The idea struck me the other night to gather prayers and their stories from my journal, put them together with photos and make it into a book. The idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I quickly jotted down 30+ prayers I've prayed over my life off the top of my head. These are those mini-stories below. Hopefully I'll turn them into a full photo book. And, if not, at least they're here. Basically the story of my life in a slightly different light. Really, in the best Light possible.
Good night kisses to Jesus.
My early memories of faith and prayer are my sister and I blowing goodnight kisses to Jesus and His angels. We knew Jesus was everywhere, so we'd blow kisses all around our room. Then, we convinced ourselves that the Devil and his angels were stepping in the way stealing our kisses, so we'd quickly grab them back. Finally, we concluded Jesus and His angels are stronger, so our kisses would in fact land where we intended them, the very place we rested, in the hands and arms of Jesus.
Dear Jesus, please make my baby doll come to life.
Embarrassing, but true. I was 6 or 7 and genuinely wanted a real life baby to call my own. If faith could move mountains, it could bring a doll to life, right? I really thought God could and would. He didn't.
Prayer for safety during an ice storm.
I was 9 or so and we had been in a town an hour from home when a snow and ice storm started moving in, and hit hard as we made our way home. Traffic hardly inched along the interstate, cars sliding forward at any attempt to stop. We prayed together for safety as we drove. While stopped, a semi truck slid toward us as it came to a stop. It stopped just beside us, in my mind an angel's depth away.
Dear God, it's me, Trina.
At some point when I was maybe 9 or 10, I read Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I loved how open and honest she was with God, so I started praying that open and honest in my own heart and head.
Lord, if it's your will, take my desire away.
I first heard this prayer from a pastor's wife at our church when I was 12. I wrote about it >> here. It's not perfect, but it's come to mind many times since.
Prayer for safety during an ice storm.
I was 9 or so and we had been in a town an hour from home when a snow and ice storm started moving in, and hit hard as we made our way home. Traffic hardly inched along the interstate, cars sliding forward at any attempt to stop. We prayed together for safety as we drove. While stopped, a semi truck slid toward us as it came to a stop. It stopped just beside us, in my mind an angel's depth away.
Dear God, it's me, Trina.
At some point when I was maybe 9 or 10, I read Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I loved how open and honest she was with God, so I started praying that open and honest in my own heart and head.
Lord, if it's your will, take my desire away.
I first heard this prayer from a pastor's wife at our church when I was 12. I wrote about it >> here. It's not perfect, but it's come to mind many times since.
Lord, show me you care.
This was all I could mutter one heavy day when I was 15. I wanted a bandaid as a memento to know everything would be okay; God gave me one later that day in an unepexpected package from a friend. This has been my ebenezer ever since--a reminder that God cares, always.
Prayers to an endless open sky.
A couple friends and I from high school ended up sitting outside of our school chapel where we were supposed to be in a worship service. We laid in the grass and looked up to an endless sky of twinkling stars and each prayed openly and without direction, giving thanks and asking for help and just saying what came to mind under that endless sky.
Silent prayer about going to Mongolia.
My parents had agreed that I could go to Mongolia, and my friend's parents said that I was welcome. It was just a month until we would leave and it was time to commit and buy the plane tickets. My parents and I knelt down to pray about it, each taking our turns, then sitting in silence to pray and listen. My dad set a timer, that after an incredibly long and awkward silence we finally all peeked around and realized the timer hadn't been started. We laughed. None of us had any profound epiphanies, so we took the next step and bought my plane tickets.
Help me do well on this test.
Lord, save me.
I was in the middle of fighting depression in college, and had a spiritual attack in the middle of my dorm room where I fell time knees in sobs and, as I felt a physical darkness closing in, prayed these words out loud. As soon as I said them, the darkness released and I felt a freedom I hadn't felt in a while. This is also the prayer that's come to me during panic attacks I experienced last year, or anytime I wake up feeling heavy and need help getting out of bed.
Be with my husband, that I don't know yet.
I met-up with my brother in Moab to go camping the summer before my husband and I started dating. My brother made me a bracelet with three beads in it: The middle one was God, one side was me, and the other side was the man I would one day marry that we'd pray about until that time. I wore that bracelet for the next few months, praying for my future husband. I finally cut it off after my husband and I started dating.
May that not be a horrible sound to Your ear.
At one point, while writing my heart out to God, I asked forgiveness, telling Him I still loved Him, and hoping my prayers weren't now a terrible sound in His ears after my deliberate sin. I've learned He doesn't see us that way; like the prodigal's dad, God runs to us before we gravel back to Him.
Give me a sign so I don't have to pay for one.
I was in college and thought I might be pregnant. But I didn't want to waste money on a pregnancy test if I wasn't really pregnant. So I prayed this prayer for a couple days, no sign came, and I finally bought a pregnancy test and found I was in fact pregnant. That started a whole new set of prayers that my boyfriend and I would be suitable parents for this unexpected blessing and suitable partners for each other in all the ways life was already taking us.
