Mathilda's Prayer Letters - May to August 2005
From May 2005 to August 2006, Mathilda wrote a monthly prayer letter for the website.
May 2005
My name is Mathilda Small-Byam. I am a member of Clapton Methodist Church, a Local Preacher and evangelist. My passion in my ministry is prayer.
We now have a website in our circuit and I will be sharing what prayer means to me, how I view prayer and the help I receive by prayer, the power of prayer, and sharing some helpful prayers, which you could be used daily and not just some times for prayer is 24hours. If we all pray for one day and see God at work in our life then for 365 days, we could not only change one life the world, but also give the glory to God.
Most people pray to ask God as Jesus said “ask and receive” but we need to also give. When we receive, and if we do not even receive anything, we all should give. This is about life, time, talent, and what ever we give is already God's. In our praying we must wait on God and let him pray through us, this is call praying in the spirit, even if you use a book or bible, pray slowly asking God's guidance to use the correct words to pray.
Listening to God as well as speaking to him is very important, as when we listen to God, God speaks to us, then we must obey what God says. Before going any further pause, and think about this statement, then reflect on your past prayers; those that answered and the ones you never had any reply and still waiting an answer. To listen to God is to find time for God, waking early, setting aside a special time during each day for prayer, read your Bible daily. This time is time for God. It does not mean you must not prayer any other time during the day for at the bus top, driving a car, waiting at the doctor's surgery or anywhere and every time we all could and should pray.
Prayer is talking to God in a two-way conversation, and a listening time to hear from God. Never do all the talking. When we feel God is speaking write it down or challenge the answer. Then look for a confirmations, which you find in the bible or another person who draws our attention to the answer we seeks. This I call spiritual awareness God is opening for us to receive from him the answers we seek. God's creativity flows as we plan, for somehow God seem to implant in our minds and thoughts when we pray reaching out to him in faith, believing. We must set out our prayer in the correct form A C T S: Adore God, Confess to God, Thank God and then make your Supplications.
The Bible has many prayers we could read and see God's reply as not always our way but knowing what is best for our situation.
'Be still and know God' is the end of Psalm 46: one that you can learn and use as often you feel to pray in faith.
Be still now and read this special prayer:
We praise you O God, who cause us to learn about the Word written in Holy Scriptures, help us to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest your word. We worship you with gladness of heart, mindful of the significance of this new day, overwhelmed by your amazing love you give us each new day in Christ our Lord.
Christ Jesus through patience, love, comfort, you come to us, and we embrace your love holding fast the hope of everlasting life, by your death and resurrection. Now you are our advocate between God and us, we praise you Holy name. In faith we worship you. Holy Spirit we welcome you in our lives bringing knowledge of God's promise to us, giving grace to receive with reverence and humility your truth and showing us our way back to God.
Father God, forgive us for the sins we committed, and grant us the strength to resist sin we pray. We sin Father God in word and deed against you and each other and ask pardon. We live by your promises in faith believing if we confess our sins you will for give us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Amen.
June 2005
We who profess to follow Christ are called Christians and should maintain a relationship with Christ. Parents keep in touch with their children most of the time and also children with parents. Friends build up friendship with communications with each other. However we form a bond with God in Christ Jesus by the power of his Holy Spirit, and Christ called his followers friends.
Prayer is the closet form of speech with which we communicate with God. He talks, we listens. We talk and he responds. When we hear his voice we should not harden our hearts, to what we hear. We believe is His Word.
Prayer is a burden of our tearful hearts, our sorrows and our joys in life, the words at the gates of death, as we enter heaven with prayer. The Spirits interceding grace give us the faith to know our prayer is heard as we wrestle until we see God’s face. Some ways of communication are grouping together for prayer, Bible-studies, seminaries, prayer-breakfasts, and afternoon meetings in various places such as homes, and clubs.
Prayer is 24 hours anytime and anywhere where two or three are gathered in Christ Jesus' name. We consume a great deal of time and often some people live busy lives. For myself I live a busy life but am never too busy for a prayer life, praying with others, for others and myself. Knowing the power of prayer I do not always pray alone but meet with others regularly meeting weekly in elderly homes at Islington and Stoke Newington, visiting the sick at home and in the hospitals, plus my daily prayers. I have seen the power of God working as life’s change to become followers of ‘Christ The King’ by the powers of the Holy Spirit.
