Simple, Horrible, Great Prayer...

Last night was a very long night. I got little sleep, but I feel much closer to God. God has put prayer on my heart lately...I've been severly slacking in that area. So lately, I've been getting up a little earlier, staying up a little later...Talking with God.

Last night something was very heavy on my heart. A friend of mine had asked me to pray for them, for some temptations and struggles they were having. They didn't know the reason behind the struggles, neither did I. However, as I lay in bed last night I was thinking about when my struggles are the greatest, it is when I am insecure and afraid. So this was my prayer...

"Lord take these temptations from my friend and place them on me. Lord remove the insecurities from their heart and place them on mine. Father let their fear become my fear. This is my prayer for my friend because I want to bare their burden..."

I believe in repetitive prayer (I just say the same prayer over and over), I think that way I know it's really on my heart and I am honestly saying these words to God. After about the fourth or fifth time I said this prayer, each time I went to take a breath, my lungs got heavier. It felt as though my lungs were made of cast iron. Each breath was agony and I could feel the insecurities and fears creeping up on me. My prayer changed at that moment. It became...

"Lord please make me stronger. Make me strong enough to battle these feelings. Lord, let satan have NO reign on me...."

I repeated that prayer also. Now, I wish I could say that I am so amazingly strong that this had no effect on me. The contrary is true, I had a minor anxiety attack. I survived though and I kept praying for strength and for more of my friend's burdens. God is strengthening me through this prayer.

I need to say prayers like this more often. My prayers have been so selfish lately. I think of Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:

"14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious richeshe may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. "

If I truly know how wide and deep the love of Christ is, I can fearlessly pray this for my friends, my persecutors, and all others whom I encounter.

Lord, help me to grasp Your love a little more each day. Father help me to be fearless and powerful in my prayer for others. Father I pray that I may be strengthened in my faith so that I can become more like You. Lord, help me to Love You and others more. Let this not just be my prayer for today, but for everyday. Amen.