How I'm Praying These Days

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Prayer has been such an integral, vital part of my life for so many years. Jesus saved my soul when I was 10 years old in a revival meeting in Enid, OK, that I was attending with Mom, Dad, my Papaw, and the woman Papaw married a few years after my Mimmie died. I will never forget that night, how convicted I felt, how drawn I was to that altar of prayer, and how earnestly I poured out my little heart. From that moment until this, I have prayed countless prayers.

I believe with all my heart that God absolutely hears and answers prayer—not just from what I have read in the Bible, not just from hearing the stories and testimonies of others, but because God has absolutely answered my personal prayers more times than I can even remember. I have zero doubt as to the validity and truth of James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Not that I am, by any means, righteous. But Jesus is, and His precious blood is applied to my heart. He makes me righteous in God's sight, despite all my sins, failings, and discrepancies.

I have proven time and again, over and over, how valid the words in Psalm 34:15 are, "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry." Never have I come to Him in prayer and found His ears to be closed to my anguished cries. He is always there, 24/7, with open ears, waiting for my call.

Many times over the years, I have written prayer lists that included so many pressing needs in my life and the burdens I was carrying. It has been such an encouragement to me to go back and read over those prayer lists and check off all the many times God answered those prayers.

I'm not sure exactly when it first began, but within the past few years, I have, on occasion, had something new happen when I am praying. I have sensed the Lord speaking to me (not in an audible voice, obviously, but deep in my spirit, where deep calls to deep—Psalm 42:7) and reminding me of David's words in Psalm 138:8, "The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me," and prompting me to write down every single thing that is "concerning me." Along with these dealings, I have heard His still small voice whisper to my spirit, "What do you want?" Such a special, intimate invitation to ask that has profoundly deepened my prayer life!

This happened on September 8, 2025, and I sat down and wrote a list of 13 things that deeply concerned me. I didn't hold back. I asked audaciously, and if you read my list, you might say, "Oh, Cheryl! That is too much! You shouldn't ask for that. These problems are too big. These burdens are too heavy!" You would probably think I've lost my mind if you were to read what I am asking God to do. Thank God, no one will ever see this list except Him and me.😃

As I ponder how big some of these requests are, I am reminded that even though what I am asking for is monumental and far beyond anything I could ever bring to pass, my God can do immeasurably more than even these things! "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us..." Ephesians 3:20

Can you imagine? These things I am asking for are impossible. These mountains are immovable. These situations are humanly unfixable. But God. Even though what I am asking for in these situations are such huge requests to me, they are so far inferior to what God can do!

I want to share with you some Scriptural examples I am implementing as I regularly and earnestly intercede to the Lord for the petitions on this list.

#1. I am laying out my list before the Lord, as Hezekiah did with the taunting, threatening letter from King Sennacherib that he brought and laid out before the Lord in the temple. He prayed, and God fought against his enemies and delivered him without him needing to do anything else, other than pray!

"And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, 'O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow down Thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save Thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the LORD God, even Thou only.' Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, 'Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.' Therefore, thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, 'He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city,' saith the LORD. 'For I will defend this city, to save it, for Mine own sake, and for My servant David's sake. And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 37And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead." 2 Kings 19:14-20,32-37

What a mighty deliverance after Hezekiah laid out His letter before the Lord!

#2. I'm throwing all my cares on Jesus, as Peter instructed us to do in 1 Peter 5:7.

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." Peter should know. The kindness and compassion Jesus showed to him, even after he had so epicly failed Him, clearly demonstrated just how much He cares.

I wrote about how the Lord opened up this verse to me in this post. Oh, how the lessons Jesus has been teaching me are helping me!

#3. I'm speaking to each of the eleven remaining mountains, in Jesus' name, telling them to move.

"And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He was hungry: and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find any thing thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, 'No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.' And His disciples heard it. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, 'Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away.' And Jesus answering saith unto them, 'Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:12-14,20-24

#4. I'm vehemently, incessantly "smiting my arrows on the ground." 

"Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, 'O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.' And Elisha said unto him, 'Take bow and arrows' And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, 'Put thine hand upon the bow.' And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, 'Open the window eastward.' And he opened it. Then Elisha said, 'Shoot.' And he shot. And he said, 'The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.' And he said, 'Take the arrows.' And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, 'Smite upon the ground.' And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, 'Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.'" 2 Kings 13:14-19

Oh, how this story inspires and challenges me! If only King Joash had smitten his arrows incessantly! Why did he stop at smiting only three times? The number of his victories was directly correlated with the number of times he smote the ground! When he stopped at smiting the ground just three times, Elisha became angry. He knew that Joash's number of smiting the ground represented the number of times he would smite the Syrians, and he didn't want him to smite the Syrians only three times! He knew that would not be sufficient to overcome them completely. Elisha wanted Joash to achieve total victory, and he would have if he had only kept smiting the ground!

I like to think of each arrow of Joash as representing each individual prayer we pray. Each prayer is an arrow, and each time we pray, we are "smiting the ground," laying claim to one more victory.

How many times do we give up too early? How many times do we get lazy in our praying and intercession?  What if, because we stopped "smiting the ground" and staying earnest in prayer, we fell short on total and complete victory in our situations? 

