Intercede Issue (March/April 2020)

volume 9, issue 2

INTERCEDE no 2

march/april 2020

MARCH - APRIL 2020

STAFF

CREATIVE DIRECTOR &

HEAD EDITOR

Amanda Brown

WRITERS

Kara Linaburg / Olivia Nickerson

/ Janelle Martin / Angela Dawne

/ Esther Jackson / Lisa Elis /

Emily Seaver / Jo A. Ruth / Sarah

Cnossen / Korin Linaburg /

Rebecca Caraway / Julia Findley

/ Mary Grace Myers / Julia Ryan

BRAND STRATEGIST

Allison Joiner

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR

Sarah Groves

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rebekah Vijay / Kara

Linaburg / Korin Linaburg

/ Abby Marasigan / Amanda

Brown / Foreward_co

MODELS

Rachel Brown / Emily Check

/ Abbie Rocha

ILLUSTRATORS

Korin Linaburg / Lisa Elis /

Maddy Klass

MARKETING MANAGER

Kayla Johansen

PROOFREADERS

Lisa Elis / Rebecca Brown

Volume No. 9, Issue No. 2

WWW.OHBELOVEDONE.COM

CONTENTS

INTERCEDE: the power of prayer

lies that kept me from praying 08

phone line to Heaven: prayer 12

together 16

we pray as daughters 36

constant in 38

& they prayed 43

JOURNAL ENTRY NO. 5 47

5 ways to pray

Scripture

31

constant in

38

good lit 48

great reasons to start a prayer journal 50

sweet hour of prayer: songs about prayer 52

give me 54

it's not over yet 55


wait . . . it's a command? 22


fasting 27


5 ways to pray Scripture 31


give me

54

what is salvation? 56

credits 57

cover: photo of Emily Check by Rebekah Vijay

visit

WWW.OHBELOVEDONE.COM

to purchase previous magazines

EDITOR’S NOTE

Amanda Brown

EDITOR - IN - CHIEF

My word for 2019 was "abide." I was moved to do a better job

at praying and abiding in God's presence. But here's a secret:

I FAILED. It's like I used to be with my devotions: I felt

incapable because I overcomplicated it by defining it.

Prayer doesn't have to be more than thirty seconds or three

minutes to count. Isaiah 26 says that God even hears whispered

prayers, which I love. In fact, I got this almost insane thrill

when I was able to pray to God in another language after two

semesters of Spanish. I was praying and thinking, "You still hear

me even when I don't speak my native language!"

I've seen God work in mighty ways through prayer, especially

during my mom's cancer. I know sometimes we think saying

"I'll pray for you" sounds cliche or lame even, but prayer is

the most amazing gift you could give anyone. To intercede on

someone else's behalf; to be another voice in Heaven begging

for their request or safety or blessing? Can't put a price on that.

My mom's cancer journey hasn't been easy, but I have seen the

power that comes from hundreds of voices sending requests

God's way for my mother's benefit. I love thinking that the

halls of Heaven ring with prayers for heavenly gifts in her name:

grace, healing, peace, blessing, relief, love, passion.

photo by abby marasigan

Never underestimate the power of prayer. In fact, we are praying

that this issue will infuse a desire in you to pray even harder

than before. God will bless that passion!

amanda brown + team

my prayer for you is that this morning you will rise again in courage.

that God heard your heart crying in the night

and whispered "child, fear no more."

because in living in a broken world, we have become broken humans.

BUT in knowing that our God is a Healer,

we have a rich hope in His renewing strength day in and day out. xxxx

— julia ryan

MARCH/APRIL JANUARY/FEBRUARY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 202019 OHBELOVEDONE.COM ARTICLE TITLE HERE

k i n g d o m

c r e a t i v e s

meet sara groves

CREATIVE

OUTLETS

I have been writing music since

I was a little girl, and have been

a touring musician for 20 plus

years. Writing music has always

helped me name things in my

life—experiences, feelings,

cultural norms/shifts, questions.

My brain is often working

overtime with a question or set

of ideas, like trying to unravel

a giant ball of yarn. I don’t

feel like I’m creating things

from scratch as much as I am

assembling things that are

already there, telling the truth

about what I am seeing.

PERSONALITY

TRAITS

I am very deliberate and slowmoving

in most areas of my life.

I don’t like making decisions, and

will spend a great deal of time

weighing things. I used to think

that was a huge flaw and longed

to be more productive, but now

I can see how that deliberate

process is very much a part of my

creative life. I work very hard to

write a three minute song, but it

is important to me that I find the

right language to describe feelings

and experiences.

OH BELOVED ONE | 4

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM KINGDOM CREATIVES

BEST

ADVICE

A mentor told me years ago

that we tend to give vocational

weight to the things that we get

a paycheck for, but you have

to give vocational weight to

your art even if it is not tied to

compensation. That is more of

a heart shift than anything. In

giving weight to something, we

decide to bring the whole of

for fellow creatives

our creativity to bear on that

thing. For some people that is

caregiving, or art-making, or

volunteering. Those are not

secondary pursuits because we

don’t get paid for them. We

have to make time and space

for them even when the more

practical urgencies of life are

pressing in.

photography by Foreward_co

PERSONAL

JOURNEY

I grew up in a holiness church where

the main emphasis was on personal

holiness. There wasn’t a lot of teaching on

community, so we were siloed, trying to

be holy.

That is hard place to be. I went through

a faith crisis in my late twenties that

basically stemmed from this emphasis on

grooming my own personal devotional life

what intercede

means to you

without a lot of emphasis on embodied

living. I didn’t throw the baby out with

the bathwater, but found a shift in this

kind of daily practice. I was drawn to

spiritual formation practices and I found

there a posture of receiving instead of

striving. Quiet time was not something

I could do for God, but was a space to

remember what He has already done for

me.

OH BELOVED ONE | 5

NTER

OH BELOVED ONE | 6

CEDE

And this is the confidence that we have

toward him, that if we ask anything according

to his will he hears us.

1 John 5:14

OH BELOVED ONE | 7

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM LIES THAT KEPT ME FROM PRAYING

LIES THAT

KEPT ME

FROM

PRAYING

by kara linaburg

OH BELOVED ONE | 8


I

walked up to the girl I mentored

as she cried by the river, her head

in her hands. Her shoulders were

shaking and her earbuds pumped loud

music. I put my arms around her.

Words failed me. Her situation was a

terrible one that I felt powerless to help.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I’m

praying for you.”

I’m praying for you.

I’ve found the phrase an overly easy

one to repeat to dozens of hurting

souls who are going through the

darkness. Even those who do not define

themselves as “religious” or “Christian”

easily throw out the phrase. It’s easy

to tell someone in a quick moment

of comfort when you cannot find the

words. It’s letting them know that

they will remain in your thoughts,

but the phrase can often become

meaningless when I use it.

Because often I go about my day and

forget to pray.

So I began doing the thing most out

of my comfort zone, the thing that

left my palms sweaty and made my

chest tighten. I did the thing I had

never done before: I began praying

aloud right then for the person who

needed my prayer when they asked,

when they needed to know someone

cared and I was left with empty

hands.

