Praying like you really mean it

We survived a pretty ugly hail storm Monday evening.  This is what it looked like!





I pulled the boys into the hallway for safety.  Their eyes were lit up and they looked a little afraid.  I told them we should pray.  Andrew says, "Yeah, let's pray.  And let's pray like we really mean it!"

I began to think...so do we normally pray and not really mean it?!  Maybe we do.  Yes, a lot of times we do pray about something and doubt it the very next breath we take.  I knew what Andrew meant.  But we need to remember to pray in faith, believing that the Lord does hear us and will answer our prayers.

The storm passed and the boys were delighted that God answered our prayer!  I thought that was kind of funny, because of course the storm passed.  It was a storm.  That made me think even more.  The storms we go through in life only last for a time, but of course God answers our prayers according to His will and way.  It does pass and we see victory from the other side.

This was a good opportunity to talk to our boys about prayer.  It's such an important part of their lives.  I love the faith that I see in them.  They believe God is a god of love and He delights in giving us what we need, especially in the midst of a storm.  Safety, protection, peace.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  James 5:16