Michael W. Smith is about to release his 12th book in a few days. "A Simple Blessing; The Extraordinary Power of an Ordinary Prayer" was penned due to the responses he got after he began closing his concerts with a prayer of blessing over his audience. Letters and emails he received reflected the encouragement and hope that this blessing brought to many people.
In his book, Michael gives us an outline of six specific blessings. Blessings which I feel pertain to all of us at some time or another in our lives. Blessings that we can receive hope from. And encouragement. And the desire to look beyond ourselves and bless others.
Too many times we view blessings as only through material gain. In fact, blessings go much deeper than that and in this book we begin to see the scope of it. We see the need for a spiritual blessing in our homes, marriages, families and even in our minds. We all need God's blessings.
In chaper 6, The Prayer for Spiritual Victory, he begins with this blessing:
May God give you the spiritual strength to overcome the evil one and avoid temptation. May God's grace be upon you to fulfill your dreams and visions. May goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your long life.
Michael then goes on to describe the his feelings as he viewed the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Destruction and despair overwhelmed him. A feeling of hopelessness washed over him. Problems too big for any one person to solve. Spiritual defeat abounded there. And not just in Haiti, but everywhere.
But in the midst of these seemingly hopeless times, there is prayer. And blessing. The power of some simple words to shower encouragement upon others. And to give those that feel unloved love. And to fill those that feel hopeless with hope.
This is an amazing book that I think anyone would not only enjoy reading, but that they would come away with a new outlook on the power of prayer and blessings. It will cause the reader to examine their hearts and in turn draw them closer to God's heart and closer to becoming who He desires for us to be through Him.
9 comments:
I'll be looking for this book!!
You know, I've never read any of his books! I didn't even know he wrote, but I've always loved his music and songs. I'll have to look it up.
I often wonder how that family is doing. Whenever I hear Michael on the radio I am reminded of the difficult road they have had to travel. It's a great reminder to pray for him and his family.
Oh, this book is on my list! Thank you for the recommendation. Your post was so encouraging and so true! Thank you for blessing me through this post. I look forward to more visits! Thanks also for your sweet comments on my blog!
"At His Feet" has been included in this weeks Sites To See. I hope you like the image I featured, and I hope this helps to attract many new visitors here.
http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2011/03/sites-to-see_18.html
Hi Beth,
First, thank you dear sister for EVERY PRAYER you've prayed for me. God's healing touch is manifested DAILY. I'm not 100% YET but my faith in GOD knows that He's working it all out.
Second, I am so glad that you shared his book. I wasn't aware of it. I love his music so I'm going to get the book.
I love and appreciate your caring heart and I pray every spiritual blessing for you and your family in Jesus Name!
This sounds like a wonderful book! I went to a Michael W Smith concert about 8 years ago. What a blessing that was! Thank you for sharing this.
I am hoping to catch up on my reading this summer.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings and hugs,
Bren
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