Ken Lovelace Ministries


A CALL TO PRAY by Lygia Lovelace If I could change anything about myself, it would probably be my shyness (well…I could probably come up with a few other things to change as well…). I’ve always had a hard time making friends, and I’ve always been hesitant to speak out, especially in groups. “Surface” conversations are ok, but really deep conversation is hard for me. It’s not that I don’t want to talk—I just struggle with what to say! No words come to mind. I think that’s why I love teaching God’s Word so much—now that’s something worth saying! I have also struggled with shyness before God. Having given my life to Christ at age 9, I knew about the importance of talking to God…but I didn’t feel like I was very good at it. Though I knew and felt the presence of the Spirit in my life, many times no words of communication would come to mind. “Teach me to pray,” I began to say to God, at least once a day. The disciples asked Jesus for help, so I figured I could too. That’s when God began the “ School of Prayer” in my life. I felt like the worst student…so I began to pray for wisdom, also. After all, James said I could (James 1:5). God began sending verses, people, books, and experiences in my life that have taught me so much about communicating with my Daddy, my heavenly Father. I still have so much to learn! But the journey has been wonderful. One particular lady that taught me about prayer was Mrs. Nightingale (see previous article). She was a prayer warrior—one of the strongest people I’ve ever known—even though she was elderly, weak, and crippled. When something concerned her, she would pray, right then. When something concerned one of us, she interrupted our worrying and led us in prayer. Ten, maybe fifteen times a day, she would walk down the hall of our apartment in Portugal,looking for me, calling, “Lygia? Lygia where are you?! We need to pray! It’s time to pray!” At first, I avoided her, even, I must admit, hiding from her as she came looking for me. Then, God reminded me of my prayer, asking Him to teach me. He was teaching me through Mrs. Nightingale! When she found me, she would grab my hands and we would pray together. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions…”. Ephesians 5:18 Another teacher in prayer for me was my son. Leaving the mission field was heartbreaking for us, and we spent a lot of time on our knees before the Lord—asking “why,” praying for protection, and begging for answers. Chase, at this same time, was desperately trying to re-learn language. After the attack (see previous article), he lost all language and only communicated in grunts and gestures. Many times, after our family prayer time, he would run out the door, looking at the roof and pointing. I knew that when he re-gained his speech, there was much he wanted to tell us. After many months of speech therapy and counseling, he began to form sentences again. “Mom,” he said one day, after a particularly intense day for us of prayer and seeking the Lord. I waited patiently as Chase stuttered and struggled to communicate. “Mom, did you know? There are angels on the roof!” He pulled me out the door and pointed, grinning with delight. Then he said, “Mom, when we pray, the angels come down…they fight the ‘monsters’…with swords!” He smiled happily, proud of his sentences, then ran off to play. Some might say Chase was just telling stories—that his angels and ‘monsters’ were just images borne from a childish imagination. But God taught me some things about the importance of prayer that day that I will never forget. I will never again take prayer lightly. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them…”. Psalm 34:7 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 5:12 Several years later, I attended a Christian conference. I walked into the chapel early the first morning, ready to hear something about prayer. An old man hobbled up to the podium. He didn’t look like much, and all he had with him was an old Bible. As he began to talk about his own prayer life, the Spirit began to work in my heart. I knew that God was calling me to pray. Oh, not just to say a few forced words during my quiet time…not just to pray with my children before meals and bedtime…but to really pray, as God intended for all of His children. Feeling this calling upon my life, I sat in the chapel, even after everyone had left and the old man had hobbled out the door, and I sobbed. “I still don’t feel like I’m very good at it,” I told God in my heart, “but I commit myself to a life of prayer.” Thus began my Call to Pray. I have so much to learn! But as God leads--I will continue to write about this calling, and all that God has taught me. Why? Because I believe, with all my heart, that if you know Him…then God is also sending you…a Call to Pray.

A CALL TO PRAY
by Lygia Lovelace

If I could change anything about myself, it would probably be my shyness (well…I could probably come up with a few other things to change as well…). I’ve always had a hard time making friends, and I’ve always been hesitant to speak out, especially in groups. “Surface” conversations are ok, but really deep conversation is hard for me. It’s not that I don’t want to talk—I just struggle with what to say! No words come to mind. I think that’s why I love teaching God’s Word so much—now that’s something worth saying!

I have also struggled with shyness before God. Having given my life to Christ at age 9, I knew about the importance of talking to God…but I didn’t feel like I was very good at it. Though I knew and felt the presence of the Spirit in my life, many times no words of communication would come to mind.

“Teach me to pray,” I began to say to God, at least once a day. The disciples asked Jesus for help, so I figured I could too. That’s when God began the “ School of Prayer” in my life. I felt like the worst student…so I began to pray for wisdom, also. After all, James said I could (James 1:5).

God began sending verses, people, books, and experiences in my life that have taught me so much about communicating with my Daddy, my heavenly Father. I still have so much to learn! But the journey has been wonderful.

One particular lady that taught me about prayer was Mrs. Nightingale (see previous article). She was a prayer warrior—one of the strongest people I’ve ever known—even though she was elderly, weak, and crippled. When something concerned her, she would pray, right then. When something concerned one of us, she interrupted our worrying and led us in prayer. Ten, maybe fifteen times a day, she would walk down the hall of our apartment in Portugal,looking for me, calling,

“Lygia? Lygia where are you?! We need to pray! It’s time to pray!”

At first, I avoided her, even, I must admit, hiding from her as she came looking for me. Then, God reminded me of my prayer, asking Him to teach me. He was teaching me through Mrs. Nightingale!

When she found me, she would grab my hands and we would pray together.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions…”. Ephesians 5:18

Another teacher in prayer for me was my son. Leaving the mission field was heartbreaking for us, and we spent a lot of time on our knees before the Lord—asking “why,” praying for protection, and begging for answers.

Chase, at this same time, was desperately trying to re-learn language. After the attack (see previous article), he lost all language and only communicated in grunts and gestures.

Many times, after our family prayer time, he would run out the door, looking at the roof and pointing. I knew that when he re-gained his speech, there was much he wanted to tell us. After many months of speech therapy and counseling, he began to form sentences again.

“Mom,” he said one day, after a particularly intense day for us of prayer and seeking the Lord. I waited patiently as Chase stuttered and struggled to communicate. “Mom, did you know? There are angels on the roof!” He pulled me out the door and pointed, grinning with delight. Then he said, “Mom, when we pray, the angels come down…they fight the ‘monsters’…with swords!” He smiled happily, proud of his sentences, then ran off to play.

Some might say Chase was just telling stories—that his angels and ‘monsters’ were just images borne from a childish imagination. But God taught me some things about the importance of prayer that day that I will never forget. I will never again take prayer lightly.

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them…”. Psalm 34:7

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 5:12

Several years later, I attended a Christian conference. I walked into the chapel early the first morning, ready to hear something about prayer. An old man hobbled up to the podium. He didn’t look like much, and all he had with him was an old Bible.

As he began to talk about his own prayer life, the Spirit began to work in my heart. I knew that God was calling me to pray. Oh, not just to say a few forced words during my quiet time…not just to pray with my children before meals and bedtime…but to really pray, as God intended for all of His children.

Feeling this calling upon my life, I sat in the chapel, even after everyone had left and the old man had hobbled out the door, and I sobbed.

“I still don’t feel like I’m very good at it,” I told God in my heart, “but I commit myself to a life of prayer.”

Thus began my Call to Pray. I have so much to learn! But as God leads--I will continue to write about this calling, and all that God has taught me.

Why? Because I believe, with all my heart, that if you know Him…then God is also sending you…a Call to Pray.