Pray for Families (The Power of Praying Parents)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

There is incredible power in praying parents, but let’s never underestimate the power of a praying mother! We all know such mothers, whose prayers and devotions bring about incredible goodness and change. 

What a lioness was your mother, a lion among lions! She made her lair among young lions, to raise her cubs; One cub she raised up, a young lion he became. Ezekiel 19:2-3

As mothers (and fathers) we need to pray not only for our children and those of our friends and family, but we need to pray for the institution of motherhood itself. Unfortunately, we can no longer presume it is a protective role, as too many children are dying with the consent of the mother and sometimes the father. Let us pray with our whole hearts, that the Lord might shower grace upon this world to minimize the scourge of self-centeredness, self-will, and pride. 

Lord, we are weak; please strengthen us! Give us the courage to speak against the destruction of your children both in and out of the womb. Our silence makes us complicit, so help us to grow in boldness of conviction so that we may speak the truth.  As praying parents, hear out prayers for our children and your children. Answer our prayers so that more may believe!

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. Isaiah 49:15

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Your voice needs to be heard! Pray and pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (It Will Always Bear Fruit)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Whether you noticed or not, it has been some time since I’ve last posted and sent out an email reminder to pray.  Thank you “K” for noticing and calling me out on that.  I had what I will call a Forrest Gump moment.  Anyone who has seen that classic movie knows that Forrest runs and runs for years across the country and one day just says, “I’m pretty tired… I think I’ll go home now.”   That’s the closest I can describe how I felt. 

But that certainly isn’t the note I want to end on.  I am still discerning this blog and next steps and what the Lord has in store for me. I ask that you unceasingly  pray for marriage and family, and I hope that it has become a well ingrained habit in your lives . I am confident your prayers continue to bear much fruit.  You are called, so continue to pray!   

You are my witnesses,  my servant whom I have chosen to know and believe in me and understand that I am he. Isaiah 43:10

 “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. 

Mark 16:15

Lord, I ask that you pour out abundant blessings on marriages, especially those in most need. Bring wisdom, clarity, and renewed love, through each transition and season. Keep Satan at bay, who seeks always to bring ire, quarrels, and a great divide. For you Lord are the Unifier, Peacemaker, and Destroyer of Evil.  Jesus we trust in you!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The Lord continues to call. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (The Blessing of Mothers)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

While these posts have been inconsistent as of late, as we approach Mother’s Day, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to dedicate and direct some love and prayers towards moms. 

“The blessing of the LORD be upon you!" Psalm 129:8

Mothers are the heart of the family. They express their love, not just demonstrably, but in so many subtle and silent ways that are rarely noticed. They build cohesion within the family and nurture each member. They sacrifice a good night's sleep as their consciousness remains attentive to any nocturnal cries or whimpers they might hear. Even as children leave home, no phone call goes unanswered, and no problem is too big or little for them to listen to. Moms do  all the emotional heavy lifting and are only as happy as her saddest child. Moms encourage, build up, and ask questions, while also providing advice and even keeping silent when necessary. Mothers give tirelessly to their families, beam with pride as their children move into independent adulthood, and suffer silently when their children appear to not need them anymore. 

Lord, we pray that you would give mothers the grace of endurance, perseverance, and unshakable love, for it is the hardest job in the world but the most important to humanity. Grant them the wisdom to guide their children through the hurdles, setbacks, and roadblocks of life. Gift them with patience and bless them with a tongue that uplifts and comforts, yet is not afraid to mercifully admonish. 

At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.  Hebrews 12:11

Bless mothers abundantly, for they reflect your love so beautifully. For those who have left this life, grant them your mercy and love, bringing them into your holy embrace. Thank you, Lord, for these special graces! Amen.

To all the mothers, the unsung heroes, we honor not just for a day,  but for a lifetime. We commit to keeping you in our daily prayers, that you might know our gratitude!.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray and give thanks for mothers, and pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Who Else Will?)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

May blessings of peace and joy be upon you! I pray your Lenten sacrifices produced an abundance of fruit!  

As I spent time in contemplation during Lent, something occurred to me. Of all of the many prayer intentions that come my way, there is one I rarely ever get; a request to pray for someone’s marriage. Yet, no one can doubt the need! Why might it be an unspoken request?

