Pray for Marriages (Eternal Love)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When two get married, the wedding ring is a symbol of their love; the circular ring represents love without end.   And who is the best example of love eternal? 

Love is the foundation of everything willed by God, for God is Love. It is no surprise then that the greatest commandments direct us to a perfect love.

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Matthew 22:37, 39

By loving the Lord, we will more intimately know Love, and in loving others, especially our spouse, they will get to know Him too as they encounter Love through us. In the instance where our self-love is weak, if we focus on loving the Lord, we will come to know His intense love for us and see ourselves through his eyes. We are beloved sons and daughters of the King!  Thus is the circle of love; by loving God we are better able to love our spouse. By turning our self-love outwards, they are better able to see the love of God.

So let us pray that we as couples focus more on loving God so that we may better love each other. 

Lord, what sounds so simple is often very hard to execute.  For the noise of our lives distracts us from loving you.  Give us the courage to soundproof segments of our lives and reserve that space just for loving you. In your graciousness, you do not even keep that love for yourself, but return it back to us 10-fold. Please grant us the grace of loving much, for we know the vocation of marriage is very precious in your sight.  Jesus we trust in You!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Love.  Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Unexpected Potholes)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

We pray for one another out of love, because we all have struggles and vices and understand the need for prayer. Sin is like a pothole that we never expected to fall into.  Just when we get out of one pothole we fall into another. Seldom are we alone.

For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if [I] do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.  Romans 7:19-21

Lord, deliver us from evil, as you are our mighty Savior.  You saw our brokenness and bore our wounds so that we might spend eternity with you.  Have mercy on us and those we love, especially our family. Help us to forgive one another that we may glorify You by imitating Your merciful love.

The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love.  Zephaniah 3;17

Renew us daily Lord!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer is a timeless gift. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Inheritance)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

How do you define wealth? What type of inheritance are you working toward?

When I think of wealth, I think of material goods; those that bring comfort, ease of life, and assurance of mind.   That type of wealth allows one to pass down an inheritance to those left behind.  Yet, how often do we consider the riches of spiritual wealth?  Are we seeking to grow in the virtues?  What impact would our growth in faith hope, charity, patience, kindness diligence, humility, and  fortitude, have on our marriage?  Add to it a life rich in prayer.  Could such virtue be without effect? As a result, what type of spiritual inheritance do you think would be passed to your spouse and down through the generations? Which type of wealth would serve them throughout eternity? 

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

Lord, may our path to holiness be one of mutual encounter, for one is forever touched by another’s kindness, love, fortitude, and understanding.  May we mirror your holiness so that others, especially our spouses, may come to know what true wealth is.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Be rich in what matters to God. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Now is the Time)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Have you ever lived somewhere but failed to take advantage of local attractions, excursions, or events, thinking to yourself, “they will always be there”.  Then an unanticipated move occurs and you kick yourself for not taking advantage of what was there all along.

Behold, I am with you always.  Matthew 28:20

Sometimes that’s how we treat God.  Since He’s always there we tell ourselves, “One day I will spend time with him.  One day I will go to church.  One day I will begin to read scripture.  One day I will carve our time to pray.”  The problem is, we don’t know how many tomorrows we will have!

The King of Kings continually invites us to spend time with Him so that He might refresh us and give us gifts. The invitation comes in many forms and through many people, yet apathetically we feign disinterest and mumble, “no thanks.”  “I’ve got to watch the game today.”  “I need to sleep in.”  I’ve got to go shopping”.  “I have too much homework.” “There is too much house/yard work that must be done.”  Would we have that same response if royalty, a sports celebrity or a movie star invited us to spend time with them??

He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.  Matthew 22:3

What are we waiting for! Let us not make assumptions that tomorrow always awaits us, for we do not know the number of our days nor the number of those we love. Spend time with the Lord daily, that you may enjoy the riches of His love both here and throughout eternity. Be kind to your family and friends, and let them know how much you love them.  Make time for them, and pray that they see the face of Jesus and feel His love through you.  Pray often, as the Lord loves the sound of your voice.  And what’s better than advocating in prayer for others and uniting ourselves with Mercy & Love?

Many are invited, but few are chosen.  Matt 22:14

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray that many will say “yes!” to His invitation. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (A Model to Follow)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. John 13:15

What a wonderful passage to meditate on.  Jesus engaged with everyone during his earthly ministry.  Whether interacting with saints or sinners, He loved each one and challenged them to “follow me.” It was a call to live a life of self-denial and sacrificial love. In the end, the Lord showed us the price of such love.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. John 15:13-14

In marriage, whether we are a saint or sinner, we vow to be true, in good times and in bad. While today’s culture would encourage divorce when things get bad, we must admit that everything Jesus did was counter-cultural. Nothing has changed. He still calls us to be counter-cultural; He asks us to live the Truth. We are to love, especially when it is most difficult. It is unlikely any of us will die on a cross, but we are called to die to ourselves by letting go of our self-will and seeking the good of another, especially our spouse. 

