Pray for Marriages (Heavy Crosses)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When a relationship is rocky, and one is feeling hopeless, sometimes divorce seems like the only option.  Emotional pain is very difficult to numb, so one believes that if they cut the ties of the relationship and make a quick exit, they will lance the wound and relieve the pain.  Anyone who has struggled in his or her marriage at any time understands this. 

Recently I was talking with a friend who went on a weekend designed to salvage failing marriages.  Something they learned was so profound that I want to share it with you.

When someone decides to divorce because their cross is just too heavy, they lay down it down and then their children pick it up and carry it.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27

This is why we pray for marriages.  This is why we pray for families.  So that Love may come and heal the brokenhearted and so grace may give each the strength to carry their own cross.  If one has faith in God, He will redirect their misguided steps and help them carry their cross, even if it means He carries them too.

Today let us pray for those healing from the wounds of divorce, for those on the precipice of divorce, and those entertaining the idea of divorce.  May the loose threads of each marriage be rewoven into a beautiful tapestry, glorifying the handiwork of the Lord.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. Ephesians 2:8-19

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Miracles happen every day, even in marriages.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Special Needs)

Greetings Prayer Angels,

What inspires you? Who inspires you to become a better person?  Who will you inspire by living a life in imitation of Christ?

I have several friends with special needs kids who have anywhere from mild to severe disabilities. Observing these friends work through their daily challenges with a smile on their face totally inspires me to be a better Christian!  These parents demonstrate daily what love is all about: patience, compassion, caring, and unconditional, selfless love.  I have difficulty displaying these virtues with my own kids who have average needs! These parents (and their children!) are true lights in our world.

Perhaps instead you have an ailing parent or spouse with special needs.   You are or at least can be a light to others when you humbly take on the task of caregiving that the Lord has given you.

May all of you know that we will pray for you, so that you will be able to persist in your love, even when it is most difficult.

‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ Matthew 25:45

Everyday we are called to shine our light in the world by doing whatever the Lord asks us to, no matter how menial or trivial it may seem to us. Hear what the Lord is asking of you, and increase your wattage! We, your spiritual family need your light in this world too! Let us pray for one another that we may never turn away from His call to love. By loving others more humbly and compassionately, may our hearts reflect the luminosity of His Light so it can more easily enter into this darkened world through us. May everyone touched by the Light of Love be forever transformed by its radiance.

For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Let someone you admire know that they inspire you.  Tell them that you are praying for them too! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (A Wild Ride!)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Marriage can sometimes be like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.  Just when you think life is a stroll through a well-manicured garden, you experience unpredictable twists, turns, and even screams!  Other times you are resigned to silence.

In prayer, sometimes words escape us as well.  So instead of searching for words, with a humble heart turn to fasting.  It doesn’t need to be from food, but perhaps fast from something that turns your thoughts away from God.  Offer your fast for the renewal and strengthening of marriages.

When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. Matthew 6:16-18

Fast or pray throughout the day!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Praying and fasting will renew your spirit.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Worry-free!)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,  

God loves us so much that He saw to it that when we were born, we entered into a family consisting of mother, father, and sometimes siblings. His design was so perfect that He too decided to send His Son into the world in this manner. We are so blessed by the gift of family, those who walk with us in life and stand beside us in thick and thin! 

Well, that is the ideal at least.  But good or bad, our love of our family is so imprinted on our hearts, that we often spend much time worrying about them.  Instead let us give God our worries and spend our time in prayer instead. 

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 

Matthew 6:27

Here are a few prayers for family to get you started.  Add your own too.

Lord, we often feel the weight of our worry, but we know your intention is never to weigh us down.  Instead you wait for us to give you permission to come and help us carry the load.  So today, I hand you my worries that fill my thoughts and promise instead to pray unceasingly as I unite myself with your will. 

• For those who have wandered far from God, shepherd them back to you.
• For those who live in sorrow, depression, or fear, may your Light pierce their darkness and may brilliant joy prevail. 
• For families that have fractured, fill the cracks in their unity with your grace and cast them back together with the bandage of your Love.
• For those who are seeking employment, lead them to a job in where they may use the talents you have given them to glorify You. 
• For those with health issues, lead them to your chosen physicians who will diagnose, treat, and heal them using their gift of medical knowledge guided by your divine grace. 
• For those who care for the sick or chronically ill, bless them most abundantly.
• For those living with terminal conditions, heal them body and soul, so that regardless of the outcome, all may rejoice!  

