During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “Seeking God with our whole heart is the kind of Bible praying that secures not just answers but the blessing of God that we all need. If Jesus Christ himself prayed with ‘loud cries and tears’ at times, then I can certainly feel free and unashamed in pouring out my own soul to God.” —Jim Cymbala, Breakthrough Prayer

Petal 2: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.” (Hebrews 5:7, NIV)

Petal 3: I’m reading through the Psalms right now, and I am blown away by the number of times we are told that God hears us (34:17; 55:17, etc.) and that He answers us (34:4; 65:5, etc.). Seriously, seeing how many times the word “answers” is in the Psalms—look it up; your jaw will drop!—should give us the ability to set aside doubt and cling to faith “with our whole heart” as we pray to Him. Then, and only then, can we watch with wonder as the rose of prayer blooms, because we have watered it with our tears of fervency and belief!

Petal 4: This is one of my favorite books on the topic of prayer because of the impact it has had on my own prayer life: Breakthrough Prayer: The Power of Connecting with the Heart of God, by Jim Cymbala. Many of you know that I have memorized page one hundred word-for-word from this book—you’ll understand why when you read it! (Kindle version—only $6.64!)

Petal 5: Don’t wait another day to set up your weekly prayer list; in fact, I’m attaching a PDF of my actual list (as a sample) to give you an idea of how you might categorize your days. Once you’ve established your list, pour out your heart and soul before the Lord who hears and answers prayer!

Click these words to view the sample General Prayer Chart