Tonya LaTorre, a former newcomer who attended one of our Moving On After Moving In classes in Scottsdale, Arizona, shares her creative thoughts on prayer for our devotion this month...

As Christians we are all travelers on a journey. This is a faith journey and it has a horizon blazing with colors of intimacy and peace with our God. That place of fellowship with him is where we mature, gain wisdom and produce abundant fruit of the spirit. Out there on that horizon, we can see a relationship with God that is far better than what we have now. Don't we want that? We want to be snuggled up tight to our God where His will and our will are one and the same. How do we reach that horizon?

It occurred to me, if intimacy with God is our pursuit, then prayer is our car.

This car has hardware like: praise, worship, confession, repentance, intercession, thanksgiving, a time for listening, and a time for sharing. This car can also have some style. Our prayers can be spoken aloud or kept silent, sung, journalized, visualized, prompted from scripture, or cried in tears.

So what now? We have a car with style but there remains a problem. A parked car won't take us to a place where we are intimate with God and enjoying a peace that passes all understanding. For this car to move we need two things. The first is a driver's license with a stamp showing our humble attitude and our obedient will. The second is fuel. A car won't move without fuel. This fuel is free, we can't buy it or earn it, and we don't deserve it, but we can have it if we believe it's the one and only. We have the blood of Christ to allow our prayers access to the Father, accomplishing an intimacy for us we could not have otherwise. The blood of Christ is our precious fuel.

So, if you are like me you'll be in a hurry to get there and won't want to waste a moment. To get there quickly you'll need to be full of the Holy Spirit because that's the only way to understand the road map.

Oh, one last thing, the way won't get dark if the light of Christ shines through you. You'll be able to see on this faith journey the bumps, obstacles and pits but you won't crash and burn because the destination is a promise--and God always keeps his promises.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Scripture To Remember
…pray without ceasing… - I Thessalonians 5:17

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving... - Colossians 4:2

…Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. - James 5:16

Question To Consider
What is keeping me from pursuing a deeper intimacy with God through prayer?

Prayer
(Personalize this prayer.) Oh Lord, I come to you in prayer with a grateful heart for …………………. . I thank you and praise you for blessings beyond measure. My heart is also burdened, Lord. I am struggling with these things……………………. I need you so desperately. Give me your peace, your wisdom and your guidance in all things. Heal my brokenness. Restore my joy. In your name I pray, Amen.

Thought for the Day
Today I will choose to step out on a journey of faith through prayer!