I prayed over them and for them,

there on the phone, by the river, in

the corner surrounded by strangers

who openly stared. I prayed right

there because otherwise I may forget

OH BELOVED ONE | 9


to pray at all.

It’s easy to say we will pray . . . it’s

another matter to follow through.

I don’t know why I struggle in

praying aloud with people. There’s

always been this stigmatism with

prayer, with praying the right words

and length and phrases.

People have approached my dad

as though a pastor’s prayers have

more meaning than theirs. I have

even caught myself apologizing for

my own rambling prayers. “I don’t

always have it together,” I confessed

one day to a friend after praying

with her. “I’m sorry if it isn’t very

put together.”

But prayer is so much more than

specific phrases or timing. My

journal is often full of pleadings,

a house of tears and questions and

doubts and fears, ramblings that

may never make sense to anyone but

God. I began to be honest, to forget

trying to fit a certain form or use

words that would make my prayer

sound “holier” and just speak. I

began to ask Him why certain things

happen, why I feel certain things. I

voiced my doubts and begged

for faith, and for the first time

prayer really became my

anchor.

The idea circling that there is

a certain way to pray, a format

to use, a list to follow of good

words, must end.

We can read thousands of

articles on the subject, listen to

as many podcasts as possible

on hearing God’s voice or the

“right” way to talk to Him. We

can find as many books from

as many pastors and leaders as

humanly possible, waiting until

we’re a little more worthy, a

little more clean.

But darling, prayer isn’t

about any of that. While

these resources can be used

as valuable tools, they are by

no means going to give us the

“secret formula” for getting

answered prayers, obtaining

what we want, or making

our prayers easier to hear in

Heaven.

Prayer is a conversation, a plea

prayer is so

much more than

specific phrases

or timing

OH BELOVED ONE | 10


Prayer— a conversation /a plea

under your breath that you make it

home safe / a cry in the bathroom

when you are overwhelmed / thanks

/ praise / questions / so much more.

under your breath that you

make it home safely in a

storm, a cry in the bathroom

when your mistakes

overwhelm you and you have

no answers. It’s thanks and

praise and questions and so

much more.

God whispers “Come as you

are” when inadequacy tries

to hold you down, telling

you that He could never

hear. Prayer is talking even

when God feels millions of

miles away, when you feel as

though you are just speaking

to the ceiling.

Because what you feel should

never define you. The lack of

faith we feel, the words we

fail to say, do nothing to

stop God’s love.

So pray, because those voices

telling you the prayers you

pray don’t measure up, that

they aren’t enough, too

small, too unequal to the

knowledge of more “spiritual

people,” have never been

more wrong.

Truth: Our words hold

power. Our faith (no matter

how seemingly small) can

move mountains. One

prayer can change the world.

Your prayer can change the

world.

meet the

author

Kara Linaburg is passionate about finding beauty in brokenness, blogging (www.thebeautifullybrokenblog.com), and

writing YA fiction (The Broken Prince). You can often find her planning her next adventure.

OH BELOVED ONE | 11

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM PHONE LINE TO HEAVEN

Phone Line to Heaven:

PRAYER

by olivia nickerson

OH BELOVED ONE | 12


Do you struggle with

prayer? I do sometimes.

It can be hard to

just sit down and pray. And

sometimes it feels as if prayer

needs to be a long thing when

in reality prayer does not have

to always be long. Something

to remember is that the length

of your praying doesn’t matter,

just what kind of heart it stems

from.

But the fact that we can

constantly go to God through

prayer with no limitations is

kind of fantabulous. In theory,

it should make us want to pray to

Him all the time!

But unfortunately we are

sinners, and we don’t always love

God the way we should.

Let’s imagine

that you are

starting your

artwork by lisa elis

day.

It’s seven o’clock in the morning,

and you’ve just gotten up. If

you are like me, you will usually

use the washroom as the first

task in your day. Then you

might drink some water

and grab your phone, iPod, or

Bible.

Let’s say you grab your phone

and scroll through Instagram,

Facebook, and Twitter for

awhile, replying to messages and

checking emails.

Suddenly, a half hour has passed.

Oh no! Got to get going. You

grab your Bible and flip to

a Psalm. You read it quickly,

somewhat meditating on the

passage as you read, and then

after you’ve finished, you look at

the clock.

You realize your tummy has a

funny little gnawing going on

inside. I’m hungry. I’ve got to get

going. I don’t have time to pray.

Praying takes a long time. I

can do it later. So maybe you

hop out of bed, get dressed,

and hurry downstairs for some

breakfast. And maybe

while you eat, you spend some

more time on social media.

Oh and of course, you pray

before you eat, maybe asking

God to help you with your day,

thanking Him for the food

and for everything He’s done,

and that He would help you to

honor Him. Amen.

Okay, gotta go!

OH BELOVED ONE | 13


Whatever tasks happen that day get

pushed to the forefront and prayer

often gets pushed to the backburner.

Like I mentioned earlier, it’s okay to

pray throughout the day or fit it into

your schedule or routine in

various ways. You don’t always have

to pray at a certain time.

You don’t

But it’s really helpful to have a

disciplined and set time of prayer in

the morning before you start your

day, just you alone with God. The

Bible even says so, such as in

Matthew 6:6,

But when you pray, go into your room, close

the door and pray to your Father, who

is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what

is done in secret, will reward you.

The Bible also tells us to pray not

only for the things we need or want,

but at all times, both for ourselves,

for others, and with others. You can

pray when you are happy and when

you are sad. You can pray when you

are thankful and when you are not.

You can even pray when you feel

sick or embarrassed.

Philippians 4:6 says,

insert

a few

requests

and get

whatever

artwork: Amanda Brown

"Do not be anxious about anything, but

in everything, by prayer and petition, with

thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Now, prayer is not some vending

machine. You don’t insert a few

requests and get whatever you

want in return. God can answer

however He likes. It may be yes. It

may be no. It may be wait. But

you

want in

return.

OH BELOVED ONE | 14


whatever it is, He has it all under

control.

And that’s the cool thing. We are so

blessed as Christians because we have

continual fellowship with a God who

can do the impossible.

To a God who is all-powerful,

all-knowing, and all-amazing. That

should be a cause for great praise

and a reason to pray all the more.

We have the ability to pray for

others (even for those whom we

don’t know or aren’t with!); to tell

Him our deepest fears, our troubles,

our successes, our failures, our joys,

and everything else.

Psalm 34:3-5 says,

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us

exalt his name together! I sought the

Lord, and He answered me and delivered me

from all my fears. Those who look to him

are radiant, and their faces shall never be

ashamed.

So girl. I struggle with prayer. Even

to this very day. But maybe we can

try a little harder to talk to God. We

are so blessed to be daughters of this

Great King. It should be a delight

each morning to rise and sing His

praises! Let’s try each day to do it a

little more by His strength alone.

We’re in this together!

meet the

author

Olivia Nickerson is a high-school student, growing writer, and a Christian saved by grace. She loves Lindt chocolate, being an

aunt to little Jasper, spending time with her family and friends, and dreaming. Besides writing, Olivia loves spending time with

her family and friends in almost any way, playing board games, sports, and music.

