Pray for Marriages (From Grudge to Judge)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

How the Evil One loves to get under our skin when we experience perceived injustices, wrongs, or insults. He especially delights when the division he causes is between spouses! Score! He will not let you forget, so that you can never get close to forgiveness. He keeps a replay loop of the event in your head, refueling your anger. How easily we are manipulated to hold on to grudges! We are so weak!

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. John 15:5

The Lord knows our weakness, thus He continues to beckon us to come to him. He will give you His heart, which is filled with love and forgiveness. He will give you the grace to increase in faith and trust in His plan. He will crush the grudge and ask you not to judge. 

Consider the story of Joseph, sold by his jealous brothers into slavery, only unbeknownst to them, he rises up and becomes governor under Pharoah and in charge of all the granaries. When the brothers journey to Egypt to buy grain during the famine, Joseph had a decision to make: repay evil with evil or repay evil with good? 

Joseph’s brothers became fearful and thought, “Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us and now most certainly will pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!” Genesis 50:15

Joseph replied, showing incredible faith and charity. 

“Do not fear. Can I take the place of God? Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve this present end, the survival of many people. Genesis 50:19-20

Here is your challenge this week. Are there areas in which you need to forgive your spouse or a loved one? Are there memories from long ago (or even yesterday!) that love to pop back in your mind so that you can ruminate on them over and over? Ask the Lord to help you see His greater purpose in it.  Perhaps a growth in a particular virtue? Perhaps to help you forgive yourself? Spend some time in prayer and meditation and listen to the Lord. 

We know that all things work for good for those who love God  who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Let go of the grudge and let Him be the Judge! Pass it on!! 

Pray for Families (Perseverance and Endurance)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Most of us shun suffering, beginning as a small child and ending on our deathbed.  In fact, how often do we pray for no suffering??  Granted, we may on occasion make small sacrifices for those we love, but those sacrifices often indirectly benefit us.

When offered from the heart, sacrifices for the redemption of self and others can be a very beautiful thing. The Lord shows us the spirit in which it should be offered.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.  John 10:18

Gifts are received differently based upon the spirit in which they are given, and if they are from the heart. Consider someone who volunteers to drive your children to school because you are sick and could really use the rest. Then consider another who performs the same task, but complains about it incessantly. Your level of gratitude differs, does it not?

We have much to learn about suffering. The best place to start is by meditating on the crucifix and contemplating Christ’s Passion. Let the Lord speak to you as you enter into conversation with Him. Conclude with, “Thy will be done!” and “Help me to accept your will!”

“Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.”  Mark 14:36

Family life is a petri dish for suffering, but also the genesis of so much love and joy. Let us embrace this great adventure, pray for one another, and sacrifice for the good of one another.  Keep at it, for prayer fuels our perseverance and endurance!  

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Joy and Love replicate! Pass  it on!

Pray for Marriages (A Voice in the Stillness)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Life can sometimes seems  like a constant battle.  Sometimes marriage feels that way too when the synergy feels more like a push/pull or tug-of-war. The normal reaction is  to  try to solve, resolve, adjust, redirect, or even take control and make all the decisions. What doesn’t come as naturally is to put the conflict in God’s hands. 

The LORD will fight for you; you have only to keep still. Exodus 14:14

Keeping still is a challenge. That involves patience, even perhaps long-suffering. We are used to working quickly through the here and now, making decisions of our own accord, not waiting an indefinite time for answers, even if waiting on God leads us down the heavenly path. Perhaps that’s worth contemplating. Ask our Heavenly Mother, who was the master of pondering during her time on earth, to help you.

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Luke 2:19

Lord, we ask for the marital grace to be patient, to take time to  ponder your will in the stillness of our hearts, and to put our needs into your hands.  How often we glorify our own will, thinking we know all the answers and what is right for us. Yet, you love us more than we love ourselves. You  created marriage for our happiness, entering into this covenant with us.  Thank you for the blessings you bestow upon us.  We humbly ask for the courage to be still and wait upon you when we struggle and hit an impasse.  

Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 46:11

Lord, help us forget the past, live in the present, and trust that you’ve got our future!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

All things are possible with God, so let us give Him our trust! Pass it  on! 

