When Life Laps You

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 

and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest.

Matthew 11:28-29

"It feeled like 3 laps, Mommy."


Monday our six year old, Clara, decided she would join the ranks of runner. Filled with determination and energy, she wanted to stride right into a three mile run. With thousands of miles under my soles, I started her with a 1/3 mile lap around our neighborhood. Day one she outpaced me and never had to stop. Day two she struggled a bit and wanted to come home after 1/3 mile.


Have you ever had a day that clocked 1/3 mile but "feeled" like 3 laps? Have you ever wondered how to breathe rest on trying days? Prayer is the fuel for life's run.


Last fall we joined in prayer to get PrePrayed. We learned how to energize our ordinary days so we would be prepared for life's big events not just logistically but spiritually. Specifically, we prayed rest in four areas:


Rest for your heart


Rest for your soul


Rest for your mind


Rest for you body

Do you need to re-fuel? Why not take the next 30 days to recharge your heart and refresh your soul? You can download the complete free prayer guide, PrePrayed, here: http://www.shannonmilholland.com/free-resources.html

Please allow me the privilege of praying for you on your journey. Tell me in a comment specifically how I pray for you today.

My Gift to You This Year

Sweet Friends, 


I so loved praying with each of you through the Fall. As a special holiday gift, I have packaged those prayers into a FREE eBook you can download from my website. 


Please know you are loved, treasured and prayed for. 


This, dear ones, is for you:

(Click the book cover above or here to download.) 


Merry Christmas one and all!

Day 27 of Prayer Guide - Peace for Your Heart

Day Twenty Seven

Peace for Your Heart

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

I am swallowed by my anxiety. It moves over my heart in waves, washing away my peace as it gurgles within. My heart longs for the peace of my Prince.

Striving one, come corral peace for your heart.

Today I Pray for You:

·         That you would journey to the throne of the One whose scepter is peace.

·         To know the rule that breaks the bondage of anxiety.

Today You Pray:

Provider God, I open my heart to You. Where You walk, trouble is stilled. The very brush of You entreats my heart to the pause of peace.

The door of my heart is thrown wide. Rule, Prince of Peace.

Day 26 of Prayer Guide - Peace

Day Twenty Six

Peace

Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence.

I long for peace but it eludes me. I’ve been told to chase after what I want but somewhere midstride I realize peace isn’t something I can catch. Peace is Someone Who gives to me what He is.

Distressed one, come drain peace into your being.

Today I Pray for You:

·         That the Prince of Peace would crown your heart with peace.

·         To surrender your drained soul to the One who drains peace.

Today You Pray:

My Shelter, I hide in You. Here in this place of rest and security, I give my frightened heart over to You. To finish well, I must walk in the peace only You can give.

Some trust in money. Some trust in relationships. I trust in You – the One who gives a quiet confidence and peace.

Day 25 of Prayer Guide - Perseverance for Your Body

Day Twenty Five

Perseverance for Your Body

Hebrews 12:1 And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Run? How could I run when I am barely managing to walk? My life shuffles by and I feel like I simply can’t keep up the pace. How can I get my feet to move at the rate of modern life?

Suspended one, come swallow perseverance for your body.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To shift your focus from the finish line to the Hand Who marks out the race

·         To run with the confidence of God’s strength

Today You Pray:

God of Endurance, I want to finish the race but I also want to make each step count. You are the hand that offers Living Water to weary runners. Your refreshment is extended to me; I have to embrace the gift.

I choose to pause here at your roadside stand to drink deeply of the One who restores my soul and reinvigorates by body. As I begin the race once more, I realize I run with You. Your presence in the race ensures I will run and not grow weary.

Day 24 of Prayer Guide - Perseverance for Your Mind

Day Twenty Four

Perseverance for Your Mind

Proverbs 4:26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

You once read that a yawn is your brain’s attempt to wake itself up. If it’s possible to reach a point of mental exhaustion where a yawn has no impact, you’re there. Your mind feels heavy as if a fog has settled over your shoulders. To move forward, you need to find a way to shift your brain out of neutral.

