Pray for Marriages (Divine Healing)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

 

Suffering in any form is difficult, especially when it is in love and marriage. Emotional pain is harder to numb. However, in prayer and trust, the Lord shows us the beauty and power of suffering. When we unite it with His, it becomes a beautiful and fragrant aroma of praise, to He who is the Divine Healer.

 

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!  Job 1:21

 

Lord there is a couple now who is suffering greatly in their marriage. They are confused, hurt, feeling misunderstood and abandoned. They can’t understand why this is their lot in life. They don’t know whether to stay or go. Lord, enter into this marriage in a big and powerful way.  Give them the gift of faith.  Increase their trust in you and allow them to make a sacrificial offering of their suffering for love of You. Shower your peace upon them, and heal all the wounds that have brought them to this place. May your love permeate their hearts, giving them a renewed hope. May our endless prayers for marriage be received as the sweetest sound, “Jesus, I trust in You!”  Amen.

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

He will never let you suffer beyond your strength.  Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (From DysFUNctional to Holiness)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

 

Family is a gift and a blessing.  But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be challenging, maddening, offensive, caring, kind, crazy, confusing, narcissistic, loving, quirky, unpredictable, and steadfast. We just have to embrace the fun in dysFUNctional. There are no perfect families. Families provide the environment for you to grown in holiness. And no one said it was easy to become holy!

 

In a large household there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for lofty and others for humble use. If anyone cleanses himself of these things, he will be a vessel for lofty use, dedicated, beneficial to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So turn from youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with purity of heart. Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels. A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil’s snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.  2 Timothy 2:20-26

 

Lord, during this time where many are out of work, working on the front lines, or perhaps working or schooling remotely, may the positive effect be an increase in family time. May each draw closer as they lean in to one another as pillars of support.  Give each the grace to let go of old hurts and to forgive one another, so that you can bring about true healing.  May each no longer focus on the other’s imperfections, but rather the gifts you have bestowed upon them for the common good. You are Love and Light knocking on the door of our hearts. In complete trust, may we open that door to you, become your instrument, and flood the world with the Love and Light it so desperately needs. Amen.

 

Peace! Peace to those who are far and near, says the LORD; and I will heal them.  Isaiah 57:19

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

Say a few words of kindness and affirmation to a loved one.  Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Need for a Heavenly Pilot)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

 

With age we tend to realize how much we utterly depend on God. When we are young, we delude ourselves into thinking we are in total control of our life. We dream big and make even bigger plans. While some of our plans may materialize, eventually we hit a roadblock. With maturity one comes to see that they are not really the captain of their life, but rather nothing more than a sputtering engine that needs a heavenly pilot. So, if you have a marriage that is sputtering, let Jesus take the wheel and lead you to calmer waters. Let Him nourish you with his Body and Blood, which will make you hunger for Him all the more. And in hunger, you will pray more, for He alone will be your strength.

 

Come to me, all who desire me, and be filled with my fruits. You will remember me as sweeter than honey, better to have than the honeycomb. Those who eat of me will hunger still, those who drink of me will thirst for more. Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame, and those who serve me will never go astray.” Sirach 24:19-22

 

Obeying the Lord is a big step in humility, which conquers pride. When we humble ourselves, our relationships have a chance to heal. 

 

The fear of the LORD is training for wisdom, and humility goes before honors. Proverbs 15:33

 

Never lose hope. Our collective prayers are like incense rising to the heavens on one another behalf. Keep praying for marriages!

 

For in hope we were saved. Romans 8:24

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

Hope does not disappoint! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (The Word and Truth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

 

We have been witnesses to huge cultural shifts over the past several decades. First it seemed to be a breakdown in modesty, followed by birth control, a sexual revolution, the dissolubility of marriage, the normalization of abortion, gay “marriage,” and the blurring of gender, just to name a few.  And many are lulled into thinking this is all okay and is just progress, for the news media tells them so. And why wouldn’t one believe it, especially in light of so many “shepherds” remaining silent or even complicit regarding such errors of thought.  Unknowingly, some sheep are being led to the slaughter, blind to the true state of their souls. 

 

It is time to awaken and ground yourself in Him who is Truth, that you may be a light to others. Truth is unwavering and unchanging.  In the Word you will find Him. He is merciful to those who repent and loving toward all who seek his help. 

 

For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Luke 11:10

 

You will hear many opposing messages in the public square. Turn off the television and educate yourself in the Truth.

 

“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

 

Lord, we pray for all of our families, that we may each be given eyes to see and ears to hear. Speak to us in your Word, so that the Truth may live in us. Help us to acknowledge how we have offended you and to make a firm amendment to change our ways. Shepherd us and our family members, especially those who have wandered far from you. Grasp our hands, that we may not be enticed and fall (back) into the snares of the devil. Strengthen us, embolden us, and give us a voice to speak the truth in love to those who seek to silence us.  May we fight for the Truth. Send your angels to guide and guard us so we may become witnesses to the Truth. Amen.

 

I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. John 17:14-18

 

Eternal life is found when Truth is your foundation. Be at peace!

