Marisa Gutierrez is fourteen years old. She lives in Mexico with her parents, three sisters, and two brothers, with her grandparents and uncle and aunt nearby. She has long, thick, wavy dark hair. Her skin is smooth and brown. She has big, shiny, pretty dark eyes. Marisa loves her family and enjoys spending time with them. She is very loyal and helpful to her family. She likes to esape from the noisy hustle and bustle of her home to go on walks through the beautiful Mexico terrain alone or with a friend or family member. Oftentimes when she is alone she brings a book along to read beneath her favorite tree. She especially loves to read her Bible. She doesn't like change and wishes everything could stay as it is. She also dislikes winter-- she'd rather be able to go outside barefoot to walk, read, or work in her family's little garden.

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Lesson 3 is on creating your characters.

This character is one from a book I've started.

Character: Marisa
Physical characteristics: Age 14; lives with grandparents, parents, and siblings; light brown, smooth skin; long, dark, thick hair; big, dark, shiny eyes; average height and weight.
Personality: Loves her family and is loyal to them; not open to change; tries to remain cheerful; is helpful to her mother
Likes/Dislikes: She likes to spend time with her family, go on walks alone or with a family member or friend, and read -- esp. the Bible. Dislikes change, winter, and tomatoes.

This character is from a short story I'm writing.

Character: Jessica
Physical characteristics: Age 15; only daughter; pale skin, a few freckles; long, straight, blonde/brown hair; skinny and a little short for her age.
Personality: Quiet and friendly; will be anyone's friend if they'll let her
Likes/Dislikes: Likes to spend time with her older brother, hang out with her firends. Dislikes when her brother or friends are mean to her, changes, and stew.

This character is from a book I'm writing with a friend.

Character: Francisca Gonzales
Physical characteristics: Age 21; tall and thin; medium length, dark hair; dresses plainly; smooth, light brown skin
Personality: Friendly, cheerful, courageous, determined, bold, truthful, kind, diligent
Likes/Dislikes: LIkes people who trust her, surprise visits from friends, helping others, and solving mysteries. Dislikes people who don't trust her or are mean or judgmental.

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Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine

            I like Arieda, Ella’s friend in Ella Enchanted, because she is kind to Ella and a great friend. She sticky by Ella. She is strong and doesn’t let the other girls’ teasing get to her. 

            Ella’s stepsister Hattie makes me very mad. She soon learns Ella’s secret and takes advantage of her a lot, for her own pleasure or gain. She also takes advantage of her younger sister, Olive, because Olive is not as smart as Hattie. 

 Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine

            I really like Prince Ijori in Fairest. He was so kind, and was able to see past things like Aza’s size and ugliness into her true self, instead of judging her like most people did.

             I didn’t like Queen Ivi, because she was jealous, vain, and took advantage of people. At the beginning she seems nice enough, but she is really tricking Aza. She convinces Aza to lie by signing for her, and pretends her beauty is real, when she is really ruled by a magical mirror. In the end she tries to kill Aza.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis 

            One of my favorite characters in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is Lucy. Even though her sister and brothers give her a hard time, she knows she is right, yet doesn’t make a huge fuss over it. Once her siblings know that Lucy was actually correct, she doesn’t rub it in that they were mistaken. Throughout the story she is very brave and quick-thinking.

             My least favorite character is the White Witch. She lies to and tricks Edmund, and tries to kill the children and prevent the end of her horrible winter. She even torments and kills Aslan, unaware that he doesn’t have to stay dead.

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Book: Ella Enchanted
Character: Ella of Frell
Setting: the country of Frell and other places she travels to
Problem: Ella’s “gift” of obedience
Plot: Ella decides to take matters into her own hands to break the curse. She travels to many places, in search of Lucinda, the fairy that gave her the “gift”. Eventually she meets Lucinda and finds that she will not take the gift back.
Solution: Ella breaks the curse because of her love for Prince Char and her will to not let anything hurt him. By sheer willpower, she is able to break free.