Help us love each other.
When my husband and I got married, the single most impactful advice we got was to end every day in prayer together. So we did. We took turns praying together every night after we were in bed. I also prayed earnestly for my husband while reading Stormie O'martian's 31 Days of a Praying Wife. Those experiences together brought us closer together through some trying times.
Praying through job loss and pregnancy.
We found out I was pregnant the second time on the same day we found out my husband lost his job. Things worked out for us to stay another year, and then we decided to relocate back to the midwest with family. We didn't have a job or a home, just prayers and faith that God would work it out. He did.
Come, Lord Jesus!
I had an incredibly real dream about Jesus returning. I woke up disappointed that it wasn't real, and praying more earnestly for Jesus' return. I wrote about it >> here.
Anoint these hands to shine for You at home.
This is a prayer my husband prayed over me as he annointed me. I wrote about it >> here.
It's just a ceiling, Lord.
Prayers to an endless open sky.
A couple friends and I from high school ended up sitting outside of our school chapel where we were supposed to be in a worship service. We laid in the grass and looked up to an endless sky of twinkling stars and each prayed openly and without direction, giving thanks and asking for help and just saying what came to mind under that endless sky.
Silent prayer about going to Mongolia.
My parents had agreed that I could go to Mongolia, and my friend's parents said that I was welcome. It was just a month until we would leave and it was time to commit and buy the plane tickets. My parents and I knelt down to pray about it, each taking our turns, then sitting in silence to pray and listen. My dad set a timer, that after an incredibly long and awkward silence we finally all peeked around and realized the timer hadn't been started. We laughed. None of us had any profound epiphanies, so we took the next step and bought my plane tickets.
Help me do well on this test.
I used this prayer many times throughout middle school, high school, and college. It was often said after I hadn't studied enough. Of course, I felt better about it when the prayer was "help me remember what I studied," rather than "help me pass even though I didn't study."
Lord, save me.
I was in the middle of fighting depression in college, and had a spiritual attack in the middle of my dorm room where I fell time knees in sobs and, as I felt a physical darkness closing in, prayed these words out loud. As soon as I said them, the darkness released and I felt a freedom I hadn't felt in a while. This is also the prayer that's come to me during panic attacks I experienced last year, or anytime I wake up feeling heavy and need help getting out of bed.
Be with my husband, that I don't know yet.
I met-up with my brother in Moab to go camping the summer before my husband and I started dating. My brother made me a bracelet with three beads in it: The middle one was God, one side was me, and the other side was the man I would one day marry that we'd pray about until that time. I wore that bracelet for the next few months, praying for my future husband. I finally cut it off after my husband and I started dating.
May that not be a horrible sound to Your ear.
At one point, while writing my heart out to God, I asked forgiveness, telling Him I still loved Him, and hoping my prayers weren't now a terrible sound in His ears after my deliberate sin. I've learned He doesn't see us that way; like the prodigal's dad, God runs to us before we gravel back to Him.
Give me a sign so I don't have to pay for one.
I was in college and thought I might be pregnant. But I didn't want to waste money on a pregnancy test if I wasn't really pregnant. So I prayed this prayer for a couple days, no sign came, and I finally bought a pregnancy test and found I was in fact pregnant. That started a whole new set of prayers that my boyfriend and I would be suitable parents for this unexpected blessing and suitable partners for each other in all the ways life was already taking us.
Help us love each other.
When my husband and I got married, the single most impactful advice we got was to end every day in prayer together. So we did. We took turns praying together every night after we were in bed. I also prayed earnestly for my husband while reading Stormie O'martian's 31 Days of a Praying Wife. Those experiences together brought us closer together through some trying times.
Praying through job loss and pregnancy.
We found out I was pregnant the second time on the same day we found out my husband lost his job. Things worked out for us to stay another year, and then we decided to relocate back to the midwest with family. We didn't have a job or a home, just prayers and faith that God would work it out. He did.
Come, Lord Jesus!
I had an incredibly real dream about Jesus returning. I woke up disappointed that it wasn't real, and praying more earnestly for Jesus' return. I wrote about it >> here.
Anoint these hands to shine for You at home.
This is a prayer my husband prayed over me as he annointed me. I wrote about it >> here.
It's just a ceiling, Lord.
We were supposed to meet friends somewhere and we had lost the keys to our only car. As we searched every room of the house over and over for an hour, I kept hearing Look up. And in each room, I'd get down on the floor, look up and say this as my reply. I shared the rest of the story >> here.
By Your power and for Your glory.
This is a prayer I've started praying in the last few years. Anything I say or do I want to be done by God's power and for His glory.
Lord, help me go pee!
Lord, help me go pee!
