Simply Pray: God Wants All to Pray

By Rev. Dr. Ouida Lee

Jesus taught us a very simple but powerful prayer that embodies many concerns of life. Simply Pray introduces the reader to a variety of prayers that can be adopted by each reader, inserting their own names and current realities. We are taught to always pray and not faint, and that prayer is not dependent upon our stature in life. In an attempt to meet the needs of a diverse community, Lee solicited prayer requests from social media, friends, and family. Under the heading of Thanksgiving, Petitionary, Intercessory, and Supplication, Lee prays simply. It is with the spirit of the living God and the love of God that these prayers are written.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524656935

Rev. Dr. Ouida Lee

Rev. Dr. Ouida Lee is a retired Elder of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, who considers herself to be a late bloomer. It was through Faith that all of her dreams have become a reality. She graduated college 20 years post high school because she allowed distractions to take her off track and that was only the beginning. She earned her Masters’ and Doctorate from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, giving her the foundation for Ordination and Leadership in the UMC. Ouida has faced many challenges throughout her life, including the tragic death of her father and young son, but through her indomitable faith in God continues to share inspiration and words of motivation with others. She believes that the Bible, like no other literature, when it is comprehended, shares a new path for life’s realities. Its simple truths and exemplary love for humanity is often overlooked as the Bible reader rushes to use its text to condemn. She also believes that poetry written by others when coupled with the words of Scripture provide a platform for moving ahead. As a Dallas City employee, she listened to Seeds of Greatness, by Dr. Dennis Waitley and adopted his words, “Turn every stumbling block into a stepping stone.” Similarly, “Mother to Son,” written by Langston Hughes, “Cause Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” to bolster her on this journey of life. Dr. Lee has a real love for seeing all of the beauty that has God has created and as a result has traveled internationally to five of the seven Continents. The bible teaches us that God wants to give us the desires of our hearts. It’s all here, engaging, painful, and triumphant. Wow What A Ride!

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2017 Rev. Dr. Ouida Lee. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/22/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-5694-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-5693-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016921129

Print information available on the last page.

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Contents

Endorsements:

Introduction

1. Petitionary Prayers

2. Prayers of Supplication

3. Prayers of Praise

4. Prayers of Thanksgiving

Conclusion:

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

American Standard Version (ASV)

Public Domain

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Endorsements:

On many occasions I have been blessed by the anointed prayers of Pastor Ouida Lee. Indeed they are a testimony to the fact that among her many God-given gifts, God has also blessed her with the gift of praying. I am very pleased that she is sharing some of her inspiring and challenging prayers in this book. After prayfully reading it, I prayfully recommend it.

-Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr.

Dr. Lee has shared with us this collection of prayers. As I read through them I found myself praying them. She has revealed her heart to all who take the time to pray for prayers and make them their own. Thank you, Dr. Lee, for opening our own hearts.

-Bishop Michael McKee, North Texas Area of the United Methodist Church

Dr. Lee is a person who believes in the power of prayer. I commend her book to you in this time when we all need powerful prayer.

-Bishop Gary E. Mueller, Arkansas Area

This book on prayer is on time.  In a world of chaos, we need to prayr.  It is a guide to pray, one can look and find a payer that fit the circumstance and insert their name or the persons name that need prayer, believing and trusting God.  He will answer. 

-Minister of Prayer, Church of the Disciple, Evangelist Ocie Hogan.

Introduction

Simply Pray

Prayer is centering and essential to life. It calms and gives peace even in the midst of the storms of life. And yes, there have been storms. My earliest memory of prayer was what I call an observant prayer. Watching my mother kneel by the side of the bed—praying silently. I could not hear the words, but I understood not to disturb her during those times. In her motherly way, she taught us to pray a very simple prayer, one that has probably been recited by many parents. I tested it one Sunday during worship, and most of the people in worship that Sunday shared the words aloud with me.

Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Simple, childlike and memorable. Though I did not fully understand what I was praying about, I prayed it because my mother had taught it to us. Now as a mature Christian, I comprehend the foundation for prayer that my mother instilled within me has become my platform for life. And as I read in Scripture, I find that Jesus also taught his disciples a simple prayer.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Jesus concludes the prayer with words that each person who prays needs to come to understand relative to our prayers. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

One of the most powerful and impactful prayers in my life was at the beginning of what I will call my personal spiritual journey. I united with a church in 1969, and the within six weeks my father was tragically murdered. I shall always remember the words of comfort that were extended to me as I made my way out of the hospital on that dark Sunday afternoon: The Lord giveth and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. These words were spoken to me by Sister Mary Paul, a Catholic Nun who lived in residence at the St. Paul Hospital of Dallas, TX.

In some strange way, those words comforted me. Perhaps as a recent renewal of my faith journey began, I was encouraged to know that though my father was dead, the Living Lord had now received him. I was baptized as a youth in the Antioch Baptist Church of Henderson, TX but strayed away from the church after leaving home. Yet, strangely believing that though death had occurred, I accepted through faith that in death he had been received by God. And if God had my father, I could be at peace. Perhaps this was the precursor of the faith God knew that I would need in the future.

The second major traumatic event in my life was the death of my son, John C. Lee, III. He was my baby and the joy of my life. Such a wonderful and obedient child who left home after high school to attend college. He returned home as a young adult at the age of 23 living with bipolar disorder. Though haunted by the disease for which he refused to take the medicine on a regular basis, he lost his life on a major thoroughfare in Dallas, TX. A single car accident. Leaving his family grieving his loss.

My baby loved life and lived it to the fullest, preaching, teaching, singing and playing piano for the children’s choir. Far too soon he slipped away leaving a dreadful open wound in my heart. It was through faith and prayer that I finally released him to God. My words to God daily, "God I love you so much. I know that I can release my son to you. John, baby, you know how