While there are many Bible apps out there, YouVersion has been my “go to” since early on in my walk with Christ. It keeps me in the Word and encourages me to pray without ceasing throughout my day. So when I saw that Carter Conlon was out with a 6–Day Devotional, Praying for Strength … I dropped all of my other plans to meditate on what God had to teach me about prayer!
Prayer wasn’t always easy for me. In fact … sometimes it still isn’t. When I first decided to follow Christ, I was so broken that I couldn’t pray without crying. My short-comings made me completely fall apart when at the feet of my Savior. I was hopeless (or was I?). However, since then, God has done an incredible work in me and I’ve become comfortable enough to pray with friends and even strangers!
One late night earlier this year, I was walking from the beach to my car with a few friends, when we heard a young man (publicly) yelling harshly at what seemed to be his girlfriend. Most people would just walk by. And I get that. It’s dangerous and completely unpredictable to get involved in that type of situation. But God put something on my heart to walk over. Just making myself known made a way for the Spirit to be made known. They were now being watched. With complete confidence in God and His protection over me, I offered to pray with them. Before I knew it, the girl was crying in my shoulder and the young man couldn’t bring himself to pray and had tears in his eyes as he walked away and into the embrace of one of the gentlemen with me. It was a night I’ll never forget.
Sin separates us from the one person we need most. And if that wedge of sin grows far enough, we become too broken to believe in our ability to reach out. The power of prayer continues to be a revelation to me in every season of my life. But perhaps the most revealing experiences I’ve had is when God unexpectedly starts a dialog with me. The more I pray, the more I know His voice and gentle nudges on my heart. It’s those moments when I don’t know what to say or do, but am compelled to surrender to the Holy Spirit to move through me.
Coincidently, I invited 2 of the friends that were there that night to do Carter’s devotional, Praying for Strength with me. Doing the prayer plan with others was an eye-opener to learn how I can better be interceding for my friends. Since completing the 6-day devo, I came across Carter’s new book It’s Time to Pray, and I can’t wait to dive in! (Though I’d like to avoid the late night sketchy scenarios.)
If you’re longing for a more intimate and personal conversation with God, I’d encourage you to listen to Carter’s 30:00 radio program, A Call To The Nation. America needs a revival and it’s time that we Reclaim the Culture of America through prayer.
