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Prayer in my daily life
State Rep. Matthew J. Shepherd
Prayer has enriched my life in numerous ways, from provid- ing a means to directly com-
municate with God, to serving as a unifying force bring-
ing together my
family, my church
pray often and to take all matters of concern to God in prayer in the name of his son, Jesus Christ. I also recall that the most significant event in my life was my prayer as a third grader asking Jesus Christ to be my personal Lord and Savior. As a young Christian, I began to learn more and more the power of prayer and the necessity of having an active prayer life in order to deal with the challenges and tests that life deals each of us from time to time. As a student of history, I understand the role that prayer has historically played in the lives of prior genera- tions of Americans.
I have tried to instill that same belief and use of prayer in my own children. Each day as I take one or more of my children to school, we pray for God’s protection for the day and for each member of our family to have a good day. Additionally, we pray before meals thanking God for His provision and asking for His blessings.
In my own personal life, one of the first things I do upon arriving to my
law office each morning is to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance, that I would strive to do my best, that He would bless the work that I under- take, that He would resolve any diffi- culties that I may face, that He would help my children to be Christian leaders, that He would bless our family and others, and finally that He would remind me that being a lawyer or State Representative is not truly who I am in His eyes, but are just things that I do.
When we are in legislative session, aswearenow,IprayeachdayasI travel to the Capitol that God would give me wisdom, discernment and decisiveness, that I would remember and always keep in mind the approx- imately 30,000 people that live in my legislative district and that my deci- sions and votes I cast would be in the best interest of my constituents and the state as a whole. There is no doubt that as the intensity and pres- sure of a legislative session grows, that prayer helps me to keep my cool and to quickly and decisively oper- ate in a dynamic environment.
Ultimately, in an ever changing and busy world, with complications and violence both here in the United States and abroad, as our families and communities face new and ever evolving challenges, I believe prayer is even more important to provide us with peace and guidance to live in such a world, and to endure and overcome whatever challenges or issues may arise. I pray that we would be often reminded of the power and necessity of prayer in our lives, that there are many people around the world who are unable to freely pray and worship God, and that we should never take our reli- gious freedom for granted. Further, all who may not yet have a per- sonal relationship with Jesus Christ should know that He is only a prayer away, and that all have the opportu- nity to respond to His call and begin experiencing the power of prayer for themselves. May God Bless each of us and continue to bless the Great State of Arkansas and the United States of America.
and our communi-
ty during various
times of corporate
prayer. The benefits
of prayer are innu-
merable and cannot
be understated. One
way prayer specif-
ically enriches my
life on a daily basis,
is in its power to
allow me to turn matters over to God and see Him respond in a way that provides clarity and decisive- ness to deal with whatever may come my way during the day.
For as long as I can remember, prayer was a staple of my childhood and upbringing. I was taught by my parents and my church family to
Matthew Shepherd
SMALL ACTS,
WHEN MULTIPLIED BY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE,
CAN TRANSFORM THE WORLD.
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