• There is a perceived shame in admitting a relationship is broken
• One is in denial 
• One wants out so they don't care that the union is deteriorating
• One lacks the faith to believe that God can heal it

“I do believe, help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

Each scenario is in need of prayer, for when marriages dissolve, often families do too.

I know, my God, that you put hearts to the test. 1 Chronicles 29:17

With prayer petitions, let us answer the requests of “Lord help us!” hidden deep within aching hearts. Let us also lift up to God the silent pleas of children suffering the fallout.

Lord, you call many to the married life, to build families which become the foundation of good societies. Yet, we all have so much difficulty letting go of the “I” and becoming the “we”. We love, but resist loving until it hurts. One hopes for a 50-50 partnership, but struggles when the balance shifts. One trusts in You, but wearies of the wait. Lord, hear the desperate pleas, the quiet moaning, the waning hope, the children whimpering. With expectant hearts, we call for a torrential outpouring of your grace, a shoring up of foundations, and an abundance of not just good marriages, but thriving ones. Bring miraculous healings to the most broken marriages. Divine Healer, we trust in your extravagant love and mercy! Amen.

The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. Romans 8:26

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Save a marriage! Pray and pass it on! 

Pray for Families (The Power of Fasting)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Discouragement in prayer is not at all unusual. How many of you have become frustrated because you have been praying for a particular intention for so long, that it feels like God is ignoring you? How many of you decry the advance of evil in the world, the loss of morality, and its cultural impact on society (and your family)? What can you do?!

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown,” The people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. Jonah 3:4-5

Are you willing to respond to today’s evils in the world (and your own personal orbit) like the Ninevites did?

Fasting is a powerful spiritual weapon in our arsenal that we often forget to use. With God’s grace, it has the power to conquer evil, in our lives, in our family, and in the world. Collectively, our fasting can crush the forces of evil.

Thus, it is encouraging that Bishop Strickland is calling all to participate in a Nineveh Fast in reparation for grave sin.  

While I rarely share such things in my blog, I find this call to fasting very timely and  important, especially in these times.

Per the details in this link, this effort will begin on Friday, March 27th, and will continue on the fourth Friday of each month, for the next eight months – for a total of nine days of fasting. *

Please prayerfully consider participating in this, not just for the intentions as listed, but in reparation for the generational sin seen and unseen within your family.

This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Mark 9:29

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Call upon others to join the Nineveh Fast! Pass it on!

* More information, along with prayers and reminders can be found here.

Pray for Families (It Begins with Us)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

We all seek to do good. It is the execution of that good that is difficult!

‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31

Loving others can be easy when the “other” is sweet, kind, and loving. But if they are cranky, rude, sick, needy, belligerent, lack a filter, or just plain evil, this command becomes challenging.

So let us draw upon the many graces the Lord offers us. First, let’s empty ourselves of all evil intent, malice, judgement, grudges, pride, and discontent.  Then let us ask for an abundance of His grace to fill us, for how can we give if we aren’t first filled? Then let us pray that His goodness works through us, allowing Him our hands, feet, and heart. 

“Empty me, fill me, use me.”

I love you, LORD, my strength, LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold. Psalms 18:2-3

In Him, we can do all things. Let’s pray for one another's “yes” to God, and for the strength and perseverance to do His will. May God be praised!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Make a small sacrifice on behalf of another. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Suffering for the Beloved)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Marriage can be paradoxical. When one marries, they think they will never have to struggle alone again. But partnership takes on many forms and they aren’t all glorious. Thus, the faithful expectantly  turn to prayer.

When marital  struggles occur, be they fleeting, cyclical, or daily, offer your suffering as a gift to the Lord, for who better knows suffering? 

When the Lord was betrayed by one in His inner circle, His heart was crushed. Unite your heart with the Lord’s when you experience heartache. He will seek to heal it.

When Christ brought friends to accompany him and pray for him, he was left alone as they slept.  Offer up your times of emotional loneliness. 

When Jesus  was arrested, those he trusted the most, fled.  Offer up the times in marriage you’ve felt abandoned to handle things on your own. 

 It was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. Isaiah 53:4

When Christ endured His excruciating Passion, only the beloved disciple remained to affirm their union. Know that Jesus considers YOU beloved too. 

He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. 

Isaiah 53:5

Thank you, Jesus, for taking on our woundedness, brokenness, and sufferings. As we pray for your intercession, may your precious blood continue to heal our past and preserve our future. Jesus, we trust in You!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

With humility and gratitude, pass it on!