Pray for Marriages (A Prayerful Salute)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

On this Memorial Day, my heart goes out to military marriages.   These marriages undergo a unique kind of stress; long periods of separation; handling life as a married person all alone; the fear of losing a loved one in battle; and if children are involved, periods of single parenthood.  In addition, their loneliness can lead to all kinds of temptations. 

I grieve for the military spouses whose deployed spouse never returns home.   We honor them today for the sacrifice they made on our behalf.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13

Lord, we ask for your unfathomable mercy on all the Armed Forces that have gone into battle on our behalf, and have given the ultimate sacrifice.  May they be rewarded with everlasting life.  We pray also for the marriages and families left behind, fractured and devastated by their loss.  May your consoling peace lift them from their sorrow.  Finally, we ask for your amazing grace to be poured out upon all military marriages.  May your love uplift them, may hope in you sustain them, may your peace calm their fears, and may joy be their steadfast friend.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Send a prayerful salute!  Pass it on!

Pray for Family (Protect the Integrity)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Sometimes when I look at the state of families and family life today, I think Satan has the upper hand.  However, I know our consistent and shared prayer is a fierce and mighty sword.  We must remain steadfast.

I read something recently that I thought was quite interesting to contemplate.  The point was that because family life is important for the well being of society, it is the responsibility of society to support and strengthen marriage and family. 

“The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family.”

“Public authority should regard it as a sacred duty to recognize, protect and promote their authentic nature, to shield public morality and to favor the prosperity of home life. The right of parents to beget and educate their children in the bosom of the family must be safeguarded. 

Gaudium et Spes 47, 52

This was published back in 1965, promulgated by Pope Paul VI.  Fast forward 47 years, and we see the effect of a society not giving credence to this message.  Family and marriage is not protected, immorality is rampant, and the messaging schools are now required to teach children is not consistent with good Christian values.

If we don’t’ speak up now, when?  Let your voices be heard out loud, whether it be to enlighten others, sing a song, say a prayer, or cast a vote.  Discern how you are called.  Carve out some time each day to pray for and promote the integrity of the family. 

But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 

1 Timothy 6:11-13

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Protect the integrity of the family.  Pass it on.

Pray for Marriages (A 3-Cord Strand)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Whether young or old, there is something very comforting about holding someone’s hand.  It brings about a sense of being cared about and creates a communication of two hearts.

I like to envision the Heavenly Father reaching his hands down to us.  As children we readily grab His hand and mutual delight results.  As teens, young adults, and possibly even as mature adults, we may grab someone else’s hand and let go of His. 

In the bonds of marriage, strength results when the Lord is asked to enter in, or in my vision, when both spouses are holding His hand.  Their remaining hands are joined to each other, so the three create a union of three, a supernatural bond.

A three-ply cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

In marriage, the bond becomes weakened when someone let’s go of the Father’s hand or let’s go of their spouses hand.

But hope remains…..

For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through the brother. 1 Cor 7:14

Everything is possible to one who has faith." Mark 9:23

Pray for marriages, that they begin with the Lord as an invited guest.   And if that wasn’t the case, may He be invited in along the journey. Pray that when difficulty arises, rather than let go of the spouse’s hand, that they instead have the fortitude to cling more tightly to God in faith.  And for those who have nothing left to cling to and the Lord is holding them, may they be comforted, healed, and filled with His love and peace.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Invite someone to hold the Father’s hand.   Pass it on.

Pray for Families (Be fully present)

Greetings Prayer Angels, 

Sometimes action is the sweetest form of prayer. 

This week, when you are with different family members, practice being fully present to them.  During your conversations, have all of your (and their) electronics off and silenced.  Listen.  Hear.  Look at them.  Make them feel like they are the most important person in the world to you.  God loves each of them immeasurably.   Let his light shine through you.

"And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3

Pray always, especially for the preservation of the family.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Share His light.   simplyinspiredprayer.blogspot.com 

Pray for Marriages (Words chosen)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Not long ago, I heard a great quote that really resonated with me: 

"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." 

-Maya Angelou

I personally found this to be so true.  We gravitate to certain people because we feel good around them and they bring out the best in us.

Now I am imagining the scene at the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus is preaching to the crowd.  They are rapt in attention and when it is over, they leave somehow changed.  Although they remember some of what Jesus taught, they leave now with a new sense of hope, love for one another, and peace.  This sense of well-being and renewed purpose stays with them long after the memory of his exact words fade. 

As we pray for marriages, be attentive to the words you use with your spouse and contemplate how the words you choose will make your spouse feel.  Will they have a lasting effect? Are you unintentionally inducing the wrong emotion?   This week, practice and deliver positive affirmations to your spouse.  The results may surprise you. 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  John 14:27

Pray, pray, pray for marriages.  Pray that our words may bring peace, make spouses feel loved, and bring about a joyful smile.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Share a positive message.  http://simplyinspiredprayer.blogspot.com/

Pray for Families (Learn to Love)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

What sometimes makes being in a family so wonderful is the diversity of its members.  What sometimes makes being in a family so difficult is the diversity of its members.

God created families so that we would all have a refuge of safety and love, a place to first learn of His love, by seeing it reflected through our family.  Christ, who was a model of love, taught us to love as he did, unconditionally.  But how can we, mere humans, who are filled with flaws and failings, who have even a harder time accepting the flaws and failings of others, love unconditionally, when it’s too easy to come up with reasons why we can’t love a particular person?

Was Christ only able to love unconditionally because of his divinity? Did Christ command us to a task that was impossible for us to carry out?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.  Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.  John 14:10, 12

So if the Father was the source of His strength, which gave him the ability to carry out His mission, what can we do to carry out ours?

Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.  I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.  John 15:4-5

Say a prayer and surrender yourself to the Lord.  Ask him to teach you to how to love unconditionally.   Then spend some time loving your family, especially those most difficult to love.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Help others to love more.  http://simplyinspiredprayer.blogspot.com/