Dear Friends,

In less than a month, my latest book, Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Restore Power and Praise will release with Our Daily Bread Publishing! I couldn’t have reached this point without your love, prayers, and support. As loyal subscribers, you deserve something special!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share a sneak preview of the book — four chapters the rest of the world must wait to read until after the book launches. Today’s post, “Why I Wrote (and You Might Need) Refresh Your Prayers,” sets the stage for the rest of the book. I hope you enjoy it.

~Blessings,

Lori

Pastor and former US Senate chaplain Peter Marshall once said,

“The whole field of prayer, and praying as laying hold on unlimited power, is unexplored, with the result that spiritual laws still lie undiscovered by the average believer.”

Another time he observed,

“Sometimes, in our desperation, we hit upon the right way to pray, and things happen—our prayers are gloriously answered. But for the most part, our praying is very haphazard, and the results are often disappointing.”

For years, my prayer life was haphazard and disappointing. I felt like one of the squirrels that visited the bird feeder that hung from the eaves outside my dining room window.

Each fall I’d fill it with black oil sunflower seeds. The birds loved them, and I loved watching the birds. One day I noticed a squirrel sitting on the window ledge watching the chickadees, tufted titmice, and finches fill their bellies with the seeds I’d provided.

Mr. Squirrel knew those seeds were tasty, and he wanted some. He wanted to feast at the feeder like his feathered friends, but he couldn’t reach it. He didn’t know what the birds knew— he didn’t know how to fly.

I watched him scamper back and forth on the window ledge trying to get to the feeder. He could see the shiny black seeds through the glass. I suspect he could smell their oily goodness. He certainly could hear the birds chattering about how wonderful the seeds tasted and how satisfying it felt to eat from the bounty I’d supplied.

In his first attempt to reach the feeder, the squirrel climbed up the side of the window frame. Then he dangled upside down from the top of it. He even jumped into the bushes, trying to use the branches as a ladder to reach the feeder. All with no success.

Finally, in a desperate attempt, he launched himself off the window ledge onto the top of the feeder. It spun like a merry-go-round. He held on for a few turns, then sailed off, landing in the grass with a plop.

For the rest of the day, he remained on the ground, scavenging for seeds the birds dropped.

My hungry squirrel’s frustration and ultimate defeat resembled my prayer life more than I’d like to admit. I assumed prayer was a supernatural mystery that some believers understood but I didn’t.

I read amazing promises in the Bible but saw few fulfilled in my life. I heard believers talk about dramatic answers to prayer, but I never experienced any. Some would even say God spoke to them during their prayer times. When I talked to God, I heard words coming from my mouth but nothing in response. I’d pray and pray and pray about things that weighed heavily on my heart, but nothing ever changed. What did others know that I didn’t?

I felt like the squirrel who longed to eat from the feeder but didn’t know how to reach it.

Thankfully, our heavenly Father invites us to eat at His table. Like the disciples who watched Jesus pray miracles into existence, we can come to Him and ask Him to be our teacher.

Luke 11:1 says,

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’”

As we explore what the Bible teaches about prayer, we can be assured that Jesus, our gentle guide, will enlighten us. We’ll draw closer to God, grow more confident and effective in our prayer lives, and experience the joy of feasting from God’s bountiful table.

Now it’s your turn. How would you describe your prayer experience? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

This post is an excerpt from Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, and is used with permission from Our Daily Bread Ministries. Available for Pre-Order now on Amazon.com.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

Available now at Amazon.com.

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