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Lesson 1 

Book: Ella Enchanted
Character: Ella of Frell
Setting: the country of Frell and other places she travels to
Problem: Ella’s “gift” of obedience
Plot: Ella is given the gift of obedience at birth by the fairy Lucinda. The gift is more like a curse, and Ella
wants to get rid of it.
Solution: Ella breaks the curse

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I am going to start doing the lessons on this really cool writing workshop called Reach for the Stars! It's really neat, and I encourage you to check it out.

Anyway I thought I'd let you all know what I'm doing.

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  “Your Song”

You think you’re okay,
You think you’re alright.
Then it crashes again,
And once more you’re in the fight.
 
You think you can do it,
You think you’ve got it down,
But soon that confident smile’s replaced
With a tear and a frown. 
 
You collapse in exasperation.
“I can’t do this!”, you cry.
Tears come to your eyes,
And again you wonder “Why?”
 
“Why’d all this have to happen?
I thought by now I could take it.
But I’ve set myself up for disaster,
I don’t think I can make it!”
 
Broken friendships, broken dreams,
Crushed hopes, new fears,
Realizing it’s not what it seemed,
Facing yourself in the mirror;
 
So many trials and sorrows,
Life pitches hard times and hurts.
But there’s the promise of tomorrow!
Don’t let despair throw it in the dirt.

Right now it seems dark,
Seems like everything’s wrong.
But things will turn out right.
God will restore your song.
 
-Emma K. S.

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              Ada’s heart races as she slowly walks down the hall. She barely hears her friends calling her name to tell her goodbye. Unconsciously she manages a smile and wave. Numbly, she shoves the door open and makes her way through the crowd of noisy highschoolers. She sinks to the ground at the bottom of the steps. Though her feelings are numb, thoughts and questions swarm through her mind. How could he do this to me? Why? What did I do? What makes that other girl so much better than me?
             She’s been dumped. Again. A tear trickles down Ada’s face and she wipes it away with the back of her hand. 

~~~ 

            Zac sighs. He should’ve known, should’ve seen from the beginning how this would turn out. He looks away, lost in thought, as his girlfriend chatters on.
            “Zac? Hello-o-o?” Brittney snaps her fingers in front of his face, startling him back to reality. “Have you heard a word I’ve said?” she demands, her hands on her hips.
            “Uh, yeah, Brit. I was... uh, I was just thinking...” Zac replies hesitantly. Brittney rolls her eyes and taps her fingers on the table impatiently. Zac nervously glances around. Maybe this isn’t the time, he thinks. Yet he knows he has to do it. He takes a deep breath.
            “Brittney, listen, I don’t want to hurt you. Really. But I... I don’t think we should be together. Can’t you see it’s not working?” Zac pleads. In an instant the girl runs away, leaving him shocked, his cheek stinging from her slap. His head sinks into his hands. He hadn’t meant for all this to happen.  

