I believe I’ve mentioned that the Lord has been calling me into a place of reflection and quietness and prayer lately.  I’m certainly one of those people that believes in the power of prayer, but being disciplined in prayer hasn’t come easily.  It has come through a lot of trials and struggles.  I wanted to share with you, my fellow prayer warriors and friends, two stories that I hope will inspire you to a life of prayer.

The first is the Freeman family.  Because of my issues with fertility and miscarriage I have started following blogs of people who are overcomers of the odds against them.  This family has a beautiful daughter, Kayleigh Anne.  She was born very early and at only 1 pound!!  From the beginning of their journey they placed the life of their daughter in the Lord’s hands.  Kayleigh has been through a long hard journey since her birth.  Despite all these hurdles, her parents have continually praised the Lord for each moment.  They have shown tremendous grace under pressure and joy in the midst of trial.  They are now in a place where their beautiful child is dying.  There is very little chance that she can rebound from her current state.  Her parents are still praising the Lord and giving glory to Him…even in the midst of watching their child die.  Their hope is in the realization that the Lord would allow their story to touch the lives of those who have followed their journey with Kayleigh.  I know that their story has been reminding me that this life is not our own.  When we surrender it to the Lord, it becomes His.  We can trust Him with our lives and all the situations we face.  Grace in the midst of pain.  Please pray for this family and go visit their blog, I know they would love some encouragement.

The second is the Joye family.  They have twin daughters, Liana and Adleigh, that were born 3 months premature.  Both girls struggled to thrive, despite some pretty severe issues.  A few weeks ago, Ferris and Wade were able to take their sweet girls home.  Now their daughter, Liana, suffered from brain bleeds.  At a regular scan they found that the left ventricle is enlarged.  The only apparent remedy is a shunt being placced in the brain to draw the fluid out.  I love following this blog because despite their own problems with their daughters, they still ask for others to pray for other families that they know are also struggling.  What a tremendous gift this is!  Again, they are another couple who have turned their daughters over to the Lord and have praised Him throughout.

Go read their stories and be inspired to not only pray for them, but to cultivate a spirit of prayer in your life.  There is nothing better you can give to another than to offer them up in prayer to the Lord.  May you also be inspired to intercede on behalf of our fellow man, to daily spend time in communion with the Lord, and to push aside our selfishness to bless others.

Just some thoughts on this dreary, misty day.  Be blessed.