The Power of Prayer

I know lately I’ve been harping on the power of prayer.
But I just can’t help it. I’m often amazed and baffled
by the power of prayer. Especially now, since I truly
understand how to pray and how powerful prayer really is.

Most people don’t know how to pray and therefore don’t
experience the power that it carries with it. I know
because for years I was one of those people who didn’t
know how to pray. Oh, I thought I did. I would say my
prayers at night and bless my family and the world and
all my friends. And I would pray for things that were
urgent and I needed immediately, but most of the time
it seemed as if my prayers landed on deaf ears because
they simply didn’t happen.

But things are different today, and I want to share with
you my experience today.

This morning I woke up at 5:30 a.m., as I have developed
the habit of doing. I wake up at 5:30 a.m. and spent an
hour with myself, praying and meditating. I woke up this
morning and read my goals that I want to accomplish this year.
Then, I spent time visualizing myself as having already
accomplished the goals I intend to achieve.

Then, I thanked God for being with me and allowing me
to accomplish my goals.

Next, I decided to say to myself, “Today is a good day.
EVERYTHING goes my way today!”

And I repeated this line over and over and over again with enthusiasm. I
looked at myself in the bathroom mirror
and I said it over and over again, getting more excited
each time I repeated the phrase. I said it out loud, but
not really too loud because I didn’t want to wake anyone
else up in the house because I knew if I did, that would
end my “me” time.

See, this, in addition to the time that I spent with God
thanking him for all that he does and is going to do for me,
is how I pray.

Well, it started almost immediately as I walked out the
door. I took the children to their separate schools and
there was no traffic--unusual for that time of day. As I
pulled into the parking lot of my son’s school, the very
first parking space was open. I pulled in and took him to
class. Then, as I took my daughter to school, the very same
thing happened. The first parking space was available.
This, I might add, is very unusual. Getting the first
parking space at my son’s school is difficult enough
but next to impossible at my daughter’s school since
her school shares a parking lot with the New Jersey
Department of Transportation workers who work at the Bus
Depot across the street. But getting the very first space
at BOTH schools is somewhat of a miracle.

After I dropped them off at school, I had to make a run
to Staples to get some flyers cut that I had made as
marketing material. Because it was during rush hour,
the traffic is almost always backed up on the highway
I have to drive on to get to Staples. But guess what?
There was NO traffic. As I pulled into the parking lot
at Staples (hold on to your seat for this one folks),
the very first parking space was available. I pulled
into it and got out.

As I stood at the counter at Staples waiting for the
lady to cut my flyers in half, another Staples worker
came to the counter and started ringing in overrides.
Because this process was to take a little time, the
manager told me that I didn’t have to pay for my work.
They cut it for free. Now, mind you. I have been going
to Staples for years and getting flyers cut. But I have
NEVER had them give me anything for free.

After I had the flyers cut, I went to a friend’s place
who had agreed to help me place stamps and labels on
the flyers. As we were talking, the conversation turned
to getting a Pitney Bowles stamp machine. My friend came
up with the idea and I stated that I had received many
flyers from them in the mail regarding leasing this piece
of equipment but thought it wasn’t really worth it. I also
stated that if I could get one and use it without having
to pay, just to see if it’s worth it or not, I’d probably
jump at the opportunity. I said the next time I receive
something from them I will look into it because it just
MIGHT be worth it.

Well, as I arrived home, guess who called me? You’ve guessed it--a sales
representative from Pitney Bowles. They are willing to let me try out
the machine for 90-days for absolutely no charge other than the cost of
the stamps that I use.

Later today, I had a meeting with another friend whom I had promised to
help out with something. As I was driving to her house, I remembered
that I had to stop by BJ’s to pick up some Pringle’s potato chip snacks.
My daughter likes them and I include them in her lunch every day. But I
had run out of chips and would need some for the rest of the week. I
like to buy them from BJ’s because they sell a big box of 32 small sized
packages that fit very nicely into her lunch. But the truth of the
matter is, I didn’t really feel like going to BJ’s. So, anyway, I went
to my girlfriend’s house and as I was leaving, without even mentioning
anything to her about BJ’s or potato chips, she said to me, “Hey, you
think your kids would like this? I have this box of chips that I got
from BJ’s about three weeks ago, but I can’t eat it now because I’m on
the Atkins Diet.” She came out with the exact box that I always buy from
BJ’s.

I had one more stop before I was to return home and that was to stop by
Macy’s to pick up some lipstick. I had misplaced one of my favorites and
wanted to replace it. As I went into Macy’s I stopped at the perfume
counter and smelled a few fragrances and started looking at the
lipsticks. While I was standing there, a gentleman was making a
purchase. The saleswoman behind the counter told him that with his
purchase he was to receive a free gift. The gift was a small box of
make-up. Well, the guy looked at me and we started laughing and he asked
what was he supposed to do with make-up. The saleslady said, “I don’t
know but I’m supposed to give it to you. Give it to your wife, or your
girlfriend or your mother.” The guy says, “Well, I’m not married and I
don’t have a girlfriend right now. My mother lives in Florida and I
don’t see myself mailing this off to her.” Well, the saleswoman says she
has to give it to him anyway. So, he takes it and turns to me and says,
“Would you like to accept this as a gift from me to you?” Not being one
to decline a gift, I accepted it. Guess what was inside—the same color
lipstick I came to Macy’s to purchase. Here, a stranger was giving it to
me for free.

Now, none of these things are earthshaking occurrences, and if one is
not in touch with God and their spirituality, they may miss the miracle
of it all. But if they miss it too often, the “miracles” will stop
occurring, believe that. Some might even say it was a coincidence.

I think NOT.

I know why all of these things happened to me.

It’s because I stated my day in prayer and my prayer was “Today is a
good day. EVERYTHING goes my way!”

I can give you hundreds and hundreds of examples of how powerful prayer
could be and how seemingly miracles keep happening in my life.

It could happen to you, too. I’m no more special-er (is that a word?)
than you are. I’ve just learned how to incorporate God and prayer into
every single thing that I do each and every day. You can do the same
thing.

If you want to receive anything or do anything or be anything or have
anything, it’s all possible. Remember, the Bible tells us, “with God all
things are possible.”

ACTION POINT: Tomorrow wake up a little earlier than usual (this may
mean that you will have to go to bed a littler earlier). Spend at least
one hour with yourself, concentrating on you and including God into your
act of concentration.

Write down and read your goals. Visualize yourself accomplishing those
goals. Thank God for allowing you to accomplish them. Then, think of an
affirmation that you want to happen in your life. Say it out loud. Look
at yourself in the mirror and repeat it over and over and over and over
and over again. Get excited about it. Thank God, in advance, for
allowing it to happen. This shows God that you have faith and that you
know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will allow your dreams to come
true. Then, go about your day. Make sure that when the miracles start
manifesting that you immediately thank Him for it. Let Him know that you
are aware of the things He is doing for you. Let Him know that you
appreciate the things that He does. Because I believe He gets a kick out
of the praise you give to Him, and because He gets such a kick out of it
He starts doing more. I know He seems to get a kick out of doing things
for me because He keeps doing them and doing them and doing them well.
And I fall over myself, mouth hanging open in amazement by how He always
seems to give me everything I desire.

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and coach. She has an amazing way of reaching you with her down-to-earth style and her ability to make the impossible seem possible. Sign up for her FREE weekly newsletter by sending a blank email to mailto:yourlifespurpose-subscribe@topica.com.