Why Prayer Doesn't "Work"
Plus a WELCOME & Meet My Grandma!
Before you block me from your email list, let me explain…
Welcome!
Prayer
Meet My Grandma
WELCOME to all my new followers! I know many of you joined my list when you entered the March Into Love giveaway. So, if you’re reading this email, THANK YOU for giving me a chance.
I send emails out every Monday and in them you will find a variety of goodies from a monthly biblical value focus to writing updates to recipes to new books/authors and so much more. It’s never a dull moment around here!
If you don’t already know me, HI! I’m Heather—a hope-filled romantic, married to my wounded warrior, living our best life in Central Florida. I’m a mama of five (mostly) grown kids, a jewelry maker, and an immersive storyteller who writes books for women and children. You can find more about my historical romances and children’s chapter books at my website using the button below.
I’m so glad you’re here!
Are there phrases that drive you absolutely bananas, get under your skin, or set your teeth on edge? I have a major one: “Prayer works.”
My friend, prayer doesn’t “work.”
That’s like saying, “Talking to my husband works.” or “Talking to my children works.”
Nobody says that. Why? Because talking to our spouses or children or friends is something we do as a nurturing function of the relationship we have with them.
It’s no different with prayer. Prayer is simply the words we say to God because we have a loving relationship with Him.
Saying, “prayer works” is like saying, “talking to God helps me get my way.” Or “talking to God is like rubbing a magic genie lamp.”
I understand that the phrase is catchy and that most people who say it are really saying, “I’ve seen God do powerful things through my consistent, dedicated prayer life”—that just doesn’t fit well on a bumper sticker.
I think what frustrates me the most about the phrase is the simple Truth that prayer doesn’t always “work.” God doesn’t always answer the way we want Him to. We don’t always get what we ask for. Unlike that magic genie, He doesn’t always deliver in the time or manner we wish.
And what is a new Christian—or even an unbeliever—to think of our God if they’ve been told “prayer works,” only to find their prayers seemingly unanswered or decidedly rejected?
Instead of boasting that “prayer works,” what if we were intentional in sharing how time spent in prayer aligns our will with God’s? What if we told the world that prayer is our honor and privilege to approach the God of the Universe and share our thoughts and feelings with Him? What if we, ourselves, prayed with fervency, not because begging God over and over produces the results we want, but because when our hearts are breaking, when our world is upside down, when we’re overwhelmed with gratitude, when we’ve suffered loss, when we’ve experienced joy—we just can’t get enough of God’s presence.
Prayer doesn’t work.
Prayer matters. Prayer transforms. Prayer aligns us with God’s will. Prayer changes us. Prayer brings our wants and needs and desires to God and surrenders them to His will, trusting that His ways are higher than our ways. Prayer is a crucial element of our relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It doesn’t work. It welcomes us into the presence of God.
Speaking of prayer…
My client and new friend, Tami, is looking for launch team members for her new book, See. Hear. Do. Prayer.
Here’s what being on the team looks like—super simple:
She’ll send you a FREE copy of the e-book.
You can read it at your own pace.
You’ll share one graphic/caption on FB each week that she will email you.
And when you’re done reading the book, she asks that you leave an honest review.
That’s it—easy peasy!
Reply to this email if you’d like to be included. This is a great way to read a FREE book AND jump start your prayer life.
In last Monday’s email, I announced that I’ve decided to finish writing In the Shadows of Sacrifice, a short story I started a few years ago that is loosely based on my grandparents’ real-life love story.
Beginning in May, I’ll be offering you the opportunity to join me on an immersive storytelling journey, one chapter at a time. Those subscribers who opt in will receive the full book as I write it, character images, playlists, links to videos of actual locations featured in the book, behind-the-scenes info, photos of the people and places which inspired this story, real stories about what inspired this book, special giveaways, and more.
So, to kick things off, I thought I’d introduce you to my Grandma.
My grandma’s name was Vearl Louise (Louise in the book). She was the second oldest of eight children and was born in Illinois in 1910, but moved to the eastern plains of Colorado when she was a little girl.
She married my grandpa in 1939 in St. Louis, and for reasons unknown to me, they never had any children of their own. But in 1955, they adopted my dad. More on that in the next email.
I have soooooo many questions about my grandparents that will never be answered, this side of Heaven. They died when I was in my early 20s, having babies and raising my own little family. I never thought to ask them the questions I have now, and I assumed my daddy would be around to ask more questions of someday, but I lost him in my 20s, as well.
What I do know is that my grandma liked to wear trousers when she was young (so taboo!), and she moved to St Louis in the 1930s, where her brother worked at a diner, so she could send money back to her widowed mother and siblings. I know a bit about how her father died, too, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers.
I also know she never learned to drive, and even though she was a trouser-wearing, cigarette-smoking young woman, she was a very feminine, dress-wearing, pie-making, sweater vest-crocheting grandma who always had her nails painted and had a purse and hat to match every suit dress she owned.
Most importantly, I know she loved my grandpa, my daddy, me, and my sister FIERCELY. My grandpa was a handful. He was ornery and loud, and sometimes she’d get sooooo frustrated with him, but she never spoke a harsh word against him. She loved him so much, and he loved her right back. (More on that later, too.) Here they are in their 90s, still deeply in love.
(Peep the painted nails and sweater vest below.)
I can’t wait to tell you more about my grandma and grandpa. There are some major PLOT TWISTS in their story and a whole lotta sacrificial love.
Until next time, stay hopeful!