 

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet 

 

Ground yourself in the Truth and pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (A New Embrace)

Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

 

Life can be so paradoxical. Sometimes our greatest joys come amidst our greatest sorrows.  Sometimes the most crushing trials cause us the most amazing self-growth. Thus, it shouldn’t be too surprising that carrying one’s personal cross and dying to self, may bring about the greatest reward in heaven. 

 

But who likes to suffer? Rather we love to complain. Marriage has its own set of trials. Every time a one is sent, rather than trusting in the Lord, we moan about this new cross. Maybe it’s to awaken us that while yoked, we are moving in different directions. Maybe it’s to show us the increased difficulty that occurs when unyoked. Perhaps it’s to awaken a spouse to their frenetic pace or conversely their sloth. Then again, maybe the Lord is just trying to tell you, “I love you. Trust in My plan”.

 

If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. 

1 Peter 2: 20-23

 

Many marriages are unbearably suffering.  Let us pray. 

 

Lord, empower all married couples so they may humbly embrace the crosses you have chosen for them, be they are fleeting or enduring. While they may be missing the security and warmth of a marital hug, surprise them with the comfort of your loving embrace. May new unexpected sweetness, make it easier for them to endure their cross. May it become the source of their sanctification and their joy. You emptied yourself for each one of them with unconditional love. Likewise, teach them to lovingly give all for their spouses, especially when they find it difficult. May the blood and water which poured forth from your side, be their strength and the source of never-ending grace. Amen.

If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Romans 6:8

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

“Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Mark 9:23   Pass it on!

 

Pray for Families (Protect the Children: 9-1-1!)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

Our children are under attack and you may not even realize it. A Netflix movie is attempting  to normalize extremely sexualized dance moves and gyrations of pre-teens obviously aimed at a mixed audience of pre-teens and child predators, while California is no longer requiring an adult to register as a sex offender if he/she has any type of sex with your 14-17-year-old “consenting” child and the perpetrator isn’t more than 10 years older. Our culture continues to devolve as it sexualizes children at progressively younger ages. Perhaps it is because we as a society have progressively loosened our own moral standards. Have we become desensitized or blind to immorality?!

 

This is a wake-up call for adults! Protect your children no matter their age.  Evil is being packaged as “equality”, one’s “right”,  “social commentary,”, etc. Instead, it results in the loss of a child’s innocence, and creates trauma and long-lasting emotional scars. 

 

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come!  Matthew 18:6-7

 

Lord, as adults, may we always protect the children and the vulnerable. May we ground our children in the Truth beginning when they are young, then work feverishly to keep them in the Truth as Satan and all his minions try to steal their innocence and capture their souls. Help us to be alert to all the ways in which our children are being targeted, led astray, and deceived. May we all do a self-examination of our own souls. Are we leading a moral life and being a good example? Illumine what we need to purge from our lives and lead us to holiness!  

 

There is no time for a snooze alarm. Commit to awakening!

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

Protecting a child's innocence is the best investment in the future. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Labor of Love)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Marriage is a labor of love. One quickly learns that love is a daily decision, an action that makes the desire to love visible. Note I didn’t say “makes the feeling visible”. Feelings come and go. If marriages ended any time the feeling disappeared, there wouldn’t be many marriages! It is grace that propels us in love and grace that diminishes the desire to avoid love.

 

Hatred stirs up disputes, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12

 

Loving another is very difficult if we don’t love God first. For it is in uniting with him that we are made strong. Like him, we will make merry at the wedding feast, but also be given a personal Calvary in which to glorify him. 

 

The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love him; he is their mighty shield and strong support, a shelter from the heat, a shade from the noonday sun, a guard against stumbling, a help against falling. Sirach 34:16

 

Jesus, you bring us the joy of Cana, the understanding and need for prayer in our Garden of Gethsemane, and the strength to walk our Via Crucis. You have a special love for married couples and we pray that your grace will be especially abundant throughout each marriage. Lift each spouse up lest they stumble, and show them the narrow path, that they may enjoy peace, love, and happiness. Nourish them with your Word, strengthen them in the sacraments, and secure them with unshakable faith that they may forever praise your merciful love! Amen.

 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

Make a decision to first love, He who is Love. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Protect and Guide)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

 

As we glide into September, many are sending their children off to new jobs, away to college, or maybe just keeping their children home for school. For me, having kids far away (even if they are “adults”) seems more difficult now. Others may not have children, but worry about their aging parent(s). As riots continue to spring up all around, as hate speech increases, as conservative views are muzzled, and as a presidential election approaches which will result in riots regardless of the outcome, my parental heart is heavier as I reflect on the state of this country and our world. 

 

Let us pray, not only for children who live far away from us, but for parents and other relatives who may feel more vulnerable in these times. 

 

You, O LORD, protect us always; preserve us from this generation.  

Psalm 12:8

 

Gracious God, you shelter all who call out to you. Please also shelter those we pray for. Send them additional angels to protect and guard them. Send the Light of Truth to guide them. Replace our own worry with trust. It is for these times you have made us and for these times you have equipped us. Enlighten our minds that we may discern the truth. Open our ears that we may hear the gentle voice of your Blessed Mother, asking us to take her hand that she may show us the way and lead us to You. Amen.

 

Jesus, we trust in You! 

 

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

 

Prayer for others brings uscloser to God. Pass it on!