Shirlee Abbott

Prayer Triggers

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Shirlee Abbott

Do you, like me, have photos of your loved ones everywhere? On your desk, on the wall, on your phone?

I’ve been thinking . . . I should get in the habit of shooting a prayer heavenward

- - - every time I dust one of those photos
    - when I scroll past the photo on my phone
    - whenever the photo catches my eye

These photos can be prayer prompts:

Philippians 1:3 (MSG)
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer.

A trigger to pray — for their health, for their protection, for their spiritual growth.

Posted in Constructive Thought | Tagged Philippians 1:3, photos, prayer triggers | Comments Off

Picture Prayers

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Shirlee Abbott

Romans 8:27 (ERV)
God already knows our deepest thoughts.

God knows what I’m thinking. I don’t have to tell Him in words. I can tell Him in pictures.

How do I do it?

Sometimes the pictures I share with God exist only in my imagination. Some are actual photographs I hold in my hand, hang on my wall or simply remember. Some I sketch myself. Others are someone else’s artwork.

I hold these prayer pictures in my mind. I can share them with God anytime, anywhere. God’s eyes are on my prayers.

Posted in Constructive Thought | Tagged prayer, Prayer Pictures, Romans 8:27 | Comments Off

Colorful Prayers

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Shirlee Abbott

I ran across this book at the public library.
It opened my eyes to a new way to pray.

In Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God, Sybil MacBeth showed me how to add color, shapes and sketches to my prayers.

I now own a notebook that holds colorful sketches of my prayers for folks dear to my heart. The drawings flow out of my conversations with God, and most are tied to a bit of Scripture.

These drawings aren’t great art. They are good prayers, creative prayers, one-of-a-kind prayers. You might want to draw a few of your own.

Posted in Constructive Thought | Tagged prayer, Praying in Color, Sybil MacBeth | 2 Comments

Snapshot Prayers

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Shirlee Abbott

Yesterday, I posted God’s wordless answer to my prayer request.

Today, let’s consider some wordless requests.

Imagine:

A loved one who doesn’t know Christ kneeling at the cross.
Two people with long-held grudges shaking hands.
A fractured family happily sharing a meal.
Your depressed friend doing a happy dance.

Freeze-frame your image and share it with God. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A snapshot prayer can hold more than words can say.

Ephesians 3:20 (NIRV)
God is able to do far more than
we could ever ask for or imagine.

Posted in Constructive Thought | Tagged Ephesians 3:20, prayer, Prayer Pictures | 2 Comments

Moving Picture Prayers

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Shirlee Abbott

Let me share a wordless answer to prayer.

Our keys were missing. We looked everywhere — no keys. I prayed.

We need to find them, Lord.

Moments later, a short video played in my head. It showed our toddler pushing the keys through the side of the laundry basket. I searched the basket. Lo and behold! The lost keys were found.

That little movie? It wasn’t at my eye level. It was taken from above, as though the camera was above the ceiling. It was a God’s-eye view.

God answered my prayer — with a moving picture.