anne smith

Feb. 2004

"My heart and eyes will always be there." God, where were you tonight? I prayed with the prayer team, and I walked down the rows of chairs, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this was all mechanical. I know you are here, but sometimes I feel so alone. People think I'm a prayer warrior. I am not. Obviously, I don't have the power to do anything, and can only hear you when you choose to speak. So speak Lord, your servant is listening. The power is yours.

Feb. 16

Lord, I'm tired of people telling me they can't pray. Sorry to be such a whiner, but don't they understand the privilege of prayer, or do they think the prayer falls on deaf ears? Our concept of love is so little, so far from how you love us. How you long to hear our prayers, silent or otherwise. Free our hearts to the possibilities of prayer. Break our hearts so we can not help but pray for ourselves, and for each other.

March 2004

God, you know I want a prayer room in this city that is open all the time. I want the party girl from 6 th Street to find us and to find You as she stumbles into a room downtown that is filled with your presence. I want it now. Teach me patience and perseverance. I have the faith that moves mountains, and I believe you will bring revival to this city. It's because of you I have this faith, so I'm begging you to do it. I'm asking, seeking, knocking on that door. We can not do anything less or more but to seek you, to ask you to do this in Austin. Look upon this city with favor, with mercy, and do not forget your faithful.

March 11

Thank you for our prayer meeting tonight at Jenny and Suzanne's house. As we prayed for this church, you sent your sweet Spirit to be among us and I am so overwhelmed by how much You love us. It was so good to pray in unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ. (Isaiah 58:12) And to sing praises to you with "Holy and Anointed One" with tears in our eyes, as your Spirit was so strong here tonight. Thank you.

March 12

Lord, it seems the more I pray, the less words I have. You keep breaking my heart for this generation. Tonight at the Newsboys concert, I felt your presence so strongly. I spent a good part of the night bent over in my seat weeping. I think our youth group thought I seriously had lost it for good. It's such a privilege to be in your presence, let me never take it for granted.

I think about Beth Moore and her persistence to have a quiet time with you in the roughest period of her life. Sometimes for her it meant setting aside her bible and just crying in your presence. Even in the times I don't have the words, you still hear my prayer. Thank you for loving me so much.

Easter Sunday evening

God, let me never worship anything but you. I want not a heart for prayer, but a heart for you. Today you reminded me of that image I had of you holding me tightly, white robes enfolding me as I heard you yell a fierce battle cry, Jesus. I feel protected and safe every time I think upon this, knowing you are fighting the battle, Jesus, not me. Send down your angels, and protect the faithful in this your town, O Lord God.

April 14

Thank you so much for what you are doing in Austin. Send more of your light to this town. Lord, I am weary, I am broken, and I am nothing. Please Lord, I do seek your face above all else. Break through this darkness and find your faithful waiting. Pierce our hearts with our desperate need for you. Lord, I ask you to speak to your people about prayer. Teach us, Lord, how to pray. As Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and bowed before you in prayer, I ask that you give me more faith in the un-seen world. Seven times he sent his servant to look for the rain you promised to send and it did come the seventh time. I will keep on asking Lord. To persist without wavering, Lord, is what I ask you to strengthen in me.

April 18

Today was an awesome day with you God. Thank you for the women of this church and the breakfast meeting today at Central Market. Thank you for my boys' laughter during the stupidest movie ever made. And thank you for tonight as you poured out your love on our church. It was an answer to prayer to see so many people coming forward to pray with each other, or finding you alone as they stayed in their seats. It's what we have prayed so long for; I ask for more and more, Lord God.

May 6

Continue to show us ways to love this city, Lord. In my dream of dreams Lord you know I'm expecting someone to show up in Austin and be "the" prayer room person full of your vision for your revival for that. Please do that Lord, make it a kindred spirit to those of us in Austin who want this. I wish I could do more, but I know you require no more than what you ask of us. Tonight it was so good to walk on South Congress during First Thursdays and pray with Anita, Lisa and Cherie. May the people who noticed Anita praying as she walked take it to heart. Just the freedom of going anywhere and praying is so great, so freeing Lord. Give us your eyes and heart to see the broken, the hearts searching for truth. I'm longing for that day when the dancing in the streets of Austin is for you alone, when the cry of "Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty" is on every tongue.

Anne is passionate about her husband Steve, her boys Syd and Ben, and about prayer. People call her a prayer warrior and she is. Anne thinks prayer led by the Holy Spirit is not laborous, but a beautiful thing and is our one and only means in communicating with our Abba Father. She wants us to remember that He is faithful to hear and answer when we are faithful to ask. Anne loves what Martin Luther said about prayer: "We don't understand that what we pray about is more important than we can comprehend. We think small, but the Lord is great and powerful. He expects us to ask for great things. He wants to give them to us to demonstrate his almighty power."

Reach Anne at riveromercy@sbcglobal.net