“Prayer changes us in ways that we never thought would be possible. When we are unhappy, prayer can lift our hearts and fill it with unspeakable joy.”  ― Julia Bristol

Prayer is powerful! It is our conversation with God about what is on our hearts, regarding ourselves or others. We can ask for His joy, and through prayer, we (and others) can receive it. Also, there are times when our talks with God should be with joy. We see these examples in the Bible:

Joy for Ourselves:
• (Jesus speaking) “…I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name [as My representative], He will give you. Until now you have not asked [the Father] for anything in My name; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.” – John 16:23-24 AMP

• “Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.” – Psalm 86:4 NIV

Joy for Others (Intercession):
• “We ask him to strengthen you by his glorious might with all the power you need to patiently endure everything with joy.” – Colossians 1:11 GW

Pray with Joy:
• “Every time I pray for all of you, I do it with joy.” – Philippians 1:4 NOG

Finally, let’s take a brief look at Hannah who desperately wanted a child, where we see the power of prayer and the results of joy: “She was deeply distressed, and she cried bitterly as she prayed to the Lord… Lord Almighty, look at me, your servant! See my trouble and remember me! Don’t forget me!… Hannah continued to pray to the Lord for a long time…” After she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Hannah prayed: “The Lord has filled my heart with joy; how happy I am because of what he has done! I laugh at my enemies; how joyful I am because God has helped me!” – 1 Samuel 1:10-12 & 2 Samuel 2:1 GNT

Please join me next time as we continue to “focus on joy.”

[Joy is => inner gladness, delight, calm delight, or even rejoicing.]
If you missed the prior post, click here.

Thank you for your time. Be Blessed! LR Maddox
Note: Get notified when new entries are posted by following Author LR Maddox on Facebook and turn on “notifications.”