Pray for Families (A Simple Reminder)

Greetings Prayer Warrirors,

Here are a few hallmarks of a good family life to remember by this acronym:

F aith-The cornerstone of family life.

A ction: Participate in nurturing the wellbeing of all.

M emories: Spend time together and your lives will be rich!

I nspire: Live a Spirit-filled life and hearts (including yours) will be changed.

L ove: This is a decision that must be renewed daily, especially when you 

   find it challenging.

Y ou: Take care of yourself so that you can continue to pray for your family.

They shall be my people, and I will be their God.I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me always, for their own good and the good of their children after them.With them I will make an everlasting covenant, never to cease doing good to them; I will put fear of me in their hearts so that they never turn away from me. Jeremiah 32:38-40

Lord, it seems you challenge us greatly here on earth. You give each of us a unique sharing in your cross, and but never try us beyond our strength. May we rejoice in the gift of family, and spend our time honoring you by honoring them. Strengthen our resolve to pray for them, help us to persevere when challenged, and help us to love them as much as You do. Finally, please bless everyone that reads this, and give them double the blessings if they pass it on!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pass it on!  Blessings x 2! 

Pray for Marriages (Seeking Rest)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Marriage has its highs and lows and only a rare married couple would counter that sentiment. When couples are in the valley, God may seem very far away, weakening their confidence in ever climbing out.  But God patiently awaits their call for help. For precisely when one looks up to the mountains and faces their own fear and doubt that they can again reach the summit of their marriage, the Lord responds to even the weakest of invitations. He then gently carries you. 

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. Matthew 11:28-30

If you are feeling, weakened, burdened, hopeless, exhausted, or apathetic, about ever being able to depart from the marital valley, know that we pray for you. Surrender your will to His, and allow him to carry you to restful waters and new summits. May our prayers lead to your renewed peace!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Hope does not disappoint. Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (The Widow, Orphan, and Alone)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Families are a blessing that we often take for granted. Occasionally, we focus too much on what's wrong versus what is right with our family.  Pause, reflect, and give praise to God for your family!

Sometimes people no longer have any family.  It can be lonely, scary, isolating, and despairing for them. They may feel vulnerable, as they become easy prey for the wicked.

Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the resident alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one another in your hearts. Zechariah 7:10

Today let us pray for those without a family to pray for them.  The widow, the orphan, and all those who find themselves standing alone. They are our family in Christ, so may they too benefit from the power of our prayer.

Lord, bring comforting, loving, and empowering grace to all those who stand alone.  May they sense their guardian angels protecting and guiding them. May they we embraced by the loving friends you send them! Bless them and continue to hold them in the palm of your hand. Amen

Learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.  Isaiah 1:17

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer for someone who has no one to pray for them. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Treasure in Heaven)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Marriage seems to be a time of great accumulation. At first it is by necessity, because a couple needs to set up their household, but before they know it, they can lose sight of the treasure of their heart, (each other) by being consumed by material pleasures.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But 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 6:19-21

The Lord redirects our focus to contemplate what real treasures are. He longs for us to treasure him through our generosity with each other, for he dwells within each of us. But like garages so filled with “treasures” there is no longer room for a car, so too our hearts can be so filled with worthless pleasures that we leave no room for God.

 The Lord continually beckons us to surrender our will to His.  erhaps this is because it is He who will perfect us, for we are His treasure and He desires that one day we will be with Him! The path to perfection is often through one’s spouse, so embrace the cross He gives you because it will bear much fruit, a treasure trove in heaven!

Lord, giver of all good gifts, grant spouses the graces necessary to declutter their hearts and surrender to your will. Help them grow in patience, love, compassion, and gratitude. May the fire of your love sustain them until Love consumes their relationship in a new way.  Come Holy Spirit, set their hearts ablaze!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer might be just the spark someone needs. Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Letting go and letting God)a

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Now is a time when many kids are preparing for their return to school.  It can be a time of high anxiety for the children, but also for the parents, especially those sending their child(ren) away for the first time…be it for preschool or college!  Parent’s begin to realize during such times how little control their have over their children’s lives. This is a perfect opportunity to increase ones x faith and prayer life, for the Lord loves your children even more than you do!  One must take the leap of letting go and letting God. We must ask ourselves, do we really trust in the Lord?  Prayers to the Lord are always received with joy, unlike words spoken (dissertations given) to one’s children!

Lord, we place each child of ours in your hands. Guide and protect them. Allow the little ones to maintain their innocent and joyful hearts, sheltering them from all that seeks to expose them to the adult world. Give the older children/young adults wisdom, so that they may discern when “no” is the right and sometimes only answer. Give parents the grace to grow in faith, trusting that your plan is always the perfect one.  Jesus, we trust in you!

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

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Encourage another parent. Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (Let the Son Reign)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Jesus not only taught us how to love, but showed us how to love.

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

Marriage provides fertile ground in which we can plant the seeds of love and imitate Jesus’s unwavering commitment and promise to us. Are you up to the challenge today? For a lifetime?

Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you. Hebrews 13:4-5
From the dark clouds, your prayers will bring forth grace like rain, so that Christ may ever reign in your heart. The Light of the Son will give you’re the energy and desire of heart to weather the difficult storms, for a glimpse of the Son increases one’s clarity as to how important the imitation of Christ is.

I will offer a sacrifice of praise and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Psalms 116:17-18
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Prayer fortifies the weak…each one of us! Pass it on!

Pray for Families (True Wealth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

True wealth consists not in dollars saved, but in a heart filled with the love of God, which continually empties itself on behalf of another. With a generous heart, show your family you love them.

May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones. Ephesians 1:18

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The Lord loves a cheerful giver, especially a prayerful one! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Take me now, Lord!)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Some marriages are freeways with occasional detours. Some are a series of speed bumps. Others take you off-roading with dirt and rocks flying and no clear sense of direction. A difficult marriage can be a very heavy cross to carry especially when one doesn’t see a sign down the road that says “Cross no longer needed, dump here.” Perhaps you’ve cried out, “Take me now Lord, I’ve had enough!”

Take heart for even Moses had difficulty dealing with the Lord’s plan for him.

Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the LORD. “Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people? I cannot carry all this people by myself, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face my distress.” Numbers 11:11, 14-15

Moses may not have had the confidence that others were praying for him, but may you have the confidence that we are praying for you and your ability to follow the will of God! The Lord does not try us beyond our strength.

No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Never lose sight that Love carries your cross with you. Loves does not protect us, rather Love sustains us.

Double your prayers for marriage this week, especially for those losing the strength to continue. May their faith be sustained, as they call to mind, 

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

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Increase the noise wafting up to heaven by passing it on!

Pray for Families (Live, Love, Pray)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Think of those you most admire. Is it because they told you how to act, who to be, or what to say? Or were you inspired by how they lived?

Inspiration comes not from what we hear, but from what we see and what we experience.

Do you want to positively influence your family? Then live your life for God. Not for wealth, not for larger homes, extravagant vacations, or endless toys, but in service to your family and others.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But 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 6:19-21

Serve the Lord by serving your family. Show them how to live, love, and pray, for the seeds of your life will eventually germinate in them. Are they not the treasures you hope to see again in heaven? Pray for the courage to live for God. Pray for your family, that in them our God will live.

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Live for God, love your family, and never stop praying for others. Pass it on!