OH BELOVED ONE | 15

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM TOGETHER

Again I say to

you, if two of you

agree on earth

about anything

they ask, it will be

done for them by

my Father in heaven.

For where two

or three are gathered

in my name,

there am I among

them. Matthew

18:19-20

“Then you will

call on me and

come and pray

to me, and I

will listen to

you.” Jeremiah

29:12 (NIV)

TOGETHER

by janelle martin

OH BELOVED ONE | 16


I’ll never forget that warm, still night

in Central America when I first

experienced the power of prayer.

But not just any prayer.

I wasn’t by myself, alone crying out

to God; I was surrounded by other

like-minded believers who had the same

burden upon their hearts as I did.

We were unified. With one thought.

One desire burning up on our hearts.

It was beautiful, like nothing I had ever

experienced before in my life. You could

feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as we

prayed! I honestly can’t remember when

we started praying, but I know we didn’t

stop until 2 a.m. Within those few

hours my heart was completely changed.

I had felt the power of the Holy Spirit,

and I wanted more. I longed for more.

So, how can we as the body of Christ

gather together and pray? Pray deeply,

pray strongly, pray fiercely?

In fact when we read the Bible, we see a

clear picture of how we are to pray!

So how can we incorporate this into our

daily life?

We are to

pray with boldness

(1 John 5:14)

pray faithfully

(Romans 12:12)

and to pray

without ceasing

( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

OH BELOVED ONE | 17


GRAB SOME

GRAB SOME

GRAB SOME

GRAB SOME

GRAB SOME

friends.

Set a specific time and day that you will

meet. It doesn’t have to be for a long

amount of time. If half an hour is all you

have, then that’s great! Don’t feel like you

have to pray for a couple of hours (unless

you want to).

READ READ READ READ READ A

passage

or verse of Scripture that has touched you

that week and just share a little bit about

what God is doing in your life. It doesn’t

have to be super long or “spiritual!” Simply

share from your heart.

OH BELOVED ONE | 18


PRAY

PRAY

PRAY

PRAY

PRAY

together. It’s wonderful when everyone prays! It

brings amazing unity. But don’t be discouraged

if not everyone prays at first.

They may feel uncomfortable or not know

what to say. Just give them time, and you’ll

be surprised to see how they blossom.

THANK

THANK

THANK

THANK

THANK

God.

Spend time simply thanking God. Thank

Him for all the blessings He has given you;

thank Him for the Holy Spirit, for your

family, for Jesus, for answered miracles,

and for being God!

OH BELOVED ONE | 19


I sincerely hope that this inspires you to

start your own prayer group. As Priscilla

Shire said, “Prayer is the portal that

brings the power of Heaven down to

earth. It is the kryptonite to the enemy

and to all his plots against you.”

Make no mistake, my friends: we are in

a spiritual battle, a battle for our souls.

And the way we fight, the way we war is

on our knees.

“If my people, who

are called by my

name, will humble

themselves and

pray and seek my

face and turn from

their wicked ways,

then I will hear from

heaven, and I will

forgive their sins

and will heal their

land.” 2 Chronicles

7:14 (NIV)

meet the

author

Janelle believes traveling, classic books and a good chai tea are some of the most beautiful blessings. She is currently living in

upstate NY (when she isn’t wandering over the earth). She has a deep love for Jesus and is passionate about living a BOLD

prayer life! Find Janelle and her well-loved journaling Bible on Insta @exploringboldlove.

OH BELOVED ONE | 20

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM JOURNAL ENTRY NO. . 1

START A PRAYER

MEETING.

How many people will you invite? Who will you invite?

How long will you pray for?

What are some verses you could start your first couple of

prayer meetings with?

What are some "prayer prompts" you can give people?

OH BELOVED ONE | 21

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM WAIT

.--. .-. .-

.--. .-. .- .--. .-. .-

OH BELOVED ONE | 22

w

a

i

t

.

.

.

it's a

command?

by angela dawne


. . .

I

don’t know about you, but I talk to my

friends just about every day. If it’s not in

person, it’s via text or phone call. Even

though I’m a total introvert, I’ll always talk to

at least one friend.

Usually the conversation includes the usual

“How was school?” and “Whatcha up to?”

questions. A few of the conversations are

deep, but usually they’re just fun moments

for me to unwind and “hang out” with the

people I’m closest to.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before: “Jesus

should be your ‘best friend’, so why don’t you

talk to Him through prayer more often?” This

is definitely true, but do you know what else

is true?

It’s not talked about a lot in contemporary

America, but did you know that praying is

actually a biblical command?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV) tells us to

“Pray without ceasing.” We’re supposed to

be in constant communication with Jesus.

This doesn’t mean we need to walk around

praying out loud all day, but it does mean

we need to be praying for more than just ten

seconds before a meal.

Ephesians 6:18 (ESV) reinforces the idea

of constant prayer by saying “Praying at

all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and

supplication. To that end, keep alert with

all perseverance, making supplication for

all the saints.”

You don’t need to just pray in times of

trouble. Pray when you’re happy too! Tell

.--. .-. .-

OH BELOVED ONE | 23


W A

God about your accomplishments and

I T

thank Him for His many blessings in your

life. James 5:13 asks, “Is anyone among

you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone

cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

Now that we’ve established that prayer is

a Biblical command and that we should

be praying at all times . . . what now? The

natural question is “What should I pray

about?"

Well, what do you talk to your friends

about? Movies? Things you’ve done that

day? Boy problems? Do you use your

texting time to rant about the hard parts

in your life? I know I do sometimes.

Well, let me be the first to tell you that you

can talk about anything to God. Morning,

noon, and night. Anything. Take for

example David's prayer in Psalm 55:17:

“Evening and morning and at noon, I

utter my complaint and moan, and he

hears my voice.” How many of our friends

are going to listen to us complain and

moan 24/7? I know my friends are pretty

amazing, but that’s a lot to ask of them.

Not only does God listen, but He

.--. .-. .-

OH BELOVED ONE | 24


.--. .-. .-

responds. He says He will in His Word, and

God is not one to break His promises.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask

in prayer, believe that you have received

it, and it will be yours” Mark 11:24. This

verse doesn’t mean we can ask for whatever

we want and receive it though. We’ll only

receive what is according to God’s will.

What about those times when we’ve

seemingly run out of things to say to God,

but we still want to pray? Well, we’re told in

Romans 8:26 that, “Likewise the Spirit helps

us in our weakness. For we do not know

what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit

himself intercedes for us with groanings too

deep for words.”

So make time!

Pray while you drive to school. Pray while

you’re eating your breakfast. Pray as you walk

to your next class. Pray as you drift off to

sleep. You can also grab a partner to help you

uphold this command.

Don’t stress about it though. Don’t make it

an extra rule. Being allowed to pray in public

and private is a privilege—an honor.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but

in everything by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made

known to God.” Philippians 4:6

So what does this look like for you?