Our priorities for God and with others together for God are foremost, and everything else is secondary. We are the church that others come to know God and a church that does not have prayer times and studying the Bible lack most of the opportunities God have for us. There were times past when the stress of life had taken over and crowded my spiritual life, which left me saddened and despondent that at times I could not pray but called out to Jesus, several times and nothing else. Until I returned to my routine in groans praying as I could, studying the Bible plus my quiet time, I found my life again; by the power of prayer, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit presence not just with me but from deep within.
Prayer:
God of Heaven and earth whose creative nature witnesses to us – we worship you.
God whose Son Christ Jesus witnesses to us your people - we worship you.
God the Father, Son and Holy spirit whose activity witness to us - we worship and adore you.
Spirit of fire burn in us, wind of Christ Jesus blow on us, water of God refresh and restore us. Fill us all this day from on high with power, consume us with love, change us, renew us, then use us for your will and work. In the name of your Son O God, through the power of your spirit. Amen.
July 2005
Summer is here, and some will be travelling abroad, or in the U K. For some it is staying at home with the family and having day trips. May this year’s holidays be the best you ever had.
I have started writing about the power of prayer and giving some for either to look at or you might be using them daily. Let us first continue where we left off on the power of God through our prayers. In our daily travels we leave our homes unprotected, our families are divided going different ways on vocations or vacation, but always remember where ever we are God is.
Going to the mountains God is there with you,
Going to the seashore, God is there with you,
Climbing the heights God is there with you,
Going to the shops God is there with you,
Riding our bicycles to search for adventures, God is there with you,
We sit around our computers; God is there with you,
When we visit churches or cathedrals, God is there with you,
When we return home God is there with you.
We have a God who never leaves nor forsakes his children and granst his presence by the power of his Spirit to always be with us his children. John 10: 3-4 reminds us ‘He call his own by name and we who follow him recognizes his voice’: His promise is ‘never to leave, nor forsake anyone who put their trust in Him: Deut 31: 6 & Joshua 1: 5 making these statement sure. For the power of prayer is on God’s promises believing.
August 2005
Prayer is seeking the will of God and following his teaching. It is not our will for we cannot do anything but through the will and power of God’s spoken word. Do not pray with your own agenda. Jeremiah 1: 4 & 5: "the Lord came to Jeremiah saying: ‘before I formed you I knew you, before you were born I set you apart I appoint you’". Now God knows us before we were born and knows our secret sins. He only waits our confession in earnest to forgive us all our sins and cleanse us from all on righteousness. What a mighty God we serve and follow his ways; David was a man of God’s heart and a King but when pointed out his sins, asks for a clean heart and be made pure from all sins and unrighteousness.
To pray with power is to pray in earnest. There is no hidden agenda and there’s no catch that we must do certain things to obtain forgiveness from God. No there is no bargain place. God gives us what we want for our self. This is love, grace and mercies given to us at the cross when our sins are washed away and our nights are turn to day. Christ said to ask to receive and if we do not ask how will we receive forgiveness. Some of us seem to forget that there are deliberate sins, which we continue to commit and fail to know God understands. Nevertheless, if we want to know and experience the power of prayer how much God loves us, and all things he will do for us if we walk upright with him.
Following the recent bombings in London, we offer the following prayer written by Rev Jonathan Kerry, Co-ordinating Secretary for Worship and Learning in the Methodist Church Connexional Team.
In The Face of Terrorism
For those who are injured, maimed, traumatised and dying: We pray God’s peace;
For the rescue workers – police and fire officers, paramedics, and hospital staff: We pray God’s strength;
For the fellow-travellers stooping to comfort, soothe and tend the wounds: We pray God’s compassion;
For those who are dispirited, angry, despairing, and grieving: We pray God’s comfort;
For the leaders who are called to speak for and to nation or communities: We pray God’s wisdom;
For those who turn to violence to achieve their ends: We pray God’s forgiveness;
For our sisters and brothers of all faiths and of none: We pray God’s blessing;
For ourselves – numbed, fearful, morbidly fascinated or guiltily relieved: We pray God’s light in our lives.
As we hold before God those who suffer, we give thanks for every sign of the resilience of the human spirit and the determination not to be cowed by the cowards. We pray that all people may learn to live in peace and with mutual respect. May we not cease in our striving for justice and for an end to poverty, preventable disease and the destruction of the environment. May our eyes be fixed on Jesus, who bears and takes away the sin of the world, and in whom nothing can separate us from the love of God. Amen.
For all Mathilda's prayer letters... Prayer 1 Prayer 2 Prayer 3 Prayer 4