Lord, we ask for the grace to live a life of sacrificial love. Help us to let go of our self-absorption and teach us humility.  Help us to focus on the other. With loving patience, guide us in your ways, that we may be perfect models of Your love in our marriages.  Jesus we trust in You! Amen.

I kept faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted! Psalm 116:10

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Follow the model of Truth.  Be counter-cultural!  

Pray for Families (Hidden Guilt)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Have you ever had a secret that ate away at you?  That consumed you with guilt?  Perhaps it was something you stole when you were younger. Maybe it was an illicit relationship. Or perhaps you had an abortion, paid for another’s, or encouraged one and you now have deep regret.  Maybe it was a minor hit and run. Do you blame yourself for a family member’s behavior?  Situation?  Hidden guilt can torture. 

God’s will is not that you suffer.  He awaits your contrition so that he may absolve you and grant you freedom from the demons of guilt that persecute you.

Though I say to the wicked that they shall die, if they turn away from sin and do what is just and right—returning pledges, restoring stolen goods, walking by statutes that bring life, doing nothing wrong—they shall surely live; they shall not die. None of the sins they committed shall be remembered against them. If they do what is right and just, they shall surely live.  Ezekiel 33:14-16

The Lord is merciful and loves you beyond your imagination. Hand your secrets over to the Lord and in the name of Jesus renounce their power over you and your family.

Then pray for your family and yourself:

LORD, you are my Father, my champion, my savior! Do not abandon me in time of trouble, in the midst of storms and dangers. I will always praise your name and remember you in prayer! Then the LORD heard my voice, and listened to my appeal.  Sirach 51:10-11

All praise to the Lord of Mercy!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Imitate Christ. Forgive one another and show mercy.  Pass it on.  

Pray for Marriages (The Light to See)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Each person reacts differently when difficulties arise and stressors enter into their marriage.  Perhaps they are a communicator that needs to argue about or hash out every single issue. Conversely, maybe they are less verbal and emotionally or physically just check out.  Whether singular or frequent occurrences, neither arguing nor sleepwalking through a relationship is healthy. The Lord patiently awaits our call.  "I have lost my bearings in this darkness, and cannot find my way back.  I want to return to where I began. Come to my rescue!"

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:14

Almighty God, flood our hearts and souls with the light of your presence!

We may secretly wonder why there is no instruction manual for marriage. His light makes it more understandable. Simply put, there doesn’t need to be a manual when just 8 words seem to summarize it all.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

What’s more difficult than imitating Christ?  Trying to do it without His assistance! 

• When my spouse is in darkness, do I do my best to reflect His Light?
• Do I seek to win arguments, or seek to understand a different point of view?
• When I am offended, do I turn the other cheek?
• Do I bear my crosses patiently for the good of my spouse and myself, or bemoan their weight?  

Come quickly to help me, LORD!  Psalms 40:14

Lord, thank you for never leaving us to our own devices. We join our prayers into a big bouquet of gratitude for your loving guidance and abundant blessings on marriage.  Help us to never lose hope when we feel the burden of our crosses.  May we instead rejoice in the fact that you invited us to walk right along side of you.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13; 7-8

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Help a marital sleepwalker find their way out of the darkness. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Treasures in our Midst)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Pray today.  Pray tomorrow.  Pray always, for the spiritual health of your family depends upon it.  Treasure them as the special gift they are.

Store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. Matthew 6:20-21

May your family be the treasure that awaits you in heaven!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

May you be delighted by the family treasures in your midst.  Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Almighty GPS)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

A decade or so ago, I attended an event at a site that had games and human-sized mazes. As you entered the maze you were blindfolded and it required you to crawl, climb, or walk to get from one point in the maze to the next. It sounded like fun to me, however at some point, left in the darkness and not knowing where to go next, I felt an extreme anxiety and panic.  

The uncertainty reminds me of the different stages of marriage. Some times, when you feel you're at a dead end, in reality you just are not clear as to the next step. In the case of the maze, I was able to call for help. In marriage, crying out for help is a good idea too, yet so often our pride and stubbornness get in the way.

He humbled their hearts through hardship; they stumbled with no one to help. In their distress they cried to the LORD, who saved them in their peril; He brought them forth from darkness. Psalms 107:12-14

He will be most gracious to you when you cry out; as soon as he hears he will answer you. And your ears shall hear a word behind you: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or the left. Isaiah 30: 19-21

The Lord Almighty is our G.P.S., God Positioning System. We will never lose our way if we rely more on Him, less on ourselves. Let us cry out in prayer for marriages, that all may be open to listening for His voice and trusting in His guidance.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice, harden not your hearts!  

Hebrews 3:7-8

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Allow the Almighty GPS to show you the way. Pass it on!