Hopefully you want to obey this biblical

command and are ready to take the next step

to being in “constant” prayer. Unfortunately

we all know in modern-day culture, it’s hard

to get any free time to pray. We’re always on

the go.

meet the

author

Angela Dawne is a 17-year-old homeschooled MK who loves book classics, dark chocolate, and rainy days. Her highest goal

in life is to bring honor and glory to her Creator. When not working on writing projects, or scribbling late-night poems, she

can be found chilling in her hammock or researching random interests. You can find her online at https://adawne.wixsite.com/

angeladawne.

OH BELOVED ONE | 25

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM JOURNAL ENTRY NO. 2

LET'S REDEEM THE

small MOMENTS.

What are some small moments you could use to be praying?

Think of times like driving, eating breakfast, taking a

shower, or walking to class.

OH BELOVED ONE | 26

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM FASTING

Fasting

by esther jackson

As a child I didn’t associate

prayer with fasting. I

associated it with tea and

Wednesday night dinners. Then I

grew older and began to really see

and experience it.

For a long time I had a onedimensional

view of prayer and

fasting. We would fast from food

and pray when we would have

otherwise been eating.

More recently I’ve really come

to realize that fasting isn’t just

abstaining from food. It should be

abstaining from something that

you have a healthy relationship

with. And it’s best if you fill that

new free time with prayer.

Guidelines for biblical fasting

Don’t fast from something you feel

is easier to not do. Fasting should

OH BELOVED ONE | 27


be a challenge. Fast from

fiction. Fast from food. Fast

from social media. Fast from

sleep if you can.

But don’t fast so much that

it's detrimental to your health.

Fasting (and the prayer that

comes with it) is to improve

your relationship with God and

that in turn makes your life

better.

If you have a physical health

problem, or a danger of

one, do not fast from things

keeping you healthy. If you

want to do a food-based fast,

see if you can fast on liquids

or vegetables. Unless you have

a Moses-like relationship with

God, I don’t recommend fullon

fasting (no food, no water)

for longer than twenty-four

hours.

Fast from things that bring

you joy. Again, do it sparingly;

you don’t want to fall into

depression.

If you are doing an

entertainment fast, I would

recommend that you fast

from only one type of

entertainment at a time if you

wish to do it for more than a

day.

Length of fasts

Start small, one meal, then

twelve hours (if you do it

overnight, that's small). Then

let them grow longer, but

don’t let them grow so long

that you forget why you are

doing it.

I can’t put a cap on how

long a fast should be. Bible

characters tend to stop after

forty days. If you find yourself

getting distracted, it’s time to

stop. Do more short fasts, not

a single, long, distracted one.

That being said don’t beat

yourself up if you accidentally

get distracted. Forgive yourself

and start again.

OH BELOVED ONE | 28


The everything fast

Once a year for a day I do an

everything fast: no food, water,

or entertainment. It’s just me

and the Bible. This is how

most modern people choose to

observe the Day of Atonement

from Leviticus 23:26–31. I

highly recommend working it

into your life on some level.

What to pray for while fasting

I pray for small things as much

as I do for large, but there

is not much time for fasting

while I’m making gravy. So fast

and pray about:

• Big personal decisions

• Your country

• The church

• Natural disasters

• World politics

• Those being persecuted

• Anything else you deem

important

Good luck, and always keep

in mind why you're ultimately

fasting: to take your eyes off

of the temporary and bask in

communion with God.

meet the

author

Esther Jackson is the second-youngest of seven and has no idea what God has planned for her life. In between working several

jobs she tries to make time to be an entrepreneur. She dreams of visiting Israel and the rest of the world, but right now she is

serving how she can. If you want to find more about her, visit wevegotpockets.wordpress.com.

OH BELOVED ONE | 29


GO ON A FAST.

What is your reason for fasting? Do you need to reset? Do

you need to see a prayer answered? Do you need spiritual

help in a stronghold in your life?

What will you fast from? Food? Entertainment? Shopping?

How long will you fast for? If this is your first time, don't

start too big. Try one day or two meals.

OH BELOVED ONE | 30

artwork by lisa elis

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM 5 WAYS TO PRAY SCRIPTURE

05

5 Ways To Pray Scripture

by lisa elis

OH BELOVED ONE | 31


us to pray,” said

the disciples to Jesus.

“Teach

And isn’t that something

that we’re still asking today?

Of all the difficulties we might

encounter when it comes to the

prayer life—from remembering

to actually pray, making time for

it, creating a habit, and deciding

what to pray about—perhaps the

hardest one is how to pray. So

in answer to that question—what

better way to learn than from

the Bible itself? Here are a few

tips to get you started.

...

01

pray as Jesus taught

That is, the Lord’s Prayer, which He

taught the disciples after they asked

the aforementioned question. Besides

reciting it, we can also take the essence

of the items prayed about, and then

reword them.

Pray for God’s name, God’s kingdom,

God’s will, your daily needs,

forgiveness for your sins against

temptation, and delivery/protection

from evil.

It’s also an incredibly fascinating

meditative practice because as you do

this you're also exploring what each

point really means—and how it relates

to your life.

OH BELOVED ONE | 32


02

paraphrase the prayers in the Bible

The best place to find a collection of

prayers is the Psalms! I was especially

inspired last fall by the blogpost

Amanda put up on OBO blog called

“How To Pray Through a Psalm.”

...

03

The basic idea is to take inspiration

from the psalmists, and paraphrase

the psalms as your own prayers. It’s

a really interesting method that I

highly recommend. And if you’re

up to a greater challenge, hunt for

more prayers in the Bible to use as

examples—Daniel, Nehemiah, and

the prophets are a good start.

...

listen to Paul

When praying for other people,

especially fellow Christians, Paul is

a great example to look to. In the

beginning of many of his letters, he

tells his audience specifically what he’s

praying for them—for greater love,

purity, and fruitfulness, just as an

example. It’s a great place to get ideas.

Start with Phillipians 1:9–10 and

Colossians 1:9–12.

OH BELOVED ONE | 33

OH BELOVED ONE | 33


04

be inspired by characters

The characters in the Bible offer great

inspiration (and sometimes warnings,

as well) and we can get great ideas

about what to pray from observing

their lives.

Pray for faith like Abraham, humility

like Moses, or courage like Daniel.

You could even pray that you’ll learn

from the negative actions of people

(such as the complaining Israelites in

the Sinai desert).

05

according to the teachings

Reading teachings from Jesus and the

apostles (and even people in the Old

Testament) gives great ideas about

what to pray for ourselves and for

others. After your devotions, choose

specific things from what you read and

learned, and pray it for yourself and

for others.

For example, if you read from

Matthew 5, pray the Beatitudes for

yourself and your family. If you read

John 13, pray for the heart of a servant

like Christ had.

There are many ways to learn prayer from the Bible, and

I hope this small list is of some inspiration for you. Practice

makes perfect, people say, and it goes for prayer as well.

So don’t worry, go and learn, practice every day, and

enjoy the adventure and exploration of learning to pray.

meet the

author

Lisa Elis is a busy high school junior from Canada who spends her free time chasing many literary interests. She's also into art

and design, orchids and sunshine, plus all things that grow her wanderlust. Find her scrambling to post every week at www.

thisinkwell.blogspot.com.