~~~

             “C’mon, Callie, hurry up!”  
             Callie bites her lip and hesitates. 
             “Jump in, let’s go!” Callie’s boyfriend, Jake, hollers at her.
            “Wait, Jake. Can’t- can’t we talk about this?” Callie asks timidly.
            “We already have!” Jake replies roughly. You agreed to come and hang out with me. Now hurry up, the guys are waiting.”
            Callie purses her lips in thought. She had told Jake she would go, but... she doesn’t know these friends of his, plus, it’s Wednesday and she told her friend Maria she’d try to go to church with her. She’s been meaning to start going to church more regularly again, but Jake always wants her to hang out with him, and no matter how hard she tries, she never can convince him to go to church with her. 
            “I can’t go with you, Jake,” Callie says determinedly. 
            Jake blinks, shocked that she would defy him. “What do you mean?”
            “I can’t go with you. I’m sorry. I’m going to church tonight. Unless you want to come, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
            Jake’s jaw drops. “I will not see you tomorrow!” he screams. “I don’t want to see you ever again!” With that, he steps on the gas and his car speeds off, screeching.
            Hot tears spring to the young girl’s eyes. She’s filled with hurt, yet she knows she did the right thing.

  ~~~           

           Alice kneels beside her bed in prayer. Her heart is full of gratitude. When she was a young teen, her and her parents had made the decision that she wouldn’t date. Although that was unheard of, Alice had stuck to her decision. She’d been ridiculed and made fun of. Sometimes it was hard to hold out. Sometimes she just felt like giving up and giving in to what everyone else was doing. But, with her parents’ encouragement and God’s help, she’d stuck with it and now was seeing the benefits of it. After being courted by a young man for almost a year, tonight, after talking to her parents, he had asked for her hand in marriage. 
            “Thank You Jesus,” she prays, tears of joy streaming down her face. “I can now give my whole, unbroken heart to James, whom I love so much.”            

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  "The Meadow”

The sunlight                        
Glaring in my eyes,
Warming my skin,
Making my hair shine,
I sigh and grin.
 
The clouds                              
Float through the sky,
Like fluffy cotton balls,
In my mind up I fly,
Through the white puffiness I fall.
 
The grass                                
So shiny and green,
Beneath my feet, so soft,
Pretty and clean,
To this meadow I’ll return oft.
 
-Emma K. S.

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The dark, moonless sky,
So like my heart,
            Searching, longing.
The endless, cloudy night,
And I’m torn apart
            By the feelings thronging. 
 
The silent night air,
Like the thoughts of my soul
            Confused, dancing.
The cool breeze blows my hair,
Like stirring my mind’s loll,
            Fleeting, prancing.
 
The night birds call,
Like my deep thoughts,
            Calling, yearning.
Until away the darkness falls,
My feelings are put off,
            For now it is morning. 
 
 
-Emma K. S. 1/8/08

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  “Goodbyes" 

Sometimes it’s hard
to say goodbye.
Separating hurts,
and makes us cry.
 
Broken friendships,
crushed hopes or dreams,
friends that move away,
when things are ended and it seems
 
As if your world is
turned upside-down.
Try as you might,
all you manage is a frown.
 
Will you see them again?
You know that you will.
But in the meantime you’ll miss them,
And you’ll wonder how they feel.
 
But goodbyes are temporary,
if we’ve all trusted Jesus!
We’ll meet again in Heaven
when He comes to redeem us!
 
-Emma K. .

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 “Trust Him”

 Oh the pain, all the hurt
It’s so hard to bear.
Yet I know I can make it,
For Jesus is there.
 
Life isn’t easy,
This world’s unforgiving.
But God’s precious love
Always makes life worth living.
 
When the going gets tough,
When you think you can’t make it,
You’ll feel Him beside you
And you’ll know you can take it.
 
Friends will disappoint you,
Hopes and dreams fade away.
But He knows what you’re going through,
He understands your pain.
 
When you feel all alone,
Like nobody cares,
Remember He’s with you,
And your pain He’ll gladly bear.
 
Cast all your worries and hurts,
Dreams and desires on Him.
I know that you’ll find
It makes things brighter, not dim.
 
So oft we don’t know,
We’re not meant to understand.
We simply have to trust Him
And know He has a plan.
 
He works all things for good,
His plan He carries out.
He has it under control,
It’s in His hands- don’t doubt.
 
He knows so much better,
So much more than you or I.
He loves us and just wants
The best for our lives.


-Emma K. S.

