Prayer can change everything

Let me just start by saying THANK YOU!

I'm genuinely blown away by this beautiful community. During times such as this, it's truly incredible and absolutely mind blowing to see the ways in which so many of you guys have shown up in support of our family. Thank you for the sweet messages and the outpouring of love. I've read every dm, every prayer, every kind and encouraging word - thank you!

​I love and appreciate each of you and am so grateful to have virtually met so many beautiful and kind women of God.

Now, let's get into today's post.
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It's been about two weeks since my last blog post went live and I'll probably never be able to fully express how I felt sharing that story, but will also never forget how quickly God showed himself in the days to follow, proving to truly be working on our behalf.

My dear friends, if you didn't already know this, faith and prayer can literally move mountains. The two combined can literally change any situation around in the blink of an eye, and although God may not answer our prayers in the ways or within the time frame that we may envision or want, He will always come through for us.

He hears every prayer, every cry, every plea for his aid, and he loves us more than anything or anyone in this world. If we could all just simply grasp a hold of this truth, and have the faith of even the tiniest mustard seed, we would reap the reward of witnessing beautiful miracles that only He himself could have made possible in our lives. Today I encourage you to believe and know that He will and can turn all things around for your greater good - even when things or situations seem damaged beyond repair. God is always faithful. He is a healer, a restorer, and will walk alongside you through even your most difficult battles; however, we must CHOOSE to see ourselves, others, situations, and life in the way that He does and know that all is never lost!

As of lately, I've found myself so deep in prayer, so deep in thought, so "hungry" for God. Hungry to reconnect with my spirituality, myself and my purpose. Prayer is all that I know to do. It's all I know to do when I feel like giving up. It's all that I know to do when my emotions seem to overwhelm me and my mind seems too clouded to even think properly. Each time that I turn to God through prayer with a full and sincere heart, he has always shown himself faithful, so why wouldn't I do the same now?

Prayer is all that I know.

​Trusting in God's divine abilities is what I know to be true. Not because I grew up in a family of devout Catholics, or because it's "routine" or the right thing to do, but because I've seen how powerful it truly is. I've personally seen how it can change and transform the outcome of even the most difficult of situations.

​Last weekend, our pastor and a panel of women from our church's prayer team led a discussion about the power of prayer, and while sitting there, I thought "wow... the timing of this is crazy". I had actually started writing this blog post about a week prior, so hearing that message was perfect timing. Throughout the discussion, two things stood out that I'd love to share with each of you today.

​​1 | Stop comparing your prayer life to that of others
Sometimes when we hear others pray aloud, we can sometimes feel discouraged about our own prayer life simply because our prayers don't sound the "same" as theirs. Please let this be a reminder that there is no perfect way to pray to God. Sometimes prayer is just sitting in silence and connecting with God from your heart. Sometimes your prayers may sound conversational in nature in that you simply speak to God just as you would a close relative or friend, and sometimes things get a bit more intense and we may quite literally be crying out to God, falling on our knees. Either way, your prayers are your own. Your relationship with God is your own, and regardless, God hears you. There's no need to constantly try to show up "perfectly" in your prayer life. Sometimes our prayers are raw, honest, and straight to the point, and my dear friend, God still hears you and he still appreciates your efforts. He already knows what's in your heart and on your mind, so going to him pretending to have it all together will serve you no good. He already knows and He wants to help. Seek Him. Go to Him... and go to Him just as you are!

2 | Pray your way through the storms of life
This last one is a pretty practical concept to understand; however, it can be quite difficult to actually implement consistently when life's obstacles are just coming at us from all directions. We've all been in a season/seasons when things just seem to constantly go wrong. It's almost as if we can't catch a break, but it's in those very seasons that we should be reaching out to God even more, standing firm in our faith, and praying our way through.

As I stated before, this may sometimes seem easier said than done, especially when the pain of what we're going through seems to literally be drowning us, but STILL... I encourage you to find it deep within to allow that exact pain to propel you into having radical faith and a prayer life that literally knocks down heaven's doors. Pray without ceasing, seek God through your discomfort, and remember that "after rain, there's a rainbow, after a storm, there's calm, after the night, there's morning, and after an ending, there's a new beginning.” - unknown

So, get excited about your new beginning. Get excited about your future and what's to come. I don't know what you may be personally going through right now, but please know that God has an infinite amount of love for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm, and a true and sincere desire to see you live a life of purpose and fulfillment for His glory.

Have faith, believe in greater, and continue to pray without ceasing. Prayer changes everything!

I love you all.

Until next time,
xo
Amari E.