing my attitude, my kindness to others, what was my communication with others like? Did I live a day of thankfulness and gratitude? Was I appreciative of the job that I have and did I pray for the coworkers that make days more difficult?

I find, at the end of my reflection, a time of repentance. Repenting for what I could have done better and choose not too! Yes, I struggle. but I knew it is a struggle that I consistently have to work with. My thorn in the flesh! (smile) A reminder that my flesh still wants to have its way!

Finally, I FORGIVE! I forgive those who wrongfully and intentional made the day harder. I forgive myself for more shortcomings, because I have them. I forgive myself for going off my diet, not writing out my goals, not completing my vision board and the like. Then again, I'm reminded of God's love towards me and that He forgives me and that I'm a work in progress and start again tomorrow...

This is my favorite part of the day. I end my day in peace, serenity, and promise. Knowing that in all that I failed, that I am complete in Him and my Hope lies in His faithfulness to me

I wanted to share with you two evening prayers that you might like as much as I do. I'm not suggesting that you make the prayers a ritualistic mantra for the evening but a suggestion of what and how to end your day in prayer!

Dear God.

Thank you for this day.

Thank you for my safety and the safety of my loved ones.

As I enter sleep, may these hours give me peace.

May they bring healing to my mind and body.

While I sleep, dear Lord, please bless the world.

Where there is pain, where there are people who

have no place to sleep, who suffer and who

die, may Your angels come unto them and

minister to their lives.

Prayer clears the mist and brings back peace to the soul.

Dear Lord,

Please let the light stream in.

Please use my hours of sleep,

Please prepare me, during these hours of rest,

for greater service to You.

May the light that surrounds me, tomorrow

shine through me.

Soften my heart.

Thank you, Lord.

Amen.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

From the youngest to the oldest, the poor to the rich, the learn to the unlearned, prayer is a useful tool for all.

Prayer, in its many forms are whispered by many cultures and religious beliefs across the world.

There has been scientific studies that show that when people were asked to pray for one set of bacteria while having no one pray for the other batch of bacteria, it was found that the batch of bacteria that was prayed for became bountiful and flourished while the other jar of bacteria was slowing growing at best.

Excerpt from: The Science of Prayer and Healing (http://www.healingtherapies.info/prayer_and_healing.htm)

Lower-Life Forms: Through conscious intent, test subjects (i.e., normal volunteers with no special abilities) were able to influence the growth of fungus, molds, yeast and bacteria, often at great distances. These studies imply that prayer has the potential to fight infections.

With potentially profound implications, subjects were also able to alter the genetic mutation rate of bacteria. If prayer can alter the genetics of bacteria, it is conceivable that it could do so also in man. If this is indeed the case, man may not be limited to what was previously thought to be his born-with, genetic destiny. In fact, Gregg Braden in Walking Between the Worlds: the Science of Compassion (1997) presents a case that human emotion affects the actual patterning of DNA (the genetic material) within the body.

I leave you with this that you might try to include more whispers of prayer throughout your day, drawing you closer to the One who loves you best!