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I just finished reading Toria's testimony on the undercover blog (I encourage you to go read it; it's great!) It really encouraged me, because I love hearing other peoples' testimonies; not just about when they got saved, but about what God has taught them and brought them through. And it inspired me to write out my own testimony, for my own benefit as much as, or more than, anyone else's.

I was about 6 years old or so when I first heard God. It happened one day during VBS. I don't remember what it was that I heard that hit me, but that was the first time I knew that I needed God, that there was something missing in my life. That evening at home, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I knew what I needed to do, but I was too shy to tell my parents. I was very quiet that night. It almost seemed as if I couldn't talk... I thought if I did I'd start crying or something. Eventually the feeling went away.

When I was about 9 years old, I was in AWANAs at our church, and my Mom was helping me in my AWANA book at home one afternoon. There was a section where you could write down the date you were saved, if you had been saved. I remember my Mom telling me that she would love for me to be able to fill it out, and she told me about how salvation is God's gift to us; He is just waiting for us to take it. She asked me if I wouldn't accept a gift if it was laying in the living room right then, and why wouldn't I accept this gift, this amazing gift of salvation, from a holy God. I didn't get saved then either. I went to AWANAs that night, and kind of put it off. While I KNEW I needed to get saved, I kind of thought, "Oh, this is just something Mom wants me to do..." Then that night as I lay in bed, I knew God was calling me. I could feel it... I could almost hear it! It was so real... I was completely restless. I knew I needed to be saved, if I ever knew anything. I walked out into the living room, where my Mom was on the computer, several times, each time with the intention of telling her I wanted to be saved, but every time, when I went out there, I would chicken out and say something else. Finally I said to myself, this is it. I can't struggle with this anymore. I've got to tell her. I walked out there, looked at my Mom, and said "I want to get saved", then collapsed into her lap and cried and cried. Then we sat on the couch and she prayed with me. I remember telling my Dad I was saved, and my sisters, and then going in front of our church the next Sunday and telling them.

There; I'd said the prayer, told everyone I was saved.... now I'm safe, right? Well, yes... I asked Jesus into my heart that night. He heard me, and saved me. But a couple years later, I started having doubts. It became a reality... I thought, "But, what if I'm NOT really saved???" I didn't want to go to hell. I wanted to be sure. I talked to my parents a few times, prayed again, but I really didn't feel any different. I was living in fear. What if somehow I was never really saved? What if I'd said the prayer wrong, or had left something out, or didn't pay close enough attention? What if Jesus came back, or I died, and found out I wasn't saved? I wanted to know for sure, but each time I prayed, I wondered "Will it work this time?" I didn't have faith. I didn't completely believe, I didn't trust in God that if I "Believe[d] on the Lord Jesus Christ, [I would] be saved."

I went through times of doubting, and times when I was pretty sure. But there was always this nagging fear, this "what if...?" inside. This June at church camp, I was writing out my testimony as part of an assignment in a class, and God showed me so clearly... it's as if he was standing there beside the little concrete wall I was sitting on in the peaceful, cool, early morning with my notebook and pen, and said "Emma, I love you. You are my child. I have saved you. You know that. You just have to BELIEVE in Me, you have to TRUST that when you accepted Me, I saved you forever and ever. No more doubts; you are My child."

I have grown so much since then. Before, though God WAS teaching me things, there was a hindrance... I always had that little doubt, that was a barrier between me and God, it kept me from being able to grow in Him every day. Since then, He has worked in my life in so many ways, through big things and through small. At the beginning of this year, we left the church we'd been going to for 11 years, and started going to a different one. I didn't understand at the time why things had changed and we didn't feel like our old church was the place for us, but I knew it wasn't. And I just knew that this church was. In just a few months, I have changed so much. I have learned to worship Him openly, however He calls me to. He has taught me so much. I know that He is always with me, through the hard times and the good times. I don't usually understand why things happen, like in the song "Beauty from Pain", it says "And though I can't understand why this happened, I know that I will when I look back someday, and see you You've brought beauty from ashes". I don't understand why Meggy moved to CO, but I know that He has a plan and that He works everything out for the good of those who love Him and trust Him, and that He will show me in His own time. He is teaching me to trust Him, to surrender everything to Him, and not to rely on friends or family or the things of this world, but to fully rely on Him.