OH BELOVED ONE | 34


PRAY

SCRIPTURE.

Write the Lord's Prayer in your own words.

What Bible characters do you look up to? What specific

qualities of their lives can you ask God to grow in your own

life?

Write out a blessing (perhaps inspired by Paul's letters) you

can pray to God on behalf of a friend.

What did you read about for devotions today? How can you

use that as a prayer prompt?

OH BELOVED ONE | 35

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM WE PRAY AS DAUGHTERS

we

pray

as

daughters

by emily seaver

Why do we always try

so hard when it's

actually very easy?

That's something I've never

quite understood. We work and

work at praying, trying to make

it just right.

The right words,

the right time,

the right place.

Maybe we try so hard because

we realize we're talking to a

king—the King. Maybe we

realize that our clothes are dirty

and we're the poorest peasants

wearing clothes of rags.

Maybe we realize that we keep

running away from the King's

hand, His plan.

We're rebels. We've committed

treason that we should be

murdered for. We are terrible,

sinful, horrible people.

OH BELOVED ONE | 36

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM WE PRAY AS DAUGHTERS

But we're forgetting one thing.

We're also children. His

children.

Even after we committed

treason. After we deserved to

die for what we did, He still

chose us. And every time you

run away? He comes after you.

He loves you more than you

can imagine, more than the

stars in the sky.

So you are praying to the

King.

You are praying to Someone

who is both loved and feared.

But you're also praying to your

Father.

And only sons and daughters

can speak to the King

unannounced.

meet the

author

If you're ever looking for Emily Seaver, you can probably find her hiding in her room with chocolate while pounding away at

her computer, penning her next novel or poem, and belting off-key broadway songs. She loves her King and strives to honor him.

When not doing school or exploring her next bright idea, she co-blogs at growingintofriends.com. To learn more about the books

she hermits away to write, visit ekseaver.wordpress.com.

OH BELOVED ONE | 37

OH BELOVED ONE | 38

by jo a. ruth

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM CONSTANT IN

read your bible

and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.

pray every day

pray every day

p r a y

every

d a y

read your bible

pray every day

and you’ll

grow

grow

grow

As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning

I

attempted to put the words

to that old Bible song "Read

Your Bible, Pray Every Day"

to the test.

Why? I don’t know. Maybe I

just felt that prayers didn’t get

anywhere. Maybe I thought

my prayers were too small to

be important. Maybe I was

worried God was too busy to

be concerned with me.

Who knows.

I stopped praying. I started

rationalizing. Arguing. Surely

God already was going to do

this. Surely this was already

going to happen regardless.

Surely acknowledging He

existed was all that was required

for Him to be present in the

world.

I think I can safely say those

were the driest days of my life.

Without constant

communication with the

Author of life, life itself seems

to be sorely lacking. Empty.

Hollow. We try to fill this void

with countless other noble little

nothings, and maybe it works

for a time. Maybe.

But it doesn’t last.

Perhaps I was taking it all the

wrong way. Perhaps I’d taken

prayer for an SOS signal only

to be used for emergencies, a

once-in-a-blue-moon occasion

that required the presence of a

higher entity. Perhaps I totally

missed out on the simple fact

that prayer is just talking to

God.

Just. Talking.

That’s so bizarrely simple. Just

talking to God. The King. The

Father. The One in charge of

it all.

Just “Come over. Talk with

me. Let’s chat.”

How absolutely amazingly mind

blowing.

God wants to talk with me.

And with you. And with every

single person who is willing.

We forget how beautiful that

fact is.

Soooooooooooo . . .

How do we remember?

Good question.

There’s a lot of ways one can

go about this. My favorite is

just getting away to a quiet

space, maybe at night, in the

quiet, with the stars, and just

letting my thoughts spill. A

quiet and special time to talk

with God.

Or, well . . .

OH BELOVED ONE | 39


5 Ways To Be More Constant in Prayer

start the day

I shy away from this, to be

honest, because I want the

freedom of being able to talk

to God whenever I need and

want to. However, I find that

if I don’t make it a point to

talk to God, then He fades

away into the background

along with the busyness of

daily life.

Maybe for you, things

like listening to hymns or

setting an alarm can serve

as reminders to pray. Set a

reminder or jot it down, or

even write down your prayers

in a journal. Whatever it

looks like for you, choosing

to intentionally designate a

portion of your day to talk

with God can be that small

moment of grace for every day,

not just when you’ve almost

run dry.

Luke 11:2-4

And he said to them, “When

you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed

be your name. Your kingdom

come.Give us each day our daily

bread, and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone

who is indebted to us. And lead

us not into temptation.'"

how've you been?

We Christians sometimes

assign God as the One

who works miracles and

stops storms and saves the

world, and sometimes that

keeps us from talking about

“unimportant things,” like

how lonely we feel and the

missing forms for student

visas and our burdens for how

broken the world is and how

helpless we are to stop it. And

Jesus is out here telling us that

all of these little things are

exactly what God wants to

hear and listen to. To pray

for food and for sins and to be

able to live well and right.

So tell Him about it all. Tell

Him about life, and all the

thoughts inside your mind

and all the questions you need

the answers for. Because He

hears. And He wants to hear.

Ephesians 6:18

Pray in the

Spirit at all

times and on

every occasion.

Stay alert and

be persistent

in your prayers

for all believers

everywhere.

(NLT)

OH BELOVED ONE | 40


my best friend

One of the best ways to serve

others?

Pray for them.

Again, it’s one thing to say

“Awwwww I’ll def pray for

you!” and then walk on

without even listening to what

they have to say . . .

It’s another thing to hear

someone and truly spend

time praying over them

and for them and even with

them and show that, yes,

you care for them, and more

importantly, so does God. He

is present wherever Christians

are gathered together in His

name, and being able to have

that community and praying

for people who need that

special grace only further

blesses your life and your walk

with the Lord.

Psalm 4:1

Answer me

when I call,

O God of my

righteousness!

You have given

me relief when I

was in distress.

Be gracious to

me and hear my

prayer!

OH BELOVED ONE | 41

OH BELOVED ONE | 41


is it really like that

sometimes?

I’ve been dealing with

depression and loneliness

for quite a while now, and

sometimes all I can do is just

scream at God. Full-on raging,

angry, desperate yelling. Just

asking Him why. Why. Why?

And maybe it’s incoherent

and maybe I’m losing my

mind but maybe sometimes

God reaches through all of

the ugly, broken wreckage

and is there. Sometimes He

is the still, small voice that

will whisper peace through a

raging storm.

Sometimes that’s the one thing

you need the most.

So, yes, pour it all out. Every

feeling and emotion and stress.

I think David and Elijah

and Jonah would more than

agree with me when I say

that God hears everything.

Every mental breakdown and

hurting blow. He hears it.

and He hears you. Did I say

that before? I’ll say it again. It

needs to be said. He hears you.

one step at a time

The key to doing anything

regularly is doing it. (Which

is why I’m failing Algebra but

shhh we don’t talk about that)

That’s why all of these points

won’t mean anything unless

you choose to apply them into

your own life.

