Week Seven - A Blanket of Prayer

We have spent this past week feeding the wood stove and trying to stay warm in the perishing temperatures of this 2021 snowstorm. It has really been quite fun. My husband sits in a cozy chair with his legs covered by his grandmother’s handmade quilt, and we sleep each night in my great-grandmother’s iron bed with my mother’s handmade quilt for extra warmth. All around me are reminders of the women in my life who left their legacy and covered our ministry with a blanket of prayer.

Last month, with my sweet mother-in-law's passing, we were reminded of her blanket of prayer. I know this to be true. This woman prayed.  She prayed for her family,  friends, church, pastor, and her prayers left an imprint on many lives.

One of the amazing things I have learned about prayer is that it does not stop with the passing of the person praying.  My mother-in-law’s prayers will continue to have an effect.  How do I know that? 

Look at Revelation 5:8. “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints.” 

And Revelation 8:4 reads, “And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.” God stores up our prayers to be used for His glory in the future.

Another way I know prayer has a lingering effect is by the testimony of others. I’m sure you have heard testimonies of a mother praying for a wayward son or daughter, who, long after the passing of the mother, comes to the Lord. And how many times have we prayed for something, forgotten completely about it, and then noticed when the Lord answered? God takes note of our prayers and answers in His time.

I got to thinking more about this blanket of prayer, and it challenged me to think about my own prayers. Am I faithful to pray for my family?  What about my pastor and church family? Do I keep them in prayer? Do I understand the power and importance of my prayer life? Do I bathe my day in prayer? Do I pray before I make decisions or react to current circumstances? Is prayer my source of fellowship and rejoicing?

2021 is going to be a long year – maybe even longer than 2020. Today is a good time to begin covering it with a blanket of prayer-prayer for strength, wisdom, protection, and, above all, God’s hand.

So, while you are locked down, stuck inside the house, and complaining about cabin fever, take time to create a legacy of prayer – a blanket that will be used by God as a sweet-smelling savour with eternal value.