One of the best parts is that it's an adventure; He shows me things and teaches me each day. It's not boring, it's quite exciting to wake up and think, I wonder what God will teach me today? It's so amazing how He can work through anything.

But the absolute best part is that though this life is but a vapor and will be over before I know it, I will get to spend eternity with my Heavenly Father, worshiping at the feet of Jesus forever.

If you have never trusted God as you Savior, never accepted the punishment that Jesus took for you and the price He payed for you on the cross, if you have never answered that call, please do so now. It is so simple. All you have to do is pray to Him, He will hear you! Admit that you are a sinner, and confess your sins. Accept Jesus' blood as payment for your sin, and ask Him to forgive you (He will! He wants to! He's waiting to!) and to come into your life, and help you turn from your sin and your old ways and live for Him.

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I've been awarded!!!!! Grace4God gave me the Contemplative Blogger award!!! Thanks, Grace!!!

I'm supposed to award this to two people... I would award it to Grace4God andUndercover, but they've already received it... so I give it to:

Toria.... though she also does Undercover, she has written some very inspiring things on her croctoria blog... I love her contagious passion!!! :D Luvyou, Toria!

I can't think of anyone else on HSB that hasn't received it to give it to, so, Grace and Undercover, consider yourself doubly awarded :P, and Sunshine Princess and Warrior of the Dawn, I know neither of you are on HSB and I don't even know if you could put this award on Blogspot if you wanted to, but you both have very inspiring and encouraging blogs that I love to read.... so I'll award you anyway. :D

~Emma

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Daniel 9:12-14 says, "And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done in Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice."
I realize, of course, that this is talking about Jerusalem and those people... but do you not think this can be applied to America? "...by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done in Jerusalem." I remember two times for sure that our nation has been in a sort of panic because of a "natural" disaster or tragedy. How about 9/11?? Or hurricane Katrina? And those are just two that I remember very clearly because they've been recently... there have been a number of things that have happened in the past that we would consider to be a "great disaster", don't you think? "...all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. Therefore the LORD has... brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice." It's true that when a disaster or tragedy happens, we turn to God all of the sudden, is it not? But then what happens? Everything is restored, we go back to our daily, normal life, and we forget about God. Sure, during the time of panic, we pray that everything will be okay, "yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth." Maybe God does things to get our attention, and it does get our attention, for a little while, yet we never turn from our iniquities, we just go right back to them. Sometimes we would probably say, "Why would God allow these things to happen?", or, "Why would God send a disaster or something bad to us?" But this Scripture is clear, "...for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice." Could it be that He is trying to get our attention, and to do so He must send tragedy? If so, we know it is a righteous doing. And isn't it awesome that even though we refuse to turn to Him, and have "not obeyed His voice", He continues to try to get our attention? The question is, will we listen to Him? When will we change?

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A few days ago as I was reading my Bible I came upon this Scripture and thought it kind of went along with the poem I posted previously, "Hope for You Tonight".

"My loved ones and friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long...

For in You, O LORD, I hope;
You will hear, Oh Lord, my God.
For I said "Hear me, lest the rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt over me."

-Pslam 38: 11, 12, 15, & 16

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If any of you have ever felt this way, this poem is for you. Know that God is there for you, and He will hear you when you cry out to Him, no matter what state you're in. He understands your pain and your problems.  

 Hope for You Tonight

They walk away,
and leave their bitter words behind.
You’re left there all alone,
no hope left for you to find.
 
Your heart is broken,
you have nothing to hold on to