Hampered one, come absorb perseverance for your mind.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To hear the gentle whisper of the One who gives light to your path and a lamp for your feet.

·         That the Light will blow away the fog.

Today You Pray:

Everlasting Father, this day does not catch You off guard. While my mind wanes, Your purpose is constant. Your unwavering focus sees my heart and speaks love and grace into my mind.

I rest my head in Your hand. Your mercy massages my mind as I connect to Your heart. As I trust Your leadership, my mind perseveres in Your path.

Day 23 - Perseverance for Your Soul

Day Twenty Three

Perseverance for Your Soul

2 Chronicles 15:7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

When you began, you never envisioned yourself crawling across the finish line. Today you’d be delighted to reach completion at all. These days are long; the goal still out of reach.

Stalled one, come reap perseverance for your soul.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To remain in the One who will carry you to completion.

·         To stretch out your hand not toward your goals but to the One who makes reaching them possible.

Today You Pray:

Unchanging God, You do not grow weary. You never tire of me. Instead You delight in my presence. Today I won’t crawl closer to the finish line, I will crawl into Your lap. I will abide in You and allow You to recharge the cavern of my soul.

My need for You is gaping. Without You I cannot continue. Like a prize fighter against the ropes, I realize alone I’m down for the count. But in You is the perseverance my soul thirsts. Together we’ll dance around the ring until the final bell rings.

Day 22 of Prayer Guide - Perseverance for Your Heart

Day Twenty Two

Perseverance for Your Heart

2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Nothing is impossible. This is a core belief for you. When you reach a sticking point, you push through. You’ve been bootstrapping as far back as you can remember. Suddenly, you’ve reached a point where your heart simply won’t follow your feet. You feel stuck; unable to proceed.

Hindered one, come embrace perseverance for your heart.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To stop pushing through and start being directed by the Source of true perseverance.

·         To discover the mine of perseverance that exists in the depth of God’s love.

Today You Pray:

Never Ending One, I’m weary from trying. Though my effort tends to meet with “success”, I wonder if I chase the wrong goal. What if true perseverance is found in a gentle push from You rather than a pull from my own strength?

For too long I’ve measured progress as forward. Shift me down into Your bottomless well of love. The further I dive into Your arms, the more You fuel perseverance in my heart. Entwined, You carry me forward.

Day 21 of Prayer Guide - Perseverance

Day Twenty One

Perseverance

Hebrews 12:3 Consider him (Jesus) who endured…so you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Your big day is drawing closer. With the end in view, you want to celebrate but instead you feel weary. Why is it so hard to continue in something you are certain you should do? Today you need motivation to finish well.

Paused one, come cling to perseverance.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To finish with a higher degree of thrill than you felt at the onset by connecting to the Source of all joy.

·         To lose your heart in Jesus so He can strengthen it.

Today You Pray:

Unfaltering God, my legs are tired from walking this journey as if I’m hiking up an everlasting hill. But I remember I’m not alone. You take every step with me.

Suddenly aware, I find my feet planted on even ground. Your presence is energizing. My once hindered climb now resembles a downhill bicycle ride – there’s no need to pedal; I can coast and enjoy the view. I am renewed.

Day 20 of Prayer Guide - Wisdom for Your Body

Day Twenty

Wisdom for Your Body

Ecclesiastes 8:1b Wisdom brightens a man’s face and changes its hard appearance.

I feel distracted and disconnected. I know it shows on my face. People keep asking me if everything is okay. I paint on my best smile and chirp, “Of course.” This is supposed to be a time of excitement and I’m determined to play my part. If only I knew how to make that a reality.

Concerned one, come accept wisdom for your body.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To intimately know the One who first knew you.

·         To allow God’s wisdom to bathe your heart and transform your countenance.

Today You Pray:

God Who Sees, You look beyond my surface. You peer deep into my soul and know my deepest concerns. In You, I find life-altering wisdom.