Set that alarm. Jot that note.

Find that quiet place. Call that

friend. Sing that hymn.

It doesn’t start off easy and

simple, but you know what?

It’s not just worth it.

It’s worth everything.

Because God is the constant of

your life and my life and life

in its hard, beautiful existence.

And He’s waiting for you to

establish your constant with

Him.

&

meet the

author

Jo A. Ruth is currently hiding from society, but as a Filipiadian weirdo, fangeek, story enthusiast, and aloe vera plant, there's

not a lot of that to begin with. She rants about life and love and other stuff while simultaneously belting showtunes on https://

pananaw.home.blog/, and welcomes the company, if you happen to find her.

OH BELOVED ONE | 42

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM & THEY PRAYED

& they

prayed

by sarah cnossen

OH BELOVED ONE | 43


-

Have you ever

thought what

a beautiful gift

prayer truly is

-

JEHOSHAPHAT

King of Judah, son of Asa

2 Chronicles 17-21

How amazing is it that we have a

personal, private connection to the God

who created everything? He hears our

every plea, petition, fear, worry, and

burden we share with Him. And even

those we don’t.

In a sense, prayer is our only weapon

against the forces of our Enemy. If

you make it a daily habit to pray, that

essentially makes you a Prayer Warrior.

There are several prayer warriors in the

Bible whose experience we can glean

from. In their example, we find trust,

courage, and selflessness. Let’s focus on

three.

Upon threat of attack from

Moabites and Ammonites,

Jehoshaphat called a

kingdom-wide fast and

urged his people to seek

the Lord. In his prayer

(verses 5–13 of chapter

20), he acknowledges

God’s sovereignty, His

covenant to them and their

forefathers, His presence,

His goodness, and their

helpless dependence on

Him and His mercy. He

voices his and his people's

fear, saying, “Our eyes are

on You” (vs. 12).

What a marvelous example

of a God-fearing king

leading his people through

the power of prayer! Would

you have such strong faith

and passionate trust in

your God in that kind of

situation?

Jehoshaphat exhibited

to his people that even

in his own weakness and

fear, God is strong. And

what happened next? God

rewarded his faith and

leadership over his people

by allowing them ultimate

victory without lifting a

single weapon.

To read the full account of

this victory, visit

2 Chronicles 20:14–25.

OH BELOVED ONE | 44


DANIEL

Son of the tribe of Judah

Close friend of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego

Highly-favored servant of Babylonian king,

Nebuchadnezzar, and later King Darius of Mede

The book of Daniel

photo by korin linaburg

I urge you to read Daniel's

story in its entirety! The

stories in there are filled

with courage, action, and

defiance in the face of

pagan kings.

In the well-known story

found in Daniel 6:10, we

read, “Now when Daniel

knew that the document

[a law announcing that all

people were to pray to the

king and no other] had

been signed, went to his

house . . . He got down

on his knees three times a

day and prayed and gave

thanks before his God, as

he had done previously.”

Even in the face of a blatant

law, Daniel never wavered

in his faith. He knew full

well the consequences of

his actions and did not try

to hide, but continually

prayed to his God as loyally

and diligently as ever. What

courage!

We all know what

happened next. In that day,

crimes were punishable

by death—literally being

thrown into a pit of lions.

This is rather horrifying,

yes? And Daniel knew

this! Despite it all, he was

faithful. And even with the

empathy of the king, he

was still given to the mercy

of the lions.

But God interceded!

Miraculously, He sent

an angel to seal the lions’

mouths and when the king

and his officials returned to

the pit the next morning,

behold! There was Daniel

and his over-sized kitties,

unharmed, and I’d say

grinning like the Cheshire

cat.

In all honesty, I don’t know

if I could find the courage

Daniel had in facing such

a trial. But, oh, what faith

this mighty prayer warrior

had!

OH BELOVED ONE | 45


Do you call on prayer as a

weapon alongside the other

pieces in the armor of God?

You never know, that lady

you ran into at the coffee

shop could be dealing with

severe depression. Or that

little boy at the library may

not have a good father

figure to look up to.

There may be no greater

example of a prayer warrior

than that of Paul himself.

Originally named Saul, he

was known as a persecutor

of the church and widely

feared. But God met him

on the road to Damascus

and he returned a changed

man.

Throughout his entire

ministry, his prayer was

constant. Even while

imprisoned, his focus was

heavenward, leading by

example that the saving

faith of Jesus Christ was the

only way to live. Despite

beatings, shipwrecks, and

other trials, he always

continued sharing the

PAUL

Roman citizen of Tarsus

Former persecutor of the church

Ephesians 3:14–21

Gospel in all his travels.

In Ephesians 3:14–21, we

read his words to the people

of Ephesus: “For this reason

I bow my knees before

the Father, from whom

every family in heaven and

on earth is named, that

according to the riches

of his glory he may grant

you to be strengthened

with power through his

Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell

in your hearts through

faith—that you, being

rooted and grounded in

love, may have strength to

comprehend with all the

saints what is the breadth

and length and height

and depth, and to know

the love of Christ that

surpasses knowledge, that

you may be filled with all

the fullness of God. Now

to him who is able to do

far more abundantly than

all that we ask or think,

according to the power at

work within us, to him be

glory in the church and in

Christ Jesus throughout all

generations, forever and

ever. Amen.”

I couldn’t say it better

myself.

But in just a few seconds

you can lift them up to our

gracious King. And yes,

even the jerk who cut you

off on the highway could

most likely use a bit of

intercessory prayer on his

behalf.

If prayer is not

a daily habit,

then strive

from this day

forward to

make it one.

Together, with

other prayer

warriors,

we can

further God’s

kingdom.

meet the

author

Sarah Cnossen is a stay-at-home wife to Evan & mama to Gabe. She’s a native Tennessean, a daughter of the King, an aspiring

writer, and avid reader & reviewer of books. She blogs at sarah-plainandaverage.blogspot.com, and is 99.9% sure she’s a Disney

princess and that she married her Beast.

OH BELOVED ONE | 46


LEARN

FROM BIBLE

CHARACTERS.

Which Bible character (Jehoshaphat, Daniel, or Paul) was

the most inspiring to you?

What attribute in this man's life do you want to work on?

OH BELOVED ONE | 47

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM GOOD LIT

01

GO

OD

recommended books

exploring prayer

Written by a classic Christian author, this

book touches on many subjects, but every

chapter begins with a prayer by Tozer.

He shares his thoughts on how to lean into

God, hear His voice, and follow His will

for your life.

-02-

Valley of Vision edited by Arthur Bennet

A beautiful collection of Puritan prayers. These

are so rich. They can be read as part of your

devotions or to inspire personal prayers.

03

This little book leads you on a prayer

journey and challenges you in your

prayer life. It’s a bold dare to pray daily,

pray boldly, and pray with a purpose.