but the hurtful words spoken
and the pieces your heart’s crumbled into.
 
Their hateful words sting,
their awful deeds cut deep your heart.
The pain is lingering
from those words, few, but tart. 
 
You feel the need to get even,
after all they’ve done to you.
It seems unfair they can injure you so, then
only right you should wound them too.
 
It hurts something awful,
with all your might you want to scream.
But when with pain you’re full
you feel you can’t do anything.
 
You’re frozen, you feel numb.
You see and feel nothing but the ache.
You thought that you could trust them,
until these wounds they decided to make.
 
Your closest friends betrayed you,
vengeance is what you seek.
Your family turned their backs on you,
you’re all alone, scared and meek.
 
You bury yourself in your pain,
it seems there’s nothing else to do.
Your life’s been ruined with shame,
Everything’s gone, why not take your life, too?
 
There’s no one you can talk to,
no one you can trust.
“No one understands!” says you,
and hide from all, it seems you must.

The risk is too great to take
of them failing you again.
You’re confused, and you ache,
From doing something awful you can hardly refrain.

There is One you can turn to,
Who can help you out of your pain.
He can help you forgive, too,
And even trust them once again.
 
There’s a promise to cling to,
For He understands it all.
All this would happen, He knew,
He knew that you would fall.
 
You fell, and now He’ll catch you
and wipe away your tears.
He understand what you’re going through,
He went through the same thing, though it’s been many years.
 
His friends and family betrayed Him, too.
He forgave them right away.
Cry out to Him tonight, He’ll hear you
and take your pain away.
 
And though it takes time to heal,
away the pain will slowly seep.
In His arms, peace and comfort you feel,
and in His arms is where you He’ll keep.
 
 There’s hope tonight,
through the tears and the fog.
Hope pierces through the night
Just cry out to God.

-Emma K. S.

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Here are some poems I wrote last night, I hope you enjoy them and I hope they speak to you.

  I don’t know what to say,
I want to pour out my heart.
How can I express my thanks?
I don’t know where to even start.

Creator of the world,
how could You love me so?
What is it You see in me?
That’s what I want to know.
 
I’m surrounded by Your love,
the love I don’t deserve.
Shown to me each day,
through Your precious, God-breathed Word, 

Through family and friends,
through little blessings every day.
Your true love never ends,
try You as I may. 

Two thousand years ago,
You proved to us Your love.
So all the world would know,
You sacrificed Your Son.
 
Beaten, bruised, and dying
a brutal death – for me!
Jesus- hanging there, crying,
nailed to the Romans’ tree. 

He died, the world to save-
He died for me and you!
Then He rose up from the grave!
And now He lives! It’s true! 

-Emma K. S.

When men and women look at me,
they see sinful, earthly flesh.
They see my flaws and failures,
even when I try my best.
 
I never can be perfect,
’m never good enough.
The world will look down on me,
if I’m not rich or pretty enough.
 
The girls- they cast me out,
mocking, laughing, teasing.
the boys- they overlook me,
if I’m not pretty enough to be pleasing.
 
How discouraged I do get,
when all alone I feel.
When it seems as no one cares,
when they sniff and turn on their heel.
 
Then through the tears,
and through the pain,
I look into the Word,
and it’s all so plain:
 
“Man looks at the appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart.”
All at once I smile-
ope and light pierce through the dark.
 
God doesn’t see my outside,
He sees one whom He’s redeemed,
washed away the sin stains,
made beautiful and free.
 
I’m His special creation!
He made me one of a kind!
I was made just right,
with a unique and precious mind.
 
-Emma K. S.

You forgive me when I’m wrong-
which is all too often, I’ll admit.
You’re my strength when I am weak-
You help me up out of the pit.
 
You love me when I rebel-
think I can do things my own way.
You guide me when I stumble-
You show me the path to take.
 
You are peace in my confusion-
You always comfort me.
You help me through the hard times-
help me with every need.
 
What more could I ask for?
There’s nothing else I need.
You are my everything-
this world has nothing for me.
 
-Emma K. S.

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I want to follow You forever,
Wherever You want me to go.
Your will is all I want for me,
It’s all I need to know. 

For if I am in Your will,
Nothing can go truly wrong.
For Your will is always perfect,
With your plan I want to go along. 

“Take up your cross and follow Me,”
You’ve instructed us to do.
Help me to die to myself,
And truly seek after You.

 It’s hard to give up my own plans,
But I know it’s truly worth it.
For there’s nothing in this world for me,
But Your will is always perfect. 

-Emma K. S.

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“Prayer”
By Emma S