Like a secret shared between old friends, Your knowledge dances in my heart and changes my perspective. Your wisdom softens my worry lines and sparkles my eyes. To know You is the realization of joy.

Day 19 of Prayer Guide - Wisdom for Your Mind

Day Nineteen

Wisdom for Your Mind

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.

The advice rolls in as waves – unwavering, unrelenting. It pounds my brain with confusion and concern. So many voices call out opinions. They meet like the crash of cymbals, grinding and tearing at my confidence.

Confused one, come saturate your mind with wisdom.

Today I Pray for You:

·     To set aside lesser words so you can hear the Voice of a Whisper

·        To tune into unchanging knowledge that flows from the One Who’s always been.

Today You Pray:

God of Wisdom, I know not what to do. I strain to hear Your voice and realize it’s not what but Whom. You are wisdom. The more I know You, the closer I follow the One who directs my what.

Gently you set aside sources that tease my mind with man’s wisdom. There is a way that seems right to me but it’s not Your way. Your way is life, peace and rest.

Day 18 of Prayer Guide - Wisdom for Your Soul

Day Eighteen

Wisdom for Your Soul

Proverbs 24:14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Priorities claw at the fabric of my soul. In constant conflict, they wrestle for time and attention. As soon as I pick up one activity, another is subject to neglect. In this three-ring circus of preparation is it possible to find time to meet with God?

Disconcerted one, come embrace wisdom for your soul.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To open wide the gates of your soul so wisdom may dwell there.

·         To know the Hope that blossoms from a garden of intimacy.

Today You Pray:

All Knowing One, You see my soul at war. Sift through the sands of my heart and bury the treasure of Your wisdom. Wisdom births future hope with echoes to a long known verse.

You have great plans for my life. Your design features both hope and future. This knowledge quiets the battle. Be the Master Architect of my soul today and leave the imprint of Your sweet touch there.

Day 17 of Prayer Guide - Wisdom for Your Heart

Day Seventeen

Wisdom for Your Heart

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright, so we may gain a heart of wisdom.

An unwanted friend, uncertainty lingers in my heart. I wish the label were acquaintance or visitor but friend is the reference for someone invited often to visit. The invitation to hesitation has crippled me. How can I oust worry in favor of confidence?

Troubled one, come grasp wisdom for your heart.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To walk your priorities which garners the freedom of wisdom

·         To acknowledge and cast aside your indecision and embrace Wisdom

Today You Pray:

God of Certainty, I invite You to tread among my hesitation. When we walk in tandem, misgivings flee. My heart flourishes as Your instruction disables my doubt.

As I stand on Your wisdom, I can see over the wall of my indecision. My heart finds peace and rest among Wisdom’s annals.

Day 16 of Prayer Guide - Wisdom

Day Sixteen

Wisdom

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

When one is having difficulty thinking straight, is applying wisdom even achievable? But I am desperate for it. Decisions abound. My heart aches as options tax my mind.

Troubled one, come transfer wisdom from the Source of all knowledge.

Today I Pray for You:

·    To grab more of Jesus so His wisdom will clutch your heart and mind.

·    That your first reaction asks for wisdom, not makes decisions.

Today You Pray:

Wonderful Counselor, how I need Your insight. The choices I face supersede my ability. My concern wells up and I feel paralyzed; unable to choose.

I’m casting my frailty on Your reason. Your thoughts are not mine. They are higher than mine and unthinkable. I want to know You more intimately today. As I draw tightly to Your side, God-honoring conclusions settle over my clouded mind.

Day 15 of Prayer Guide - Health for Your Body

Day Fifteen

Health for Your Body

1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace will Himself restore you and make you strong.

Damp coals hang from your arms. They slump your shoulders. Even walking seems difficult today. Its label is nervous energy but why would energy make you tired?

Frail one, come gather health for your body.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To drink from the Vine that sustains and strengthens

·         To take one step toward health today

Today You Pray:

Mighty God, I’m falling into Your place of grace today. This is far more than a health club. It is a sanctuary where my temple is restored by its’ Master Designer.