OH BELOVED ONE | 48

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM GOOD LIT

-04-

Whisper by Mark Batterson

compiled by korin

linaburg & amanda

brown

LI

T

In his thought-provoking, sometimes

funny, and oftentimes poetic way,

Batterson points out how, in 1 Kings

19, God didn’t appear to Elijah in the

loud rushing of the wind. He didn’t even

come in the dramatic rumbling of the

earthquake, nor even the roaring fire,

but instead came in a still, small whisper.

Why do we expect our prayer lives to be

any different?

05

Inside my mom’s copy of this classic book,

pen marks underline the quotes that she found

inspiring and especially relevant to her life.

Just flipping through the pages, I’m caught by

the wisdom of Chambers’ words, and, despite

being written decades ago, how relatable the

words are to my life today.

OH BELOVED ONE | 49

i

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM START A PRAY JOURNAL

PRAY

pants

travelling

of the

sisterhood

get

to

look

b

a ck

OH BELOVED ONE | 50

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM START A PRAY JOURNAL

GREAT REASONS TO START A

PRAYER JOURNAL

by rebecca caraway

I’ve never been very good at praying out loud when I’m alone because I get too distracted and

I worry about someone eavesdropping in on my conversations with God. Because of this, I’ve

struggled to have a diligent prayer life.

That was until a youth leader suggested I write down my prayers in a journal.

At first it was hard to carve out time to sit down and write out my prayers, but it has been

extremely beneficial for my prayer life. Journaling my prayers helps me to sit down and

actually take time with God. It allows me to really think about what I want to ask God for and

what to thank Him for. I’m able to have more fruitful conversations with the Lord if I write

them down.

Another benefit I’ve found to writing down prayers is that I get to look back at what I was

going through a few weeks, months, and even years ago. I can read what was going on in my

life in my own words. This helps me to see how God answered prayers and to look back on all

He’s done in my life.

During my sophomore year of high school, my friends and I decided to share a prayer journal

(kind of like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but with a prayer journal). Six of us shared a

journal, each girl having it for one week. We were able to write down whatever we wanted,

such as Bible verses, our favorite quotes, rants about that day, and prayers for each other. We

used this journal right up until we graduated from high school.

This journal helped us grow closer. As we read each other's prayers, we learned how to pray

for each other. We poured our hearts out in that journal during those dark high school days.

There was an unspoken understanding that what was said in the prayer journal would never

leave that journal.

I strongly recommend that you use a prayer journal with your own small group or friends. Not

only will you grow closer to them, but you’ll grow closer to God.

Journaling my prayers has allowed me to be more connected with my own emotions and

spend more time with the Lord. I’ve also started writing down short payers in the margins of

my Bible. Just short things like “Lord, help me live a life as brave as Esther,” or “Lord, help me

to show kindness to others.”

If you are having trouble maintaining an active and healthy prayer life, I suggest you start

keeping a prayer journal. Just spend a few moments with God and ask Him to use your life for

His will. If you need inspiration, check out Pinterest, the home of all inspiration! They have

great pictures of beautiful journal spreads and Bible note-taking.

May you all have a healthy and fruitful prayer life!

meet the

author

Rebecca Caraway is a freshman at Allan Hancock college on the central coast of California. When she’s not writing, reading, or

watching Netflix, you can find her in a coffee shop drinking a salted caramel iced latte with her friends.

OH BELOVED ONE | 51

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

SWEET

HOUR OF

PRAYER

songs about prayer

by julia findley

For several years I had the opportunity

to lead worship for my small youth

group. Every week I picked songs that

went with the lesson for the week.

Songs about prayer were always the ones

that I loved leading the most because

they impacted me the most. Having a

conversation with our God is extremely

important to the Christian life. Not

every prayer is about us asking from

God; instead we can ask Him for peace,

tell Him why we love Him, and thank

Him for what He has done for us.

OH BELOVED ONE | 52

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Have you ever gone to pray and then

gotten distracted by your phone or

hunger? Have you ever tried to pray but

found yourself wandering off with your

thoughts and daydreams? One of my

professors taught me a method to pray

that involved using songs as a way to

quiet your heart.

Sweet hour of prayer

That calls me from a world of care

And bids me at my Father's throne

Make all my wants and wishes known

In seasons of distress and grief

My soul has often found relief

And oft escaped the tempter's snare

By Thy return, sweet hour of prayer

I Need Thee Every Hour

After my grandpa passed away, I

struggled with finding God again.

Everything hurt and I couldn’t

overcome my grief. It took me a long

time to ask God to remind me that He

was there and that I needed Him.

I need Thee every hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine,

Can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee,

Every hour I need Thee!

O bless me now, Savior,

I come to Thee.

the Garden

When I started school, I was in a new

environment and I couldn’t find either

a space or time that I could really pray.

One afternoon one of my friends asked

if I wanted to go and hang out at what

he called “the spot.” A group of us went

to the small lake area that was within

walking distance from my campus. After

that I regularly have gone back when I

need to have time away and pray.

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

Softly and Tenderly

Have you ever felt so overcome with

emotion because of the trials that you’re

facing? Have you realized that you are

off of the plan that God has for you? I

have found this song to be helpful in

reminding me that God is there when

we need to repent.

In

Come home, come home;

you who are weary come home;

earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

calling, O sinner, come home!

meet the

author

Julia is a student who loves to travel and loves to use her words to impact others. When she is not working you can find her

sipping coffee, strumming her ukulele Bucky, studying or napping.

OH BELOVED ONE | 53

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM GIVE ME

G

I V E

M

E by

janelle martin

“Prayer

is the link that

connects us with God.” A. B. Simpson

Prayer is important for every single

follower of Christ because it’s one

vital way we grow in our faith

and strengthen our relationship with

Jesus. Without prayer, we are taking

matters into our own hands and become

a “one-woman show.” When we are

not in communication with God, we

are vulnerable, ill-equipped, and weak.

When we are in communication with

God, we become more like Him. We

are on the same page with His will for

our life, and we are strengthened by His

power.

Prayer is also a beautiful sacred time.

It’s a time where we can tell him our

thoughts, fears, and hopes, knowing

that He wants to hear our hearts! It’s an

intimate conversation between you and

God. A safe place. A place of rest.

If you’re at a loss or feel overwhelmed

at where to start praying, here are a few

ideas for you to personally incorporate

into your own personal prayer time.

WORSHIP

This varies for me daily, but I usually

listen to one or two worship songs

before I begin my prayer time. Use

whatever method you prefer for

listening, worshiping, and waiting in

God’s presence. I have created a

playlist on my phone of worship songs

conducive to prayer time.

PRAISE &

ACKNOWLEDGE HIM

Begin your prayer time vocalizing your

praise to God. Acknowledge Him

for who He is. Declare His attributes

(Creator, Provider, Healer, Savior,

Restorer, etc.). Thank Him for what He

has done, is doing, and is going to do.

PRAY FOR

CLEANSING

Continue this attitude of praise by

acknowledging the saving power of

Jesus Christ. Ask Him to cleanse you

of anything in you that is not pleasing

to Him, today. Even as born-again

believers, we have a human need to

continually transform into the likeness

of our God.

PRAY FOR HIS

LEADING

In your own way, ask God to order

every step you make today. This

includes what you do and say, where

you go, and the decisions you

make.

