Pray for Marriages (Parental Distress)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

There are certain stages in a marriage where the relationship is challenged. One of them is during child-rearing. Even when  parents are relatively on the same page, mothers and fathers see things with different eyes. (A blessing). Perspectives differ even more if one parent is at home with the child/children and the other is working. More differences can occur if both parents work outside the home, as the unconscious guilt of absence can lead to permissiveness. 

There is no judgment here, just lots of compassion, as parenthood is difficult and very humbling. It reveals weaknesses, insecurities, and past traumas, forcing one to look inward. Reflexively though, it is much easier to blame child-rearing issues/differences on one's spouse, but then it boomerangs back!

Let's keep these marriages covered in prayer! 

The Lord journeys with each of you. Stay close to scripture to hear His voice!

Parents:

Apply your heart to instruction, and your ear to words of knowledge.  Do not withhold discipline from youths; Proverbs 23:12-13

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4

Spouses:

Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32

Heavenly Father, children are such a blessing, but so too is the grace of parental challenges as they cause deep, personal growth, especially in humility. May this virtue allow couples to more fully welcome you in their hearts, so that you may be their strength. Help parents with their ability to communicate and share their frustrations with one another. Give them the grace to be mutually supportive and patient and understanding in times of stress. Unite them in the discipline of their children and help them to instruct them in the love of the Lord. May our prayers seed the clouds of grace, so that they may perpetually shower upon marriages, resulting in an unshakeable household blooming with peace, joy, and love.  Amen!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray twice and pass it on! 

Pray for Families (The Heart of the Matter)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Today, the reversal of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision is unbelievably a reality.  While it returns control to the states, God still wins on this Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! 

Mother Teresa said it best, “Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love but to use violence to get what they want.” 

Is that not the ideology that we continue to observe  everywhere we look regarding this issue? People using violence (emotional, physical, mental) to get what they want? We need to get to the heart of the matter and show people what and who Love is. Love alone changes hearts, especially when its recipients are undeserving. We must witness to the unconditional love of Christ, drawing our strength from His Sacred Heart. We need to speak the truth to family and the misguided, even when it’s hard. We need to teach love by our example. We must show that each life has value. If not, what makes any child, teen, or adult think their life matters?? How can they not falsely believe that unwanted=not valued=might as well not live?

Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Romans 12:9-12

Lord, we pray for the gifts needed to speak the truth, find clarity, increase in strength, and become bold in speech. We are weak; please make us strong.  We are timid; give us confidence to speak the truth in love and be open to dialogue. Most importantly, help us to carry your Love in our hearts, and generously share it, especially with those who most need it, those who don’t yet know You. Keep us steadfast in prayer! 

The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

 

Share a little love and pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Restore the Broken)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

We all know someone who is suffering from a failed marriage that ended in divorce. Often, only one spouse wanted the divorce and the other one suffered the consequences. Other times, the one leaving fled from abuse, be it physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. While we usually pray to preserve marriages, I feel called to pray for the healing of those who continue to suffer due to the loss of their marriage, and/or  the destruction of the family unit. Plus, let us also lift up those marriages which are hanging by a thread!

Sometimes a way seems right, but the end of it leads to death!  

Proverbs 16:25

Lord, you show great mercy for your children and forgive the offenses of the contrite of heart. Shower the divorced and separated with your merciful love so they may experience unconditional love! 

The righteous cry out, the LORD hears and he rescues them from all their afflictions.The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed. Psalms 34:18-19

Heavenly Father, sometimes one finds themselves in places they never planned to be. Everyone hopes for the best and can be confused as to how they arrived at their unwanted destination. Heartache, despair, self-loathing, confusion, anger, and sorrow can become their daily companion. Dear Lord, help the afflicted.  Silence all the negative noise in their heads and heal their hearts and minds. Give them the grace they need to forgive their former spouse and bring them to a place of peace.

Finally, for those whose marriage is teetering on the precipice, show your compassion by miraculously changing hearts. May all be amazed at the power and mercy of God and sing your praises! Alleluia!  Amen.

Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:12-13

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet 

Forgive someone who has hurt you and encourage another. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Springboard to Virtue)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

The Lord has ways to encourage and coax us along in life, as we can easily dwell in discouragement and become complacent and pessimistic. But God has promised us the sweet life with Him in heaven, if only we persevere.

So as you watch prices skyrocket and the economy shake, scratch your head and wonder what ever  happened to common sense, perhaps it’s time to take inventory of what you and your family need versus what you want, and evaluate the state of your spiritual life.. 

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

Are you rich in prayer? It’s never too late for someone to start. It can be as simple as uttering a daily “Praise be to God!” or “Jesus, help me!” Prayer is a powerful weapon against vice and a springboard to virtue. Rather than time spent acquiring things, work on storing up your treasures in heaven and keeping your focus on God. Perhaps exchange an evening out, for an evening in with your family, developing a family prayer routine while building  a new family cohesiveness with lively and fun conversations that will enrich each member. Joy is often found where you least expect it. 