Your strength arrives as a stream of healing. It gently washes my strain to surface Your reservoir of life within. I am renewed.

Day 14 of Prayer Guide - Health for Your Mind

Day Fourteen

Health for Your Mind

Romans 8:6b To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (ESV)

Oh how you long for the fog to vanish. You reach for clarity and focus, but it eludes once more. This season has aged your mind like never before. Could altering the object of your thoughts, restore life to your mind?

Withered one, reach out your hand and clutch health for your mind.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To gather close to the warmth of God’s own heart, as your fog lifts.

·         To focus on God, so He can focus your mind.

Today You Pray:

Sustainer, the tension of my brain slides out as I am shrouded in Your presence. I park my mind on You and allow the particles of my confusion to slip away. Life and peace blanket my mind.

Gone is the tension and strain. No throbbing; no pain. As I fill my mind with the Your fullness, it is emptied of stress. My mind is clear.

Day 13 of Prayer Guide - Health for Your Soul

Day Thirteen

Health for Your Soul

Psalm 31:7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul. (ESV)

Lethargic. No better word describes your relationship with God right now. You feel neither isolated from nor close to God. Somewhere along this journey the energy drained like a gas tank run dry.

Tired one, come redeem health for your soul.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To experience the fullness of spiritual intimacy through God’s embrace

·         To open wide your heart to the One who nurtures your soul

Today You Pray:

God Who Heals, press my soul close to You. In Your arms, my scattered soul gathers to Your heart. The connection is real and intimate; almost unnerving.

Melt away my inhibition. I puddle at Your feet and feel the energy pool within. Excitement fills and flows everywhere You touch. I rejoice. You see my soul and it is transformed.

Prayer Guide Day 12 - Health for Your Heart

Day Twelve

Health for Your Heart

John 7:38 (Jesus Talking) Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’

Is it possible to live with a rock in your chest? The heaviness umbrellas your heart and blocks the joy you once felt. This season should be celebratory, but your heart plays a mournful tune.

Suffering one, come gulp joy.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To drink deeply from the life-altering Well

·         That your joy would siphon from the Source of all strength and goodness

Today You Pray:

Living Water, my heart is cracked with thirst for You. I come to the Well dragging my stone of a heart. A trickle of Your river of grace is enough to swell the banks of my heart.

The walls of my chest revive with Your love. May Your joy flow through me and splash over all who walk this journey of preparation. I came empty; I leave filled with You.

Day 11 of Prayer Guide - Health

Day Eleven

Health

Proverbs 3:7a, 8 Do not be wise in your own eyes; This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

You have a cold you just can’t shake. A lingering headache rings the stress on your body. Health is something you’ve taken for granted. Now your emotional, mental and physical well-being hang over unknown water.

Ailing one, come restore your health.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To relax into the steady arms of the Healer.

·         To embrace health by pressing your ear to the heart of God.

Today You Pray:

The Great Physician, I invite You to examine me. Pass your healing hand over me. Recharge my cells. Reconnect my emotions.

For too long, I’ve relied on my own wisdom to keep my body in balance. Today, I lay on Your operating table of grace and receive from the One who made me and knows me. I open my mind, heart and spirit to Your tender treatment. I am revived.

Day 10 of Prayer Guide - Confidence for Your Body

Day Ten

Confidence for Your Body

Psalm 45:11 The King is enthralled by your beauty

Am I defined by a number? The one who stares back from the scale taunts me. The one I push at the gym mocks me. Both beckon to by-gone days when the numbers were different – lower, higher, a source of pride.

Weak one, come experience confidence for your body.

Today I Pray for You:

·         To soak in the unconditional love of the One who shapes you.

·         To push through the fog of numbers and see clearly the One who is enthralled.

Today You Pray:

Strong God, I am a reflection of Your beauty. I am a reservoir of Your strength. The numbers cannot define me because You’ve already made Your declaration. I find favor in Your eyes.

Allow this truth to flush through my body, undress my insecurity and clothe me with Your vast love. I stand in front of the full length mirror of Your devotion and see the reflection of the King.