PRAY AS THE HOLY

SPIRIT LEADS

If you are comfortable with

spontaneous prayer, this is

for you. Some may recognize this as

intercessory prayer or praying in the

Spirit. Regardless of the labels we use,

this is praying from a place of deep,

abiding relationship with the Lord.

Remember, what I have shared here is

only a model prayer guide. I encourage

you to put your own spin on it. Allow

your daily prayer guide to evolve as you

discover how God would have you

to pray without ceasing.

So today, it doesn’t matter if you’re

driving in your car, doing laundry, or

hustling through your day. Take the

time to pause and spend time with your

father. Press into his presence. Draw

closer to Him.

I promise you won’t regret a single

second of it.

OH BELOVED ONE | 54

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM IT'S NOT OVER YET

IT'S NOT

OVER YET

by mary grace myers

Prayer is a powerful thing. It’s

powerful because you are talking

to God and it’s powerful because

God is listening and working blessings

into your life even if you feel like you’re

living through Hell.

My family has gone through a lot this

year, and it’s been breathtaking to see

how God has given us so much, even

while we are going through so much.

At one point, my mom was having to

decide between mortgage and food

when someone sent us just enough

money for food and gas for the next two

weeks. Another time, we weren’t going

to be able to do Christmas presents

when someone left an amazing amount

of presents for each of us on our porch.

Isn’t that just God?

Sometimes, I think about it and

wonder, why is God so good to us? There

are people starving and people that are

homeless and God is giving us more

presents than the average family.

After you receive those answers to

prayer, though, sometimes it’s hard to

not let them slip away before you thank

God. It’s not over yet. God doesn’t

require something in response to

answering your prayers, but if someone

did all that He’s done for you and your

family, wouldn’t you be thanking him

every second of your life and never

reject him?

I mean, think about what God has

done for you. No—really think. What

has He done in your life?

For one, He died for you and He died

painfully. He died on the cross. Can

you imagine the pain He went through

because He loved you so much? He had

a choice. And He chose you. He loves

you with every fiber of his being.

Just think, when we doubt our selfworth

and cry because we think no

one loves or wants us, can you imagine

what God must be thinking? If I

were God, I would be screaming in

everyone’s face, “Girl, I died for you

because I love you so much. I hurt

because I love you. Every verse in my

love letter, I’ve told you that you are

priceless and beautiful and that you’re

a Child of God. And now you’re crying

and saying that you’re not loved, that

you’re stupid and worthless.”

He had a choice

& He chose you

meet the

author

God has given us the greatest gift in

history. And all that He asks is that we

love and praise Him.

Can we do that? Can we thank Him

for answering our prayers and loving

us unconditionally? Thank God for a

blessing that He has put in your life,

thank Him for answered prayers. Begin

your prayers with praise and adoration

for God, then pray your requests, and

end praising God for what He’s given

you and blessed you with life.

God deserves all the prayer of the world,

so we should start praising God with all

our mights so that as others see us living

our lives out with love and praise toward

our Father, they come to know Him

because they want to have the joy that

comes from knowing our Father, not just

following our Father.

{Remember that thanking God after he

answers a prayer is gratitude, thanking

him in advance is faith.}

{Love God. Praise God. Thank God.

And your life will be full of God.}

Mary Grace is a dancer, writer and blogger. You can find her hanging with her family, dancing and singing to her favorite

songs, or scratching out some poems or song lyrics. MG loves living a life full of passion for her Lord and a goal to make this

world more beautiful through the name of Jesus. You can also find her writing for her blog, https://hopesandjoys.wordpress.com.

OH BELOVED ONE | 55

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM WHAT IS SALVATION

WHAT IS SALVATION?

Ever wonder why some people can be so bad? So mean?

Why sometimes even you succumb to these feelings

of anger, jealousy, and lust? That's because all people,

including you and me, have a sin nature. This sin separates

us from God. He's so perfect that He can't even be in the

presence of a tiny bit of sin. Not only does sin separate

us from God, but there's also a price to pay for it: death,

after which comes suffering in Hell, burning for the rest of

eternity.

But God wants a relationship with us and doesn't want

anyone to perish, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take

the penalty of our sin. He took our place when He died

on the cross for us.

But it doesn't stop there, because Jesus did something we

couldn't do: three days after He was crucified, He rose

again! He defeated death. And, when we accept His gift

of salvation, we become a Child of God and get to spend

eternity in Heaven with Him.

So how do you accept this gift, you ask? Believe that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God and He died on the cross for

your sins, raising on the third day and defeating death.

Confess your sins and repent (turn away) from them.

If you have any questions, please feel free to write us

on our Instagram @oh.beloved.one or Facebook. If you

accept Jesus into your heart, praise God! We want to

celebrate with you, so please let us know! You may want to

look at our previous issue, Grow, which talks about doing

devotions. This is dedicating a small part of your day to

reading God's Word and learning about Him. For the rest

of the year, we'll be going over different aspects of your

Christian walk in great detail, so we hope these issues will

be a great encouragement to you!

OH BELOVED ONE | 56

MARCH/APRIL 2020 OHBELOVEDONE.COM CREDITS

DISCLAIMER

Oh Beloved One is not responsible for any inaccurate information in

its magazine pages. Additionally, we are not responsible for plagiarism

on the part of our writers. We accept their work assuming that it is

their own. Please contact us if you have any problems.

Current reading material in our world today has been tainted and

darkened. In our pages, we strive to share clean and positive articles

that leave readers feeling blessed.

We will not stand down for our faith; however, we will not push our

beliefs on others. You are free to accept or reject things we say and

we will not discriminate against you for any reason. Additionally, just

because our pages are filled with positive articles does not mean we will

not stand up for what we believe in. However, we believe that at this

time it is best to look at the glass as half full.

geeky

printing

info

First run

Body text set in Adobe Garamond Pro,

with special appearances from Reenie

Beanie, Butler, and League Spartan.

All verses in ESV translation unless

otherwise noted.

All photos and art not taken by an Oh Beloved One staff member were

checked to ensure they do not infringe copyright laws. Please contact

us if you have a question.

The ESV Global Study Bible®, ESV® Bible

Copyright © 2012 by Crossway.

All rights reserved.

PRINT IS

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access to solid, practical, beautiful Bible

resources. However, purchasing print

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lets us know you support what we're

doing. Please consider buying a print

copy!

DEDICAT-

ED TO

This issue is dedicated to all the people

at my church who lifted my mom up in

prayer during her chemo. We so clearly

saw the benefits of your prayers you

sent Heavenward, and that has been

such a special gift during this difficult

time.

hey

look

it's the

page

no one

reads.

OH BELOVED ONE | 57

JULY/AUGUST 2019 OHBELOVEDONE.COM ARTICLE TITLE HERE

ohbelovedone.com

UP NEXT

WORSHIP

We're supposed to do all for the glory of God . . . but is washing

the dishes really a form of worship? Or is worhip really just

sitting in a pew every Sunday morning? Find out in our

Worship issue, coming May 2020.

OH BELOVED ONE | 58

Intercede Issue (March/April 2020)

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