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Prayer in a Pandemic

April 5, 2020 By Juanita Ryan 10 Comments

Hello dear ones. We, as a world wide community, are experiencing an extraordinary moment together. I hope you are safely sheltered in place. I pray that you are finding some peace in the midst of the fears, patience in the midst of the waiting and comfort in the midst of the grief. I will be posting over the next many months from my book An Enduring Embrace: Discovering the Love at the Heart … [Read more...] about Prayer in a Pandemic

Bringing our Requests to God as Prayer

March 1, 2021 By Juanita Ryan Leave a Comment

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 God invites us to pray about every anxiety. Every time we are anxious we are invited "by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to … [Read more...] about Bringing our Requests to God as Prayer

Waiting as Prayer

February 22, 2021 By Juanita Ryan 1 Comment

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 We live in a world of instant everything. We value speed. This is true not only in our culture at large, but in our spirituality. When we pray, we want to see results. And we want to see them now. Our need for quick results is especially urgent when we, or someone we love, is in distress. If we cry out to God in a … [Read more...] about Waiting as Prayer

Crying as Prayer

February 15, 2021 By Juanita Ryan Leave a Comment

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Psalm 86:5-7 Sometimes prayer is a cry from our heart. It is a raw pleading for mercy in times of trouble. There may be times of trouble when we find ourselves thinking, "I can't go to God in … [Read more...] about Crying as Prayer

Pouring Out Our Hearts as Prayer

February 8, 2021 By Juanita Ryan 1 Comment

Trust in him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 When we listen with an open heart to the outpouring of another person's heart, something happens. A bond forms. A closeness grows. And out of this relationship healing begins to take place. But sharing one's heart requires trust in the other person. It requires trust that the other person … [Read more...] about Pouring Out Our Hearts as Prayer

Grieving as Prayer

February 1, 2021 By Juanita Ryan 4 Comments

Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress, my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed with anguish and my years with groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Psalm 31: 8-9 This text is a gripping and painful description of grief. It is a grief that goes on and on, a grief that consumes, a grief that wears … [Read more...] about Grieving as Prayer

Seeking God as Prayer

January 25, 2021 By Juanita Ryan 1 Comment

All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves... Song of Songs 3:1,2 When we are suffering, when we need God the most, we may have the greatest sense of being abandoned by God. The suffering we experience may feel like … [Read more...] about Seeking God as Prayer

Lament as Prayer

January 18, 2021 By Juanita Ryan Leave a Comment

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. Psalm 22:1-2 This psalm gives expression to our deepest suffering. God absent. God silent. God hidden. God forsaking us. Even Jesus cried out to God from this place of terrible darkness. As he was … [Read more...] about Lament as Prayer

Holding Fast as Prayer

January 11, 2021 By Juanita Ryan 1 Comment

Be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul. Joshua 22:5 Prayer is sometimes holding on to God. Holding fast is something that infants do when they catch your finger in their little hand and … [Read more...] about Holding Fast as Prayer

Making Room for Hope as Prayer

January 4, 2021 By Juanita Ryan 1 Comment

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 Prayer is the act of making room within us for the gift of hope. Hope does not come naturally to us. For many of us, despair is what comes most naturally. We have a tendency to project our worst fears into the future. We imagine … [Read more...] about Making Room for Hope as Prayer

Letting Go of Fear as Prayer

December 28, 2020 By Juanita Ryan 2 Comments

God is our refuge and strength,        an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way        and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam        and the mountains quake with their surging.     Psalm 46:1-3 Scripture often speaks to our fearful human hearts. “Do not be afraid, God is with you,” is a common … [Read more...] about Letting Go of Fear as Prayer

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Recent Posts

  • Bringing our Requests to God as Prayer
  • Waiting as Prayer
  • Crying as Prayer
  • Pouring Out Our Hearts as Prayer
  • Grieving as Prayer

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