Pray for Families (How are you?)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

How frequently do we say or hear, “How are you?”  Our reflexive answer is “fine”, as we assume the question was only asked out of politeness, not interest. If we sense a flicker of interest we want to pour out everything that is going wrong with us and the world, but quickly reassess and fight the desire to dump all.  Perhaps, if we pause and reflect, we may be able to answer more thoughtfully, focusing on what our lives look like when we embrace our blessings.

I am God’s beautiful creation, even on a bad _hair_  day. 

                                                                       (fill in the blank)

I am an instrument in His hand to be used for good, as long as I don’t keep putting myself back in my box of comfort. 

I am a light to others as long as I don’t keep shining it on myself.

I am God’s merciful love, if only I seek to overlook another’s imperfections (especially those that trigger me) and greet them with love, compassion, and forgiveness

I am truthful if I first acknowledge all of my own imperfections and seek to root them out with prayer, fasting, and the sacraments.

I am grateful if I give praise to God for yet another day of life to serve Him. 

Let us pray for each other and our families, that we may see that we are part of God’s beautiful creation. With His generosity of grace, may we attain the emotional honesty needed to count our many blessings, including the trials God sends to perfect us. 

You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!  Psalms 139:13-14

May peace propagate within your families,

May your joy grow exponentially, and 

May He wrap you in the blanket of His love,

Janet

Positivity.  Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Forced Togetherness)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

As COVID-19 lockdowns continue, and travel taken is primarily for essential business only, what many couples thought was a temporary inconvenience is now an uncomfortable reality. Can’t you picture all the scenarios? A couple frequently separated due to one’s business trips is initially excited to have more time together, but soon both realize their routines has changed dramatically and too much togetherness is no longer exciting, but frankly annoying. Another example is two working spouses now both working from home and battling over prime office space. Will self-denial and generosity reign?  What about the parents who not only have to work at home but homeschool and now entertain their bored to tears kids, all while having to control the noise during baby’s naptime?  Lots of fuel in all these examples. Will love be rekindled or torched?? 

I said, “I will watch my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will keep a muzzle on my mouth.”

Mute and silent before the wicked, I refrain from good things. But my sorrow increases; my heart smolders within me. Take your plague away from me Psalm 39:2-4, 11

When it is difficult to love through each day’s trials, meditate on the Lord’s UNWAVERING and UNCONDITIONAL love for you, even when your behavior is quite unlovable. Prayer changes hearts, so let’s continue to pray.

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:6-7

Lord, when we think we’ve lost control of a situation, remind us it’s because of our delusion in thinking that we ever were in control. However, we are always capable of self-control. Each trial you send is for our own purification and sanctification. Take our mustard seed of love, and help it flower and grow. Drench us with your grace that we may love through all difficulties, frustrations, challenges, and disappointments, and help us to persevere in prayer for one another. Help us to grown in patience, kindness, generosity, and self-control so that our marriages and those marriages we pray for may be continually strengthened in and through You. Hear the humble prayers of your faithful servants! Amen. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer never returns to you empty. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Grace and Conversion)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Many of you have been praying for family members for a LONG time. Some of you may think that the Lord isn’t listening. Others can tell you that when God does intercede, He does so in a big way!  During years of prayer, the Lord is often working on YOU first. He will help you grow in humility, perseverance, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. Never lose faith!

Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15

As you grow in holiness, your prayers become more powerful. 

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. James 5:16

Lord, hear the prayers of your humble servants, as they beg for graces of conversion to be poured out on their loved ones. May your compassionate heart be moved to act earlier on behalf of those who have endured in prayer. Jesus, we trust in You!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for one another. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (The Chosen Path)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Why is it that the journey of some couples appears to be a stroll along a road paved with brick and lined with flowers, while other couples are given a path of rocky cliffs with thorns and thistles? We don’t exactly know the answer to that, but we only know the narrow view we see. Perhaps the rose-lined path has frequent storms? Perhaps the rocky cliffs, are caressed with cool gently breezes? Let us meditate on the fact that the Lord always gives us custom-made crosses, never leaves or forsakes us, and always seeks to perfect us in this world so that we may live an eternity with Him. What a gift!

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.  John 12:24-26

Lifted through prayer for one another, let us die to self, embrace our crosses, follow Him, and sing songs of praise to He who loves us so much, He wants to be with us forever!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

We always need more prayer. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Recreation, Prayer, and Blessings)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

This evening while in the darkened wilderness, I was able to gaze upon the stars, see the NEOWISE Comet, ponder the heavens, and glory in God’s creation. How often we fail to recognize all his blessings because we are not taking the time to stop, look, and see!

The moon and stars to rule the night, for his mercy endures forever. 