Let’s continue to pray for one another’s families, for together we are stronger. Remember, you never walk alone!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Say a prayer for another and ask that they continue the prayer chain, and as always, that they pass this on! 

 

Pray for Marriages (A Lasting Bond)

Greeting Prayer Warriors, 

There are many things that add stress to a marriage, and one of them is the discussion of finances.  Perhaps there is discord on how the money should be spent, who is working for that money, how it is distributed, or in a recession, what should/can be cut out of the budget. Communication surrounding money can be highly charged and quite emotional.  Discord can bloom like a weed in the desert…and Satan delights.  

Ponder the impact of a recession on:

• The elderly living on social security income with a fixed budget
• The young adult couple trying to pay off their student debt, cover skyrocketing rent, and managing or hoping for a family
• The middle class couple who was just getting close to paying off debt
• Middle-aged couples who worked and saved their whole lives to dream of the golden years but now see their retirement funds shrinking 

As the economy slowly worsens, Satan sees opportunities to drive a wedge between the spouses. We must remain faithful to He who is Love, who endures forever.  Let’s pray to Him asking for the protection of marriages.

Lord, we turn to you as our one true Master, our Protector, our Counselor, and our Peace. You love us immeasurably and promise to give us what we need.  Give us faith that never wavers when things get hard. Empower us to love, even when we are bitter.  Teach us the power of personal sacrifice especially when offered up to you.  When hard times become harder, be generous toward marriages and mightily protect them with your grace.  May their bond never be broken.  Amen.

If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.  Matthew 6:30-33

Jesus, we trust in You, to help couples to love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, til death do us part.  Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Email is still free!  Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Witness to the Truth)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Most of us would admit that there were times in our lives where we wandered away from the Lord.  Maybe not consciously, but our decisions were cutting us off from His grace. Eventually, usually months, years or decades later,  we had a moment of clarity, an awakening to our waywardness and now feel forever blessed to have eyes that see and rest in the comfort that we have a Lord who never abandons us.

Harder now, especially after our own journeys, is to see beloved family members who have drifted, not sensing their own spiritual danger. Perhaps the Lord pulled you through your own danger zone just so you could one day become a prayer warrior for your family and friends. 

If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. 1 John 5:16

Don’t despair or give up in your efforts to seek the conversion of a loved one. There are many saints who will tell you the Blessed Mother guided them to Jesus and still more who will attest to the power of grace and the unfathomable love of God! Keep praying and witnessing to the Truth!

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear. I Peter 3:15-16

May one day we all praise Him:

He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet 

Never lose hope.  Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Uplift the Suffering)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

When one is going through marital difficulties, they often feel all alone. They perceive everyone else’s marriage to be just as it appears on social media and in pictures: fun, exciting, romantic, and perfect!  However, that is rarely so. Many people hold much pain inside with a smile on their face. Who hasn’t been shocked by a “perfect'' couple's divorce?

My heart encourages me to pray for those who struggle in silence, who cling to hope, who grasp tightly to their faith, and plead much with Jesus. They are the ones who most benefit from your prayers, as those who surround them usually don’t know they are suffering.

 “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.”  Luke 22:31-32

Satan always wants to discourage spouses and lead them towards divorce. He whispers to them how much happier they will be single. He fills their minds with negative thoughts regarding their spouse and pictures of the pleasure they will be able to enjoy once divorced. While the Lord allows such trials, He also prays for each of you and those you pray for. He prays for each spouse’s  perseverance in faith and encourages us to strengthen one another with prayer. What an awesome God who never abandons us and prays for us!

Lord, hear each prayer we utter during the day for marriages. Accept each sacrifice we make for the strengthening of marriages. Release a Pentecost of graces on marriages, blessing them with an increase in charity and understanding for one another.

‘It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Acts 2:17

May the Spirit empower you to share the gift of your faith and in imitation of Christ, to pray for one another without ceasing!

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

No one suffers alone. Pass it on!! 

Pray for Families (Gifts Freely Given)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Most people inherently like to be kind and do nice things for others, but how quickly our kind deeds can lead to grumbling in some way about another. 

Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 1 Peter 4:9

Complaining?!  Think you never complain about serving another? It’s easy to think that, but stop and reflect. Perhaps you expected a bigger thank you, more gratitude, a little reciprocity, or more praise of your skills and generosity? If we examine ourselves honestly, we rarely give without consciously or subconsciously wanting something tangible or intangible in return. Ask yourself why that might be?

As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.1 Peter 4:10-11

All that we have, and all the gifts God has given us are not meant to be kept, but meant to be shared. Let us strive to give and to serve one another for His glory. What could be a more powerful witness to your family (and friends) than to be a cheerful giver of your time, talents, and treasures?

Let us pray for one another and our families that we grow in the desire to love and to serve others, with humility and love.

From the desire of being honored, esteemed, praised, and adored, deliver us,  O Jesus! Grant us the grace to serve in imitation of you and all for your glory! Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

You never journey without the prayers of another. Accept this unfettered gift of prayer and pass it on!