 Thank you Lord, as You always here our prayers!

Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil. Matthew 6:34

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer can ease the worry.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (A Share in Suffering)

Greetings Prayer Angels,

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.  It reminds us of Mary’s steadfast and compassionate love for our Lord, that in being ever present to Him especially at the foot of the cross, she too suffered greatly.  It makes one ponder, what is worse, suffering or watching a loved one suffer, especially when you know there is nothing you can do to relieve their suffering? Is it any less painful if one’s suffering is not physical, but rather emotional, mental, or spiritual?

In the sacrament of marriage, the Lord makes couples one flesh.  There is no escaping the pain of the other, even if one’s instinct prompts them toward flight not fight! But Love calls each to stay and join in the carrying of the cross.  Not easy!  So today, let’s pray for couples whose suffering feels like a very weighty, suffocating cross. 

As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good. 1 Peter 4:19

Lord, may we always be mindful that we are never alone, as you are ever present. There is no cross we are given that you don’t help us carry. When we are too fatigued to take even a step due to the weight of our cross, let us rejoice that it is then that you then carry us. We are weak; you are strong. Strengthen us in our trials and teach us to trust you more. May our tears cleanse our hearts. As love unites us with our crosses, may we be drawn closer to you, Love and Mercy Divine! Renew us in your love, now and forever. Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The cross is always lighter when shared, and lightest when united with Christ. Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Mourning Hearts)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Experiencing the passing of a loved one is always painful.  Even Jesus cried when his friend Lazarus died.  We want so badly to console those in grief, but words always fall short.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Matthew 5:4

The Lord needs us to be his hands, feet, voice, and presence.  We are his instruments in the world.  While He may pour out grace into a grieving heart to mend and heal it, we are called to be present to those who are grieving.  Words are optional.  However, praying with those in grief or letting them know you will pray for them and their loved one(s) can be a great comfort to the living. 

As you lovingly pray for families this week, please offer your prayers for the consolation and comfort of those who mourn.  Not just for those people you know, but all your brothers and sisters around the world experiencing or reliving a loss.  It is a beautiful spiritual work of mercy.  I pray that you be blessed as well! 

May Peace be something you leave with others,

May Love be a gift you always share,

and may your Joy overflow to all you meet

so that Christ will remain ever present in our world.

+ Janet

Prayer is a secret weapon that everyone should use!  Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Loving through difficulty)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans: 13:8

There are very few things God commands us to do, but the one thing He makes clear throughout scripture is that we are to love. In marriage, we love our spouse, the person that we chose for ourselves. Easy enough, until a time comes in your marriage where feel like you are trying to love a porcupine!

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2

Our heavenly Father sent His only begotten Son to show us how to love when it is difficult. Christ continued to love even He was not loved in return. He thirsted for love, and found none. Yet he continued to love unto death. We are not being asked to die, but rather to surrender our will to His. He will then teach you not only how to love, but to love sacrificially, as a pleasing gift to God.

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the odor of the knowledge of him in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14

Pray for marriages, the each spouse may experience the joy and fruits of sacrificial love.

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Prayer is the answer. Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Breaking down walls)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Imagine a family portrait. Everyone is smiling.  We as onlookers always think the same thing:  What a beautiful family!  Looks like they have the perfect life! You can tell by those smiles they just care so much about each other’s happiness!  And so we dream.

Unfortunately, reality can and usually is quite different.  Each often seeks one’s own happiness at the expense of others.  Such selfishness fractures unity and inhibits togetherness.  When one acts selfishly, they build up a wall around their hearts to protect their own interests.  Slowly, brick by brick, the self-made wall becomes higher.   Without realizing it, their wall of protection keeps others away, and rather than enjoying the freedom of their choices, they are held captive by their sin.  Soon their high-walled castle blocks out the Light and leaves them in darkness.

We look for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, and we walk in gloom! Like those who are blind we grope along the wall, like people without eyes we feel our way. Isaiah 59:9-10

Rather than look at others, ask yourself, “Where in my life have I built walls?”   In prayer, ask the Lord to illumine your mind and show you.  Then invite the Light to the darkest areas of your heart. Your walls will crumble.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

Help set other captives free!  Pray for family, pray for others. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer attracts the Light.  Pass it on!