Psalms 136:9

This summer, take time to stay engaged, play with your family, and pray together. Most importantly, don’t forget to ponder his blessings and give glory to God!

Then rest and rejuvenate in Him. 

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest… 

Proverbs 24:33

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

There is never enough prayer. Add more voices. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (The Perfect Union)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

While away on vacation, I have been reflecting on the fact that I have been sending out these reminders encouraging prayer for marriage and family, for over 10 years.  I was never very clear as to why I felt called to ask people to pray for marriage and family, but somehow knew I was supposed to. Little did I know that in less than 10 years, traditional marriage and family would be under such attack!  But of course, the Lord knew.  

Satan attacks marriages as an indirect attack on Christ’s church. Attacks are becoming less indirect and more direct, with a focus on the Church, since marriages are dissolving or often not occurring at all. As you pray for marriages today, also pray for the preservation of the institution of marriage, which represents the union of Christ and His Church*.  

Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1-8

My message remains simple. Pray without ceasing for marriages!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Create the largest prayer chain. Pass it on! 

*CCC 1661

Pray for Marriages (Unscheduled Conflict)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

While walking with a friend, she mentioned that a couple she knew was having marital problems since the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. The wife used to travel frequently for work and now she can’t, thus the constant togetherness was creating conflict or rather bringing to light existing issues. Undoubtedly, they are not alone, as many are facing unexpected shifts in their work routines, ranging from working at home to no longer having a job. Adding to the stress, many now also juggle kids at home, online school, cancelled summer programs, and postponed vacations. 

Will there be a post-COVID rise in divorces? Not if we keep praying for all the couples among us! 

In the shadow of your wings I take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by.  Psalms 57:2

Merciful God, to each couple being tossed by the storms of change, grant them the wisdom to anchor on the Rock, creating the stability they need to weather the storms. For those worn down by responding to the multiple demands of work, children, and spouse, grant them patience and perseverance. For those awakened to the fact that they aren’t in total control of their lives, grant them the grace to draw closer to You, who desires to lead them to eternal happiness. For those disillusioned by marriage, fill them with your love and the hope that never disappoints. 

I will betroth you to me forever: I will betroth you to me with justice and with judgment, with loyalty and with compassion; I will betroth you to me with fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.  Hosea 2: 21-22

For a renewed peace in your marriage, rest in Him. For abundant joy, follow Him. For love beyond  your expectations, surrender to his holy will. 

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

God always responds to your call. That’s why he is always “The Answer”. 😊 Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (True Freedom)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

It happens to many people and seems to span the generations. At some point in their life, they experience an “identity crisis” and think they need to “find themselves” and discover who they really are. Interestingly, what they choose to do next rarely puts an end to their questions.

However today, while listening to a podcast, I heard something on “identity” that was simply profound. It came from a man who experienced homosexual feelings, but chose to instead live a life centered in Christ. His comments apply to all of us, since we are all sinners.

God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

The man began, “Sin, and our fallenness, taints every area of our life. That means that everyone is fallen in their sexuality and in that sense I’m not unique. I can’t just read off from my inclinations how God had made me, because sin has skewed how we are meant to be. I can’t just say that if I have feelings of same sex attraction that must be how God has created me, therefore they must be good, because that just affirms Genesis 1 & 2 but ignores 3.

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

He continued, “We only know who we truly are when we meet the person who made us. Our identity can never be something we discover, it can never be something we create, it can only be what we receive. So. I am who Jesus Christ says I am.  I am created in the image of God.  I’m created (as a male) in the image of God and I am redeemed and adopted and I’m a son of God. That is the core of my identity and all of those things are eternally true and they never change. It doesn’t matter whether I am having a good or bad day, all those things are always true in a way my sexual feelings are not. They may be deep, they may feel very significant, but they are not part of my eternal identity. And so therefore I shouldn’t make them part of my core identity now because they are not fundamentals of who I am. They’re temporary, thankfully. Our sexual feelings are not constant. Either in intensity or sometimes even in direction.  So it’s a very unstable thing [on which] to locate your deepest sense of identity. We’ve got to take our identity from God, from scripture and what scripture tells us and that’s always going to be healthier. And why that is good news is that if my identity is my sexuality, then I’m not really living unless I’m fulfilling my sexuality. My whole sense of being whole and complete and authentic and self-actualized is going to be dependent on me fulfilling my sexuality. Whereas, if that is not the core of my being and of my identity, actually, it doesn’t matter if I don’t fulfill it because it isn’t the be all and end all. “

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Let us pray that we all discover our true identity as chosen sons and daughters of God.  For that discovery always leads to true freedom and eternal happiness.

Here’s to freedom under God!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Help someone see themselves as God sees them…a masterpiece!  Pass it on!