My Papaw was one of the most godly men and had more faith than any other person I have ever personally known. He used to say, "God will be everything to us that our faith will take Him for." The question on my mind is, "Just how much will I take God for? How much do I believe He will do for my family and me?" At first glance, I feel bad about this type of audacious level of faith—like I am taking advantage of God or despitefully using Him. Then I realize, He wants me to "take Him" for every single thing He has promised me in His Word! 

He invited each one of us to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Jesus said to His disciples, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24

I John 5:14,15 says, "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." 

This is what the old-time saints used to call "praying clear through." There is a deep knowing that comes when we have reached that point of praying clear through, and we receive that assurance and confidence that God has indeed heard us. The above passage tells us that if we know He hears us, we know that we will have the petitions we desire! 

It takes perseverance, determination, dedication, and a willingness to "pray on until the answer comes." In Luke 18:1-8 we read, "And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"

We give up way too soon! We stop "smiting our arrows" after just a few times and cheat ourselves out of greater victories.

As Christians, we live far below what God wants us to. I am not in any way, shape, or form condoning the prosperity heresy that is so prevalent in our age. Not by a long shot. What I am saying is when we come to God, we must "believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Diligent seeking is persistent seeking. Seeking that will not give up. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." I used to think that meant praying 24/7 and never stopping. I now understand that it means "Don't stop praying. Even when you see no change. Even when it appears that things have gone from bad to worse. Even when the mountain doesn't budge an inch, and there is no hope in sight. Even when it seems the heavens are brass and God is not listening. Never stop praying! Never stop 'smiting your arrows on the ground.'"

I want many "Look what God just did!" moments after God gives victory after victory. I'm not smiting my arrow once, then stopping. I'm continuing to smite the ground with my prayer arrows because I want every victory God has for my family and me!

#5. I'm consecrating each individual battle, saying, "The battle is the LORD's!"

Did you ever notice that whenever someone in the Bible mustered the courage to stand up and say, "The battle is the LORD's," the outcome was always total and complete victory? We can't win our battles with carnal weapons. 

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." 2 Corinthians 10:3,4

But when we acknowledge our own inadequacy, consecrate the battle to God, and hand Him the reins, He brings the victory!

"Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; and he said, 'Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much." 2 Chronicles 20:14-17,24-25

"Then said David to the Philistine, 'Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands.' And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled." I Samuel 17:45-51

"The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." Exodus 14:14

"For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." Deuteronomy 20:4

"In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us." Nehemiah 4:20

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies." Psalm 60:12

"The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD." Proverbs 21:31

#6. I'm asking in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, praising Him ahead of time, shouting before the walls fall.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6

Supplication, in the original Greek, means praying for a specific, felt need – heartfelt petition, arising out of deep personal need (sense of lack, want) and implies a felt need that is personal and urgent.

"And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.' And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for His mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten." 2 Chronicles 20:20-22

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." Psalm 100:4

"And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, 'Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.' So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. " Joshua 6:16,20

#7. Ultimately, I'm saying, "Thy will be done in our lives as it is in heaven."

Zach once told me that if God has something better for us than what we are praying for, our prayers won't hinder it. Oh, that has comforted me over the years! I feel like I am praying BIG prayers, but God's thoughts and His ways are even so much higher than mine. 

God may not see fit to answer these prayers when I think He should or in the way I want Him to. Because I want so desperately to see them answered and these mountains moved, it's hard for me to say it, but I say it anyway. "Lord, in YOUR time and in YOUR way because YOUR way and time are best. Thy perfect will be done in all things, dear Lord." 

Kevin reminded me today that God may not even answer these prayers during my lifetime. The answers may come after I am gone. While the thought of not seeing these prayers answered with my own eyes and experiencing those precious victories firsthand makes me incredibly sad, the prayers are still extremely worth praying. Whether I ever see the answers or not, I so desire that God will answer and send them that I'm still going to pray as if He will answer how and when I want Him to.

The Lord recently whispered to my spirit, "Once a prayer is released, it never dies." That was confirmed to me today in a dear sister's blog post and in my personal email correspondence with her. If you haven't subscribed to Shaz's blog, I highly recommend that you do. Her writings are deep and always anointed by God, and her post today was my absolute favorite of hers ever. You can read it here. Oh, how I needed it today! I can't even put into words how much, and I pray that God will richly bless my dear sister for her faithfulness to God's call on her life. She and I have corresponded for years, and though we live miles apart on two different continents, our spirits are knit together by the love of God. She reminded me today of all the many prayers that have been prayed by my dear parents and so many others through the years, and how those prayers are still going up to God. Oh, how that comforted me!

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." Revelation 14:13

"And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Revelation 8:4

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." Revelation 5:8

Just as all those prayers that have been prayed for me are still going up to God, the prayers I am now praying for the ones I love the most will continue to go up to God forever and ever, even after I am no longer here on earth praying them. What a gift and legacy we leave behind when we pray and intercede for our loved ones! The prayers we pray for them will "keep on giving" for the rest of their lives!

Prayer is worth the effort, dear friends. We must not become weary in well doing. We must pray on and on and keep the faith. Keep picking up your "arrows" and keep "smiting the ground" with them. The prayers you pray will be added to the incense ascending up before God from under the throne, and your works will follow you forever!

KEEP PRAYING!