My Mother was a pray-er. She believed life was an ongoing communication with her Creator.
She talked to God, but more importantly
she listened.
And she never told God what to do.
Many of my prayers tend to be “Oh God, please do this like this.” I present the problem, tell God what He needs to do to fix it, and I tell Him when I need it.
Not my Mother. Her prayers were like hymns of thanksgiving. She spoke God’s Name with reverence and awe. She was aware she was in The Presence of God Himself.
She thanked Him that He was with her always and that He was with the person she was praying for.
She asked that the person become aware of His Presence and be filled with Love, Joy, and Peace in His Presence.
She thanked God that He had created that person with His Perfect Plans in mind. She did not try to tell God what she thought those Plans were. She simply rested in the certain knowledge that God knew The Plan and she thanked Him He was working out that Plan.
She asked if she was supposed to play a part in His Plan for that person, to please show her what He wanted her to do.
She thanked God for how He had brought that person to her attention and for the privilege of praying for them.
She prayed for everyone, including those who had brought her joy and those who had brought her pain.
She prayed for people she read about in the paper, people she heard about on the tv news, those she saw on the side of the road, those sitting in doctor’s offices, etc.
She considered every fire or police siren a call to prayer. She prayed for those responding and those being responded to.
She never complained or asked for release from any place she was. If she was a patient in the hospital, she considered it her mission field assignment. She prayed for the patients, visitors and staff.
She never tried to interfere with God’s Timing. Even though she would express a little bit of human frustration at times, she always knew God’s Timing was perfect.
She believed there was much to learn during those times of waiting on The Lord.
She frequently quoted Isaiah 40:31.
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
She would say, “Be patient. God is filling you up, even now, with strength.”
If I whined about the lack of progress in a day, she would say, “He gives you just what you need now. He gave you enough strength for now, but He knows you need to rest a little longer, so He does not give it to you all at once.”
Even in the midst of what I thought were horrible circumstances, my mother pointed out the perfection of God’s Timing.
She would think of something else that had happened that was also awful and say, “Isn’t God Merciful that He did not allow those things to happen all at the same time! God is so Good to us.”
My Mother’s favorite book, next to The Bible, was a small book called The Practice Of The Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.
She practiced so much and was so completely aware of God’s Presence, that I think slipping out of her human body seemed no more consequential than losing a few hairs.
She had been in The Presence of God and she continued to be, as she is now.
Jesus, praying to God said,
“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, The Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom you have sent.”
John 17:3
Jesus said,
“Be sure of this. I am with you always!”
Matthew 28:20