I was wrapping up my first trimester of my third pregnancy and woke up in the middle of the night unable to pee. I tried for a couple hours, drinking tons of water, taking a bath, changing positions. My bladder filled up, I was in pain, nothing was coming out. Before that, I never thought to pray over or be thankful of such a simple everyday body function. I shared about it >> here.
A car (with leather, sunroof, CD player, 3rd row) and a home (with 3 bd, 2 bth, garage, and yard).
I prayed specifically over all the details we wanted in a car and a home as we prepared for Baby 3 while reading Beth Moore's Believing God. We believed and He provided. I wrote about it all >> here and shared about it again >> here.
Give her peaceful dreams.
Help us pay off our debt so we can give more freely.
This became a more fervent part of my prayers after I heard a pastor share about their thousands of dollars in debt paid off unexpectedly after his wife secretly praying about it for a year. Instead of finding freedom from debt, God led me to the realization of having freedom while we were still in debt. I wrote about it >> here.
Help them grow strong in You. And fill them with Your love so it flows out to others.
This is my daily prayer over my kids. Instead of just growing "big and strong," I want them to grow strong in Jesus which means even their weakness and struggles being used to God's glory. Everything I want for them is God's purpose which is to love Him and love others--as long as they're full of God's love, they will be able to fulfill their unique purpose in life.
I prayed specifically over all the details we wanted in a car and a home as we prepared for Baby 3 while reading Beth Moore's Believing God. We believed and He provided. I wrote about it all >> here and shared about it again >> here.
Give her peaceful dreams.
This is a prayer I've prayed many times over our daughter when she has nightmares. She's not coherent and won't wake up, so I just hug her and pray over her and help her lay back down.
Help us pay off our debt so we can give more freely.
This became a more fervent part of my prayers after I heard a pastor share about their thousands of dollars in debt paid off unexpectedly after his wife secretly praying about it for a year. Instead of finding freedom from debt, God led me to the realization of having freedom while we were still in debt. I wrote about it >> here.
Praying over broken eggs.
It was a crazy morning of motherhood with a wild little boy, a needy little baby, and a mom's group breakfast I was supposed to prepare. Dropped groceries led to broken eggs which prayed over turned into a delicious brunch that filled us all. I posted about it >> here.
It was a crazy morning of motherhood with a wild little boy, a needy little baby, and a mom's group breakfast I was supposed to prepare. Dropped groceries led to broken eggs which prayed over turned into a delicious brunch that filled us all. I posted about it >> here.
Help them grow strong in You. And fill them with Your love so it flows out to others.
This is my daily prayer over my kids. Instead of just growing "big and strong," I want them to grow strong in Jesus which means even their weakness and struggles being used to God's glory. Everything I want for them is God's purpose which is to love Him and love others--as long as they're full of God's love, they will be able to fulfill their unique purpose in life.
A prayer for this online world.
I wrote this prayer when I was feeling especially overwhelmed with others' posts and my own. This is my prayer of surrender. You can read it >> here.
I don't even know what you're doing to us here, but may Your Spirit keep working in us and through us to Your glory.
This is my prayer on hard days of motherhood. You can see the prayer >> here or read my motherhood ebenezer >> here.
Give us Your eyes to see ourselves...
It's a prayer I shared >> here that I prayed for myself and over the moms I would be sharing with about courageous motherhood.
May we find salvation in You through our stories, and may the glory be Yours in the retelling...
This is a prayer I've been praying this month as I shared about story at a women's retreat and as I feel God leading me to share more of my story (hence this series). See the full prayer >> here.
Silence.
Then, there's all the other prayers when I couldn't find the words but the Spirit groaned on my behalf. And I got His provision anyway, through much needed encouragement from a friend, an unexpected check when our budget wasn't balancing, a Jesus note on my basement stairs when I desparately needed it. He's always there, even when I don't have the words or know what to say.
I wrote this prayer when I was feeling especially overwhelmed with others' posts and my own. This is my prayer of surrender. You can read it >> here.
I don't even know what you're doing to us here, but may Your Spirit keep working in us and through us to Your glory.
This is my prayer on hard days of motherhood. You can see the prayer >> here or read my motherhood ebenezer >> here.
Give us Your eyes to see ourselves...
It's a prayer I shared >> here that I prayed for myself and over the moms I would be sharing with about courageous motherhood.
May we find salvation in You through our stories, and may the glory be Yours in the retelling...
This is a prayer I've been praying this month as I shared about story at a women's retreat and as I feel God leading me to share more of my story (hence this series). See the full prayer >> here.
Silence.
Then, there's all the other prayers when I couldn't find the words but the Spirit groaned on my behalf. And I got His provision anyway, through much needed encouragement from a friend, an unexpected check when our budget wasn't balancing, a Jesus note on my basement stairs when I desparately needed it. He's always there, even when I don't have the words or know what to say.
What prayers are a part of your story?
>>>
also see:
