When is the last time you wrote a letter?
A friend read me a letter she received from an old friend. I stared at the envelope she had just opened, a marked stamp in the corner.
When was the last time I wrote a letter? When was the last time I received a letter? Not a card. Not a thank you note. Just a letter.
It’s been forever.
When I filmed this video I went to my garage to find the shoebox with Richard’s letters in them. We wrote back and forth when I was 19 and he was 20. We were in love (so stinking young!) and separated by the miles.
I couldn’t find the shoebox. Not anywhere.
I still haven’t found it, but I know that it’s somewhere safe. The wiser part of me saw them sitting in the garage and thought, “Hey, that’s not a great place for such a treasure,” I moved them.
I’ll find them one day, I know that for sure.
In the past, as I have read the letters I was reminded of the young Suzie and the young Richard and how I counted the miles when I was able to drive to see him — and how he did the same.
I’d love to think of prayer in that same way. When we simply open our mouth to talk to him, the distance begins to fade.
Prayer shortens the distance between us and God.
Prayer is a love letter between us and God, but there’s so much more.
Prayer is untapped power.
Prayer is untapped revolution as we battle the enemy on grounds he can’t even touch.
It’s untapped transformation as we seek the Lord, and as our hearts are molded and shaped through continual communion with Him.
We sometimes put prayer on a shelf, much like I did those precious letters, but let’s change that beginning today.
We are in our last week of this study. It can be tempting to bypass a chapter, but don’t miss this one. Read it. Let the power of prayer sink in. Journal your thoughts. Begin your love letter to him today with a prayer. It doesn’t have to be fancy or eloquent. Just be you. Run to him like a child because his arms are open wide to you.
We can communicate with God, but we are invited to commune with Him.
Come close to him. Tell him what you’ve been dying to say. If you don’t have words, just sit quietly in his presence and soon the focus will shift from you to him and you will begin to sense his grace.
As you read this chapter, share your questions.
I want to hear them. I’d love to take this topic deeper with you.
Suzie
- Read Chapter 11
- Watch the video
- Answer the prayer starter or discussion starter at the end with your group.
- Read through the questions at the end of Chapter 11
- BONUS: In your journal, write a love letter to your Savior
YES! Time in HIS presence — loving! Thank you Suzie for these wonderful weeks together! God Bless!
I want to say thank you too Suzie for this wonderful study, for the awesome videos and for the lessons I have learned under your leadership. I had a hungry and you provided the manna. Thank you for the wonderful time and the memories.
I so often forget the power of prayer, especially when things are going good and I am not worried or in need. Let a health problem, or a family problem arise and I know immediately who to turn to for help. I want to develop the good habit of composing my hearts love letter to Him when there is no need. I pray every day but just not in the same heartfelt manner as when there is need, hard to admit that but it is true.
You are only admitting what many of us struggle with at one time or another, Charlotte. We have sacred space to say these things to each other, so we can lift each other up and encourage each other on.
Susie, I , too, totally relate to the Charlotte’s post. When their are no problems , and I have available free time, I have to admit that my first thought is to go read a book or watch my favorite tv show. Then I feel guilty for even thinking that I would rather do those things instead of spending my time with the Lord.
Any thoughts on this scenario?
Maybe to start thinking of it as untapped power, untapped revolution, untapped transformation. If I knew that there was something that powerful, would I want to pursue it? Not for what I gain, but for who I meet in that time. If I understand that the enemy doesn’t want me to discover those things and throws every temptation and distraction in the way, it changes my approach. What do you think, Kip?
As depression nips at my heels, I thank you so much for reminding me/us of the profound truth that prayer taps into a power on grounds that the enemy can not even touch. Wow!! Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through you. This has been a wonderful study 🙂
Thank you, Janice! Praying that God is so close to you all day long.
As I read and realize that I love writing letters and the first time I read this book I didn’t realize how writing a letter to my heavenly father impacted me so much. Susie it has been a wonderful journey I’ve struggled in some weeks as life has someone taking over after reading this I said down and I wrote that letter to the Lord about the last six weeks in what I’ve done what I’ve learned what I feel I didn’t do. Thank you so much you’ve been an amazing blessing in my life all the way from mending my heart to leading me through being a disciple of the Lord
I’m on vacation and I was able to share the Lord with a young lady who sat next to us at a dinner theater. I won’t know the outcome but I was able to plant the seed for the Lord to take it from there. I have done this in the past but this study has helped me to listen closer to him as he says come with me. I’m asking him, Lord what do you want me to do? Thank you Suzie for speaking from your heart with us. Also it shows how much time you spent with the Lord while writing this book.
Thank you for this book, Suzie. I have learned so much from it. I haven’t read Ch. 11 yet but in reading this and listening to your video, made me smile. I have been writing my big prayers in a journal. Big means not my little conversations I have throughout the day with God. I was reading them yesterday, and talk about a love letter. I had to smile and think ‘I really did write that’. It’s something new I started this past spring and I go back and read and date when a prayer is answered and how it is answered. I feel so much better about my prayer life since I started writing them. Can’t wait to read and see if there is a new idea or a way to tweek what I am doing.
I love that, Linda! What a beautiful way to talk to God.
Contrasting communicating and communing struck a chord in me. I want to commune when I pray rather than superficially communicate, providing a laundry list of what I want or trying to follow some preset prayer warrior formula. Thank you for that differentiation.
Thank you Suzie for this book, it has spoken tons to my heart…I love to pray and speak to God during the day, this chapter has totally opened my eyes to the “so much more to prayer”. Untapped power, revolution, transformation. On page 185 this part of what you wrote stayed with me “I gained respect for the depths of power that my eyes could not see”……I see prayer much clearly now, I know He loves me and I love Him, He knows me and I want to know Him more everyday, He listens to me, He hears me when I need Him urgently, or just when I want to tell Him what I feel, when I want Him to know I love the gift of laughter…to thank Him for what He’s blessed us with, family, friends, love; for that crazy little hummingbird I love to watch 😉 I think I have highlighted almost the whole book, haha, so much great stuff, on page 195 I love what you wrote “Prayer changes things, but it ultimately changes the one who prays”….This is so true, and as true is “The enemy desires to sift each of us like wheat, but there’s untapped revolution that rises up against him when we commune with God.” I have written this in my journal, and I re-read it a lot, specially when days are a little hard, Thank You for sharing so much of you with us, I am very grateful, I absolutely loved this book, the study and the time we have all spent together….Love and Blessings Anna
I used to be a more distracted prayer person, rather unsure of what I was praying for,may mind would wander, I just did not have my prayer life together at all. I could read my Bible , study, journal, anything that was physically doing was fine. Then, I saw War Room & that started my thinking about my prayer life & how & when & where I should pray. Although I don’t have a closet, I designated an area in our guest room. I started looking up Bible verses & hanging them on my desk. Then, I read about a woman who set up a prayer schedule. On Sunday she prayed for herself, Monday, her husband & her family in her home, Tuesday, other family members, Wednesdays, friends, Thursday’s, her co workers, Friday, her community & her church, Sat., her State, the United States, the President, Congress the Senate & the Supreme Court. Now, that keeps you busy. You can modify however you like & I have. And of course lots of things happen & you pray for them too. But for me, this has been so wonderful. I made lists of family & friends so I don’t miss anyone and I love this way of praying. Before for me, I just wasn’t a very good prayer person. I think some of us, me, need a bit of structure to start. Just like the sweet lady who was talking about reading a book or watching tv…….. I think sometimes it’s just you need a bit of structure to know where to begin. It sure doesn’t mean your prayers are structured. It just can give you a starting place. My prayer life has never been so full.