What I Need Most

There is one need that my Prayer Sisters and I request prayer for over and over. One week it’s for me. The next it’s for someone else.

“Pray for me to spend more time alone with God.”

Recently I was lamenting how drained I felt. I give so much time and energy investing in so many things, none of which can I delete from my life. My sister-in-law Rita listened patiently and then responded ever so kindly, “You need to spend more time with the Lord.”

Bingo. So, so true. If I try to pray for others, and invest my time in ministry without being filled with the power of God, I will fail. Quite plainly, if I don’t take care of myself spiritually, I can’t effectively pray for my loved ones. Enough said.

So, I try. I keep my Bible and a few choice devotionals in a basket near my favorite chair in the living room, encouraging me to snatch some moments alone with God. I let my dog drag me along the walking trail as I pray. In this hectic paced life, I try to steal away time for solitude.

Still, some days I get going so fast I don’t take the time to connect with God like I should. And other days I allow discouragement and frustration to fill my heart rather than the promises and nurturing Spirit of the Lord. I don’t always do it right.

But I keep on trying. Because I believe in the power of prayer. So do my Prayer Sisters. That’s why we pray this special request often for each other—to spend much-needed, soul-strengthening, life-sustaining time with God.

Calvin, my eager walking buddy!

The Ultimate Why of Prayer Sisters

One morning my Prayer Sisters and I prayed ferociously for a wounded kid whose life was in danger. Only we didn’t know it was.

You see, that mama wasn’t able to join us that day. Later in the week I shared with our friend what we’d prayed—that we’d sensed spiritual danger in her loved one’s life and stood against it in the name of Jesus. Instantly her tears welled up and she whispered, “But I didn’t reveal that to anybody!”

No, she didn’t… But the Holy Spirit did. He told the Prayer Sisters so we could intercede for one of our own. Remarkable.

This story represents two of the things I love most about Prayer Sisters. First, it represents the constant, stable, relentless force of a group of committed praying friends.

And second, this experience shows how prayer is REAL, because we have a faithful, loving, interactive God.

And that, truly, is what Prayer Sisters is all about. Knowing God…and interacting with him through prayer and through his people. Incredible.

My Prayer Sisters and I have been praying together for several years. We’ve walked and prayed through the ebbs and flows of life, spiritual highs and lows, good times and poor, answered prayers and agonizing silence.

And I have to tell you, over the years we’ve prayed some, well, almost whiny prayers. At times confused, discouraged, or perhaps even disgruntled, angry at God’s apparent indifference, we whimper our honest cries to the Lord together. And then a beautiful thing always happens. We remind one another of God’s character, and we gain strength. Our cries shift to praise, and our hope is revived as God’s powerful presence renews our minds and refreshes our souls.

We may not always have the answers to life’s puzzling questions, and we may not often understand what God is doing. But we do know we can trust in the truth of who he is….

God is faithful—He promises to never leave us or reject us, and to always be there when we call.
God is loving—He loves us unconditionally, passionately, sacrificially.
God is interactive.—He listens, he speaks, he directs, he intervenes.

Wonderful.

As we steadfastly meet and pray with our Prayer Sisters, let us always remember the reason we pray…to place ourselves and our loved ones in the forever faithful, loving, active hands of God, and to praise his name together.

Girls, Prayer Sisters, treasured friends… let us praise him, worship him, cry out to him, trust him. Week after week, month after month, year after year.
Beautiful.

In the meantime, with my great nephew Davin

Two of my Prayer Sisters are grandmothers. They’re not old, mind you. In fact, these are two of the cutest, most active, vibrant grannies I know. And they love on their grandkids like every self-respecting grandma should. They inspire me.

Someday I’ll be a grandma too. Probably. I have four kids, so the chances are pretty good. And when I hold that baby in my arms I will rock it gently in my 20-plus-year-old rocker, worn and tattered from rocking my own babies, and I will sing the most powerful lullaby I know.

“He’s got the itty bitty baby in his hands. He’s got the itty bitty baby in his hands.  (You know the tune? Sing with me…) He’s got the itty bitty baby in his hands. He’s got the whole world in his hands.”

And I’ll tell my grandbaby the truth of who Jesus is. That no matter what the world believes about him, he still has the world in his hands. He is, and was, and is to come. What we believe about Jesus doesn’t change who he is. And I will tell my sweet grandbaby all about Jesus. How he is loving, to the point he loves the most unlovable of the unlovables and never stops loving them no matter what they do. That he is full of life, and when we give our lives to him, we truly live. And that he is grace, mercy, compassion, goodness all wrapped up into one reachable, interactive being, eager to share all that goodness with us.

