Raise your hand ever let your emotions get the best of you and uttered a prayer that you’re not entirely sure Jesus would be proud of.
*raises both hands*
Lately, the Lord has really been teaching me to “pray without ceasing.”
Contrary to what 14 year old Kearstin thought, praying without ceasing is less about being in a constant state of intense prayer and more about talking to the Lord throughout the day.
It’s saying “Lord, help me,” when I’m at my wits end. It’s asking God to be with a friend in their situation when they pop in my head.
Apparently it’s also saying, “Jesus, let’s do a little magic, eh?”
It’s been two weeks since I sent out my support letters for the World Race. So as protocol recommends, I started contacting friends and family recently to see if they’ve received my letter and if they’re interested in being a pray or financial supporter of the journey.
At the risk of being too vulnerable here, last night, in a sea of “No thank you’s,” and even doubts coming from my friends and family, I found myself getting very very discouraged.
As I sat at my computer, doubts like “Can I really do this?” and “If everyone’s telling me no, does God really want me to do this?” began to flood my mind.
So much so that the sentence, “Jesus, let’s do a little magic, eh?” came out of my mouth before I could even process how I was feeling.
As soon as I said it, I immediately thought “Kearstin, who talks to the Maker of Heaven and Earth like that? Are you serious right now?” And just as quickly, into my heart He whispered, “My child.”
The cool thing about being a child of God is that He wants all of you. He doesn’t just want the happy version of yourself that you put on Facebook. He doesn’t just want the upbeat version that you pretend to be at church.
He wants the mess. He wants the tears, the anger, the disappointment. He wants the version that says “Lord, I’m not super stoked about this. This isn’t how I wanted you to handle this.” He wants the pleas for help and strength and guidance.
And I’d argue to say that most of all, He wants the version of you that says “Lord, can you help me out here?”
He wants the version of you that “prays without ceasing” out of your mouth before your mind can fully process what you need and form a “proper” prayer (whatever that is).
“But, Kearstin. Does God really come through on those prayers that don’t make sense, too?”
UM, HECK TO THE YES. LET ME TELL YA ABOUT MY JESUS.
Last night, He had me in a sea of “No thank you’s.” Today, He brought that magic I asked for. Along with a mixture of 12 committed and potential supporters and two donations that brought me 2% closer to my fundraising goal.
Thank you Jesus.
And thank you to those who are committed to and are considering supporting me financially and prayerfully. YOU are the hands and feet of Jesus on Earth.
Today, I want to challenge you to pray without ceasing. Ask the Lord for that “Jesus magic” in complete faith and boldness in whatever area of your life you need it.
Jesus wants his followers to have big faith, so sometimes He puts us in situations that force us to have a big ask.
Will you accept the challenge?
As always, I want to invite you on this journey with me. Here are a few ways to do that!
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The most important, pray. Right now, I’m asking that you would please pray for the Lord’s preparation of my heart and His provision in fundraising.
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- Donate. If you feel like the Lord is calling you to invest in the work He is going to do through my work with the World Race and Adventures in Missions, you can donate by clicking the orange button at the top right of this page. If you would prefer to donate using another method, let me know and I’d love to talk with you about it. 🙂
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