A few weeks ago it became evident to me that I needed to work a bit more on issues surrounding Forgiveness. I had this on my mind when two different Friends at two different times made specific book recommendations on Prayer. To one I had mentioned Forgiveness as a concern during a life-coaching session; to the other--our Guest Services Manager-- I'd simply asked about his latest book recommendation. Both immediately thought of and suggested Prayer.
I've read twice the first section of Conversation with God, by Lloyd John Ogilvie. In it I found a mechanism and the rationale for a more consistent and directed prayer life. I'm also well into Prayer: Does It Make Any difference? by Philip Yancey. It too I've recognized as very helpful regarding where I need to go in my Prayer Life.
The past few days I've been Reading and Reflecting and Praying and Praising and Resting in the Lord. This is not so easy ofttimes, for ol' Scratch seems to want to throw up barriers and distract me (such harsh language and images!) and tell me, "What a waste of time this is!" But if I'm going to be able to forgive certain others, and perhaps forgive myself from time to time, I know I need to invest in more sustained, focused and meaningful Prayer. I will need the conviction and encouragement and enpowerment that only God can provide.
In flipping back through my One Year Book of Encouragement (ed Harold Myra) earlier today, I settled in on a statement from the entry for March 8 that I'd discovered only a few days ago:
Praying for others changes our attitudes, even about those who do outrageously hurtful things.
It now makes so incredibly much sense.
Perhaps you'll pray for me also?
Yes, I'll pray with you AND for you! Philip Yancey is an amazing author - his illustrations help me to apply biblical principles to my life much more easily.
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of the other author - but his website looks promising. There's another book out there by that same title but by a different author: Neale Donald Walsch, and I've heard some not so good things about that one.
Yes, the more intimate we are with God, the more we understand forgiveness and find that we not only should forgive - but we need to forgive, for our own sake, and for God's sake. Without Him, it would be a most impossible a task to accomplish.
Great post!