And I will sing. Man, will I sing.

“I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (Psalm 146:2).

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19).

Prayer Sisters, today I received news that reminded me why we do what we do. Why we sacrifice the time to get together to battle in prayer. Why we leave our kitchens dirty and laundry undone. Why we say no to other demands and opportunities, and make prayer our priority. Today a prodigal child returned home.

When my friend’s daughter walked away from God it nearly broke her mother’s heart. A wrestling match began, a young woman the prize. Satan on one side, my friend and her interceding friends on the other. No contest, really, considering the mighty power of God fueled our prayers. But was the fight easy or swift? Of course not. It was grueling, heart breaking, exhausting… and it took time.

Time. Not enough of it, we say. Too busy. I know. I really do get it.

Some days I compare my calendar to my to-do list and cry. How in the world can I get it all done? I’ll be honest with you. There are times when I absolutely can’t make it to Prayer Sisters to pray with my friends. On those days when I need to tend to the matters at hand, I trust in the grace of God and my forgiving Prayer Sisters for missing this week’s prayer time.

But I press on and make every effort to join my Prayer Sisters when I can.

Because… more than “just another thing,” praying together increases the power and effectiveness of our prayers. After praying with my dear friends, I have more strength, energy, confidence, hope, and peace than I’ve had all week. And more importantly, our prayers are at work, activating God’s will and purpose in our lives and the lives of those we pray for so passionately. Wrestling matches are won and lives are changed.

Girls, we need to fight for the time to pray. So we can fight in prayer.

My Prayer Sisters and I talk often about aging gracefully. We discuss face lifts and sagging body parts and how to lose those few stubborn,  bulging  pounds that didn’t used to rest just so on our hineys like they do now.  But we also touch on the more sensitive issues of the heart—like how NOT to turn into a crotchety old crank in a nursing home someday.

So when I received an email about “Aging Well” from my mentor and sister-in-law, Rita Hauck, I paid special attention. I have to admit I was startled, and okay, convicted, by some of my own character flaws as I read the honest prayer of a 17^th century nun. I am now joining this noble woman in the following prayer for grace to age well.  

(A devotional thought from Elizabeth Elliot’s book, Gateway to Joy - Reflections that draw us nearer to God)

 “Asking for Grace to Age Well”…

                “Lord, You know better than I know myself that I am getting older and will someday be old. 

Keep me from… the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.  Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.  Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy.  With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all, but You know, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. 

Keep my mind from the recital of endless details - give me wings to come to the point. 

Seal my lips on my aches and pains.  They are increasing, and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter.  I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others’ pains, but help me to endure them with patience. 

I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.  Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. 

Keep me reasonably sweet.  I do not want to be a saint - some of them are so hard to live with - but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. 

Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people.  And give me the grace to tell them so.”

See what I mean? If we pray for God’s grace to apply these principles to our Prayer Sisters friendships, we’ll all be sweet little old ladies some day. Bring it on.

Yes, you can get your passport renewed in one day!

Have you ever had a pit in your stomach that felt like you’d swallowed a baseball? That’s how I felt when I discovered my passport was expired—the day before our family trip to Mexico for Christmas.
I know, I should have paid more attention. But the truth is, I was the most organized for this trip than I’ve ever been before. I even bought a cute little green zippered canvas bag to carry all six of our passports in. I had safely tucked the passports in the bag two months early. I was prepared.

Until my husband tried to get our boarding passes online 24 hours before departure and made the agonizing discovery. My passport had expired in March. Who knew? Ten years is a long time and I just hadn’t thought to check.
We immediately started scrambling, desperate to find a way for me to make the trip. For hours, we scoured websites, called friends, looked for advice on how to renew my passport QUICKLY. Like, in one day. Expediting companies would still take 48 hours, risking mailing a rush order via FedEx, the week of Christmas, not to mention their hefty fees. Sheesh.
My daughter suggested, “Maybe you should call your Prayer Sisters.” Definitely! I sent an urgent message for prayer and immediately my friends were responding with words of encouragement and prayers of hope.

One of my dear sisters sent this message:
“Oh kathy I wish this was a dream instead of a nightmare!!! I will pray that the Lord will be gracious to u and bring a compassionate person who will jump thru hoops to help. Our God is greater than this problem. Rest in Him while we pray. Love. Me”
And her last line gave me the comfort I needed. “Rest in Him while we pray.” My first deep breath of the day.

