Prayer is so simple.
It is like quietly opening a door and slipping into the very
presence of God. There in the stillness we can listen to His
voice or even petition.
What we have to say matters not;
Just to be there
in His presence
is prayer.
"Pray for me" were the first words my granddaughter spoke as she lay limp, a pool of blood around her head from the gash above her eye. She had fallen 14 ½ feet into a stairwell. "Pray for us", we said to friends and family when our youngest daughter had a stroke on Christmas Day, 1998. "Pray that we may have courage and strength to walk the path before us", I asked when we learned my husband had lung cancer. "Pray for me" are words we, as Daughters of the King, hear over and over because we are known to be Pray-ers, women who pray and who know how to pray.
Was this why I became a Daughter of the King? If so, I did not know it. I became a Daughter of the King long before any of the above events, and I thought becoming a Daughter would help me grow in my understanding of and love for Jesus Christ. Well, it has helped me grow. I have grown and stretched and grown some more through prayer. Our Order publishes a brochure, called "Prayer Changes Me," which tells about the many aspects and types of prayer. Many people pick it up and take it when it is displayed it at gatherings. It is the most popular brochure I carry with me. I will quote one paragraph from our brochure:
"Communication with God affects and transforms each moment of our existence.
As prayer becomes integrated into our lives, we experience the reality
of the gift: the conversion of our hearts to God and the passing on
of the gift of God's love and fellowship in service to others."
There is a sense of peace and calm which I experience in the storms of life when I know people are praying for me, not just any people but my sisters in Daughters who I know will answer my call when I cry, "Please pray for me". The feeling is so significant that it causes me to want to pray for others so they will have a similar peace in their distress.
There is a sense of peace and calm and joy as I walk with Jesus each day and listen to the sounds of creation. I can give Him the cares entrusted to me through the many prayer requests received. I can let them go, and He can handle them. His presence reassures me so I can serve Him more faithfully.
My sisters in Daughters guide me in finding daily lectionary or devotionals such as "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young or "God Calling" by A. J. Russell or "Hearing God Through the Year" by Dallas Willard. When reading them I gain new perspectives of Jesus. What an amazing King we worship and serve. He is truly the "true light" that came into the world, so much more than we can imagine.
When we gather at retreats we are reminded of the trust, faith, love, and hope we have for each other and find encouragement to spread the word of the wonderful Kingdom of God with the help of our King and Savior, Jesus Christ and often, Miracles Happen. This truly is why I became a Daughter of the King.
Lyn Zolman
Prov VI President
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