{"id":429,"date":"2018-09-06T22:02:43","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T22:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.honestreflections.net\/?p=429"},"modified":"2019-12-10T08:43:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T13:43:56","slug":"i-pray-best-when-im-sweating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2018\/09\/06\/i-pray-best-when-im-sweating\/","title":{"rendered":"I Pray Best When I'm Sweating"},"content":{"rendered":"

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:44<\/strong><\/em>
\nI had an unusual day today.\u00a0 It was typical because I had booked myself solid all day long.\u00a0 The only time I had between appointments was travel time to and from my destination.\u00a0 What made today unusual was that my first task of the day was unloading a pile of dirt for my husband.\u00a0 This meant I would be dirty and sweaty for the rest of my day, with no time for a shower.
\nIt’s typically not a problem except today was my scheduled meeting with my Campus Pastor.\u00a0 I didn’t want him to think I was being disrespectful because of my appearance.\u00a0 I popped him a quick text explaining my day. I explained I may not be looking my best by the time I made our appointment.
\nIt was his response that prompted this blog.\u00a0 He replied, “Sweating for the Kingdom”.\u00a0 \u00a0To which I responded, “Amen.\u00a0 I pray best when I’m sweating.”\u00a0 I truly meant it.\u00a0 It got me thinking about how much I do pray when I’m sweating.\u00a0 I’ve been pondering that thought all day.
\nWhen you are sweating you are typically exerting above average effort.\u00a0 For instance, if it’s a hot day outside and you are sweating, your body is working harder than normal to keep you cool.\u00a0 When I’m playing a tennis match and losing, I pray a lot more for strength than when I’m winning.\u00a0 When life is going along status quo, it’s easy for me to not talk to God as much.\u00a0 The minute something happens though, I want Him there and on it.
\nJesus was praying so earnestly the night before His crucifixion\u00a0 He actually had drops of blood in His sweat.\u00a0 He knew what was coming the next day.\u00a0 He was in serious conversation with His Father about it.\u00a0 There really is a medical condition called Hematidrosis, it explains how there can be blood in your sweat.\u00a0 It has to do with the tiny blood vessels that surround the sweat glands.\u00a0 You have to be praying pretty hard to make it bleed.
\nThat’s what happens when life brings us to our knees.\u00a0 When the unexpected happens.\u00a0 When it leaves you with no where to turn.\u00a0 When life turns up the heat and we start sweating, it’s often the exact same time we start praying.
\nIt’s interesting how we ignore God when the temperature is comfortable.\u00a0 The minute the heat starts to rise and life becomes uncomfortable, we want Him right there waiting for us.\u00a0 The good news is, He will be there when we call:
\n“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”\u00a0 Jeremiah 33:3<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe bad news is, what do we miss on the days we don’t call on Him?
\nI personally can’t go a day without God.\u00a0 Whether the temperature is perfect or not, I need Him.\u00a0 I’ve disciplined myself to spend time with Him every day, usually in the morning.\u00a0 Not saying I’m a saint, God knows better than anyone I’m not.\u00a0 Just saying I have worked time with God into my day.\u00a0 It helps me to do a Bible reading plan.\u00a0 If nothing else, I’m always reading through the Bible in a year.\u00a0 I always start on Jan. 1 and end Dec. 31.\u00a0 My favorite thing over the holidays is picking out my new plan.\u00a0 This year my husband and I are reading it together.\u00a0 It’s been awesome.
\nThat being said, my most connecting times with God are still when I’m sweating.\u00a0 When life is doing a full court press and I feel like I have no where to turn.\u00a0 Nothing brings me to my knees faster than that.
\nI’m beginning to thank God for the sweat.\u00a0 I had never really thought about it until today.\u00a0 Let’s face it, most people don’t enjoy sweating.\u00a0 We don’t enjoy hard times either.\u00a0 What we do enjoy is the peace we find in God during those times.\u00a0 We enjoy His calming nature in the midst of the storm.\u00a0 We love the gentle breeze of His Spirit that cools us off when it’s too hot.\u00a0 We grow closer to Him during the times we’re sweating more than any other time.
\nI wasn’t lying today when I said, “Amen!\u00a0 I pray best when I sweat!”\u00a0 Turns out I really do!
\n 
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:44 I had an unusual day today.\u00a0 It was typical because I had booked myself solid all day long.\u00a0 The only time I had between appointments was travel time to and from my destination.\u00a0… Continue reading I Pray Best When I'm Sweating<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1533,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429\/revisions\/1533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}