Fortunately, we live in a city with a passport agency, but even that gave us no guarantee of an instant passport. The U.S. Government site was not encouraging. They insisted you MUST HAVE an appointment and the next available was Dec. 29, the day after our trip was over. I finally read one little travel blog that said, “If you’re lucky enough to live near a passport agency, and you don’t have an appointment, you might want to consider showing up and pleading your case.” Bingo.
Monday morning, Dec. 21, 7:00 a.m., my husband and our four kids headed to the airport, and I headed to the passport agency. When I arrived, another desperate soul was perched on the floor by the front door, and I parked beside her. Waiting. Praying. Trying not to be sick. I know that in the grand scheme of things, lots of people endure much more difficult and painful challenges in life. I’m just thankful God cares about the little things as well as the big.

At 8:00 the doors opened, I meekly relayed my story, delivered my documents, and nearly kissed the passport agent when I heard the magic words, “Okay, your passport will be ready for you to pick up at 2:00 today.” Wahoo!!!
The next day I flew to Mexico, freshly printed passport in hand, and joined my family. We celebrated the miracle of instant passports in today’s high security world, and I thanked God for my girlfriends who prayed and supported me through this stressful, near-disaster Christmas, passport fiasco.

Some of my best Christmas gifts

This past Tuesday, a crisp, Colorado, December night, l drove through the snowy fields to our annual Prayer Sisters Christmas party. I pulled into the forested driveway and headed into my friend’s cozy house, fireplace blazing, ziti baking, and Christmas trees twinkling up a storm. But what I loved most was the enthusiastic embrace, the warm, authentic greetings from friends I’ve grown to love and appreciate more and more each passing year.

After dinner in the candlelit dining room, where conversations bounced around the table as quickly as the garlic bread basket, we clustered by the fireplace to share in our traditional gift exchange. We’ve tried to suspend this tradition more than once, believing our money would be better spent elsewhere, but the truth is, we simply enjoy giving each other gifts. It’s our way of expressing our gratitude and love for one another, comrades through the years’ ups and downs.

The gifts range from silly to spiritual, practical to just plain fun—like my new sparkly, hot pink-stemmed wine glass with a flirty redhead painted on one side and the words “Fired Up and Fabulous” on the other.  (Thanks, Karen!) This year I chose to give the serious gift, Stormie Omartian’s new book, The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children (Harvest House Publishers, 2009). Not necessarily the most fun gift, but my Prayer Sisters all agree an extremely valuable one.

It’s amazing, really, to think we’re now all praying for our grown children. When we first started praying together, most of us had middle schoolers and youngsters still romping around on the playground at elementary school. We’ve prayed through many challenges over the years. And not only for our kids. We’ve prayed for our marriages, jobs, financial situations, extended family issues. And for each other. I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am a stronger woman, a better wife and mother, because of the prayers of these, my diligent prayer partners.

And when I think about Christmas gifts, from shiny platters and beaded bracelets to inspirational ornaments and helpful books, I settle in on the most important gift we share as Prayer Sisters—the gift of friendship. The gift of having the kind of friends who love you when your attitude is ugly, when your life isn’t going as smoothly as you thought it would, and who don’t get tired of being around you when you’re sad. The kind of friends who cry with you, pray with you, and then say something silly or give you a gift that makes you laugh.

Yes, this Christmas I thank God for the invaluable gift of friendship.

By Kathy Groom
Founder and President
Prayer Sisters International

Some things are said so well, they need to be shared. A close friend passed this devotional along to me recently, and I’m sharing it with you. It is about Healing Choices: Authentic Friendships. Read on!

In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today’s Devotional is based on this passage:

“But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:7-8 NCV).

In Biblical fellowship, we should experience authenticity.

Authentic friendships are more than superficial, surface-level chit-chat. They involve genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing. Read more…

By Kathy Groom
Founder and President
Prayer Sisters International

Some women handle life better than others. I have friends who micro-manage their calendars, plan regular meals and schedule trips without incident. Others tend to aging parents with grace and provide selfless day-care for their grandchildren to help ease the financial burden from their offspring. There are the entrepreneurs who successfully oversee all the activity of their own businesses and let’s not forget the friends who always remember our birthdays with a thoughtful card in the mail. On time. Read more…