Come boldly unto the throne of grace...

A blessed Sunday to you! This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!


I have the privilege of hosting this week's challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. I chose for the inspiration scripture  Matthew 6: 9-13 "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"

The challenge is to make a card/project that features prayer; either someone praying, or a verse about prayer, or a greeting that lets someone know you are praying for them. 

At first glance, mine might not appear to meet the challenge. But, to me, this is what I would pray when I wanted to reach out to someone... that I could come boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  In fact, my daily prayer (although admittedly I forget some days) is that I will be a blessing to someone that day. 

That gorgeous scripture featured on my card is from the Lift Up Our Hands stamp set by Our Daily Bread Designs. The frame around the scripture is from Very Vintage Labels No. 2 from Waltzingmouse Stamps. The DP is by Websters Pages. 

I've copied and pasted my devotional from the Stampin' Sisters in Christ post today: 

We all know [The Lord's Prayer] by heart, don't we? It's been slightly changed in recitation; for example, in our church we pray "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen."


I've been thinking a lot about prayer lately. It's a bit of a puzzler for me, and I think it is for all of us. We are told countless times in the Bible to take everything to God in prayer, that God will always answer our prayers. But one wonders... if God already knows everything that's going to happen in our lives, if everything that happens is according to his plan for us or his will, then what's the point of prayer? And how about all the times we pray fervently for something, like the healing of a loved one, and it doesn't happen?


I don't know about you, but I'm not able to answer any of those questions with authority. I'm not a religious scholar, and I have a feeling even religious scholars might answer these questions differently. I'll say this, though... when we pray and pray and pray for something and it doesn't happen, maybe we aren't praying for the right thing. Maybe what we should be praying for is wisdom, for the Holy Spirit to speak to us and guide us, for strength, for patience, for comfort, to be a blessing to others, and for healing, at least spiritually if physical healing is not possible.


Prayer IS powerful. It brings us closer to God. It is when we pray that we are putting our hearts and minds on him, having a direct conversation with Our Father in heaven.


Jesus tells us "your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:" (Matt 6:8)


Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. It is significant to note (as our pastor pointed out) that this was the first time God was referred to as Our Father, better illustrating the close relationship God has... or wants to have...with each of us.


Thy kingdom come (yes, please!).


Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (we must each do our part to make it so).


Give us this day our daily bread (just what we need, not necessarily what we want).


Forgive us our trespasses (debts) as we forgive our those who trespass against us (our debtors)... the latter can be a little tough sometimes, can't it? But how wonderful to know that by grace we are forgiven everything!


Lead us not into temptation (we need God's help with this every day!)


Deliver us from evil (please, God!)


For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.


Amen indeed!


I encourage you to spend time in prayer every day, my friends. It it is the pause that refreshes! And I assure you, if you listen closely and look carefully, you will see that God is answering your prayers... it's just that sometimes it's not quite in the way you might have expected. If all else fails, pray the Lord's prayer and think on every word, don't just recite it by heart. It is full of meaning and full of blessings.

I hope you'll join us for our challenge this week. Our sponsor is the wonderful Layers of Color Art Stamps. Truly gorgeous stamps, and a Christian company! You'll find lots of inspiration and spiritual blessings, by visiting the Layers of Color blog and our design sisters:

Chris Olsen: Twinkles Glow With Stamps

Grace Nywening: Th-INK-ing of You

Linda Lucas: Lovely Linda's Craft Central

Miesje Flach: Craft Room With a View
Patti J Gilliam: Cherish Each Precious Day

Peggysue Turner: Roses By My Window

Rebekka Reed: Diamond in the Rough

Have a blessed day!

Note, this is my second post for today. Please scroll down for the October Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps Blog Waltz. Thanks!