             God has taught me a lot about prayer in the last few weeks. I was on the prayer team in our youth group for the youth event we had, Fan the Flame. We had a few scheduled prayer meetings, and I also spent quite a bit of time in prayer alone. I also got into God’s Word more during those weeks prior to the event, and God showed me some things.
            I don’t think I ever really thought about just how important prayer is. I always thought, oh yeah, I’m supposed to pray, I ask God to forgive me for all the bad things I’ve done recently, and “pray” for some things, prayer requests of friends and such, but I realized how powerful prayer can be.
Matthew 21:22 says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
James 5:15 says,  “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
This is a chance to personally communicate with God, the Creator of the universe, the Lord of all! And He wants us to talk with Him!
Proverbs 15:8 says, “...But the prayer of the upright is His delight.”
What an amazing opportunity that a lot of us don’t take most of the time. We make excuses like, “Oh, I’m really busy, I just don’t have time.” Don’t have time? For the Creator of the universe? If the President of the United States or a King of some country offered you an opportunity to personally talk one-on-one with him, would you just blow it off? Would you say you didn’t have time? I don’t think many of us would. How much more important and awesome is God and the opportunity He gives us to talk to Him every day, 24/7! 
            Not only should we want to talk to Him, but He tells us to. Jesus Himself prayed while He was on earth!
            Luke 6:12 “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
            If Jesus did it, then we should too, and He tells us to pray, and to pray all the time.
            Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”
Matthew 26:41 says, “"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation...”
Acts 6:4 says,  “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Romans 12:12 says, “...continuing steadfastly in prayer”
Ephesians 6:18 says, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...”
Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” 
            How can we “not have time” for Him? He gave his very life for us! He loved us that much! If a person here on earth offered to take a punishment for you, even die for you, would you just forget about them later? No! You would feel forever indebted to them. 
            God is holy, and we are sinful humans, yet He wants us to talk to Him, and promises to hear us.
            1 Kings 9:3 says, “And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me”...”
2 Kings 20:5 “...‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you...”
1 Chronicles 5:20 says,  “...He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him.”
2 Chronicles 7:12 says,  “...“I have heard your prayer...”
Ezra 8:23 says, “So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.”
Job 22:27 says, “You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, and you will pay your vows.”
Jeremiah 29:12 says, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
So it is plain that He wants us to pray, and that He will hear us when we pray to Him, but how do we know what to pray for, or how to pray? He tells us that, too!
Matthew 6:5-6 says, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 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.”
Luke 11:2 “So He said to them, “When you pray, say: 
            Our Father in heaven,
                        Hallowed be Your name. 
                        Your kingdom come.
                        Your will be done
                        On earth as it is in heaven.
                        Give us day by day our daily bread.
                        And forgive us our sins,
                        For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
                        And do not lead us into temptation,
                        But deliver us from the evil one.”
Mark 11:25 says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
It’s easy to pray for ourselves, our family, and our friends. But God tells us to pray for our enemies, too.
            Luke 6:28 says,  “...pray for those who mistreat you.”
Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
Sometimes it’s hard to know what to pray, or how to pray. Sometimes we’re feeling too much to be able to express ourselves in words. But guess what? We don’t have to!
Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
I think that is so awesome! God understands us, all the time! We don’t have to use English words for Him to understand.
God is always there for us.
Deuteronomy 4:7 says, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?”
He is always ready to answer our prayers, if we “ask in faith, with no doubting,” as James 1:6 tells us to do. I quoted this earlier, but I love this verse: “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22)

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