Pray for Families (Don’t Knock it, Try it!)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Many of you are parents with children who are now adults, or soon to reach  adulthood. What I hear from so many and have experienced myself, is the frustration of raising kids in the faith, only to have them choose to follow the world versus follow the Lord once they leave the roost. While this can be frustrating, demoralizing, and bewildering to a parent, it is important that they themselves don’t lose faith in the power of God, for that is exacting what the Evil One is hoping for!

God guides each of His children differently, walking in step with them, gently beckoning them to follow. As parents, we must be patient, praying for them consistently and patiently, while never wavering in loving them.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36

Reflect the joy of the Lord in all you do. Knock relentlessly that the Lord may hear your pleas. Trust in all His promises and he will reward your faith. 

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a lofty one.  Ecclesiastes 7:8

Collectively, let’s pray for all of our spiritually lost children.  With abundant confidence, knock, knock,knock in prayer until the door is opened for all!  Jesus we trust in You!

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The devil hates knocking. Pump up the volume by passing it on! 

Pray for Marriages (The Lord Speaks!)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

With summer in full swing and vacations in motion, I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but last week you didn’t receive any prayer reminders from me. Although I have sent emails from hospital beds and vacation destinations, this year the Lord wasn’t having it. (He obviously trusts that you will remember). Vacationing in the High Sierras at almost 9000 feet, the Lord saw to it that the cell towers were down and that there was no internet service. He even made it difficult to get within range. Sometimes the Lord doesn’t whisper! His Will be done!

I trust that most of you have made praying for marriage and family a habit. The reminders are so that none of you feel alone in your prayers. 💝

Daily prayer and reading scripture help fertilize the soil of your heart, allowing it not just to listen, but to hear.

Some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold. Luke 8:8

In marriage, the aspiration is always to hear and respond with love, in complete imitation of Christ. On our own this is impossible, but with prayer and meditation on the Word, we are able to allow the Lord to germinate the seeds of growth within us.

Yet just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:7

So keep praying, whether you receive a reminder or not.  Our prayers lift up one another, especially when the praying becomes difficult.  Immerse yourself in Scripture, and allow the Lord to guide and comfort you.  Carve out quiet time to listen to Him! 

Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8

God bless all of you!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Spread the love and blessings and pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Restorative Grace)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Summer is in full swing and what a better time to enjoy some wonderful family time, especially during a vacation. Letting go of daily stresses allows for fun and laughter to break through the generations. Such gatherings also allow for more organic conversations to develop, allowing each to learn more about the other, often dispelling misconceptions and misunderstandings. They help everyone to gather around commonalities, minimizing any differences. They show us the beauty of each individual family member, as perfectly designed by God.

I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest—oracle of the Lord GOD. The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, and the sick I will heal; Ezekiel 34:15-16

Make time to be with family. It is God’s greatest gift to us. Praise him for his kindness and fidelity, as he shepherds each of us to his heavenly kingdom. Finally, pray that each family member will accept his restorative grace, take His hand, and give their heart to the Author of Love. 

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” 

Luke 19:10

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Quality family time is the beginning of renewal and restoration. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Finding Freedom)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

When someone gets married, there are often jokes about the bride and/or groom losing their freedom. Thus the tradition of the bachelor/bachelorette party, the fiance’s last night of freedom, continues on.  The question is, however, how is one defining “freedom”?

Pope, now Saint John Paul II, so wisely declared, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought. 

Unified as one in marriage, you are called to live and work in tandem, to create a beautiful dance, not mirroring each other but complementing the other. Like any amazing duet, it takes practice. Each day, we must affirm our decision to do what we ought. But we need grace if we are to remain persistent in putting in the work to perfect “the dance” .  

Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God. 1 Peter 2:16

God will set us free, for if we are honest with ourselves, we are not shackled by a marriage, but our own wounds. If our goal is freedom within our marriage, we must invite the Lord into our woundedness, our fears, our weaknesses, acknowledging we can't be successful without Him.

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 for each other's healing; those hidden wounds, those moments of shame, the lies we’ve believed, the fears we’ve embraced. All those things that block us from becoming one with our spouse. Holy Spirit, come! Dispel the darkness and bring your healing grace. Grant us the freedom to love as we ought! 

Peace, Joy, and Love, 

Janet

Prayer is the pathway to freedom. Pass it on!