Pray for Marriages (Unification Found in Him)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Each of you is in a unique marriage, (or perhaps you are unmarried and dedicated to praying for them, so thank you!) If the Lord could unite Jews and Gentiles thousands of years ago, heal the sick, drive out demons, give sight to the blind, and raise the dead, can he not bring renewed life and vitality to any marriage? 

He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 

He meets each individual where they are at, for no matter how disparate we are, we are all His children.

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. 

We may walk different paths, but we have one Father, and are members of His household  through our baptism.  If we look to the apostles, we see that they were much like us: unsure, imperfect, prone to doubt, disagreement, etc. Yet, through their “yes” and His grace, they were transformed.

Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:17-22

The Lord is the great Unifier. If we trust and are faithful in prayer, He will continue to transform our marriages, sanctify us, and will knit us together as a perfect dwelling place for Him, for his greatest desire is to dwell with us.

To boost the efficacy of our prayers, let’s collectively offer them for marriage, trusting in all His promises and freely accepting all that He wants to give us.

Jesus, we trust in You!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Make prayer a habit: Daily, hourly, minute by minute. Then, pass it on! 

Pray for Families (A Daily Act of the Will)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

God presented us with a great challenge. He made in His image and likeness, gave us free will, and then made what seemed on the surface to be a simple request. “Follow me.” And how did we respond?

What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Romans 7:15-17

Sin gets in the way all the time! It pushes us down the road to perdition. We don’t know why we sin.  Our family doesn’t know why they sin. They just do! Yet Jesus reassures us that we don’t walk alone. We are strengthened by prayer and the sacraments to resist sin. With the help of His grace, we must make a daily act of the will to sin no more and to follow Him.

If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. So speak and so act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom. For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. 

James 2:8, 12-13

Show mercy. Be patient with one another. Be quick to forgive an offense. Be compassionate and loving. Affirm good. Renounce evil. This is following Jesus. 

The LORD, the LORD, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity, continuing his love for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.  Exodus 34:6-7

Lord, we pray that your grace and guiding hand may lead our families down the narrow path. Be our “bumpers” that we may not fall into the gutters of life. Hear our prayers for one another, and in your delight, hear and answer us. Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Mercy triumphs over judgment. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (The Faith of Moses)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

How easy it is to say, “Jesus, I trust in You!”  How truly difficult it is to trust in Jesus, especially when the going gets tough. The Lord’s ways are not our ways. The Lord’s timing rarely coincides with our timeline. Just when we want Him to change our spouse, He instead tries to change us. He reassures us:

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

It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

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 13:5

Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”  Mark 10:9

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Fear not, for I am with you.  Isaiah 43:5

“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20

Let us pray that we can have the faith of Moses. Petition the Lord in prayer to bless all marriages, and trust in Him to do so. 

He did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. That is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” But it was not for him alone that it was written that “it was credited to him”; it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead Romans 4:20-24

“I do believe, help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for the gift of faith! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Walking with Others)

 Greeting Prayer Warriors,

Life is such a series of joys and sorrows! Have you not experienced the sorrow of hearing of the death of a friend or relative, only to soon transition to joy as you hear of a new birth, and vice versa?  Luckily for most, the Lord helps to keep us on the balance beam, steadying us continuously as we look at life not as a circle but linear!

We are never meant to walk alone, thus He sends others to accompany us in our life’s journey while also calling upon us to assist others. Such action should alway begin with prayer, otherwise we are prone to hearing the Evil One dissuade us from our good intentions and deeds!

So let us begin our prayers by focusing first on both ends of life. Pray for the expectant mom and offer support as she experiences the trials of labor, joys of birth, and the reality of life with a newborn. 

When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. John 16:21

Pray for and comfort those who mourn, and help them as they transition to a life living with the absence of a loved one.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

We are His hands and feet, His voice, His touch, His embrace. WE are to bring Christ into this world each day. WE are to bring peace, joy, and love.

Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16

Pray for family each step of the way and encourage them to accompany others as they walk the middle ground. It changes both the giver and receiver. All glory to God!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Glorify God in your prayers and in your works. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Fear of the Lord)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When I was a child, there were many things I didn’t do out of fear of my parents.  I knew my parents all too well.  I never doubted their love and ability to discipline, and that fear and my own love for them was a positive motivator for me to refrain from evil.

This makes me contemplate fear of the Lord.  It is not necessarily fear as we know it, but rather awe of the Almighty. When you are in awe of someone, do you not want to imitate and please them?

Thus all who dwell on the earth shall know, all who remain in the world shall understand, that nothing is better than the fear of the Lord, nothing sweeter than obeying the commandments of the Lord.  Sirach 23:27

Yet, one cannot fear Him whom they do not know, thus how can they know the sweetness of God?  As individuals and married couples, we are called  to continue to build our friendship with the Lord so that in knowing Him, we may become imitators of Him and grow in intimacy with our spouses through Him who dwells in us.

“ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”  Mark 10:7-9

Do you fear the Lord enough to follow His commands?  Do you ever try to convince Him that you know best?  Can you truly bear to disappoint the One who loves you to death?

Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart. 1 Peter 1:2

Obedience to the truth and the desire to follow it, calls for a heaping dose of prayer, so let’s beseech the Lord for such a holy desire.  Pray much for marriages, especially those struggling the most. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for greater fear of the Lord, for He is Awe-some! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Supporting the Elderly)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

As I’m spending a few days visiting my elderly mother, my heart and mind goes to all those who have unexpectedly become caregivers of a parent or two.  It is a beautiful act of love, one that mirrors the love and caring those parents gave their children.  But with it comes a lot of self-denial, as frequently the adult children caregivers still have kids who need them or they have to suppress their empty-nester dreams.  The elderly don’t grow out of their neediness, rather it only progresses.  Yet, the elderly resist each step of losing their independence, combatting change. The decisions regarding next steps in time become more complicated and emotional.  

Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the old, and fear your God. I am the LORD.  Leviticus 19:32

All which seems so difficult, so much to bear,  always becomes lightened by the prayers of others that pull down the grace of God.  It also is eased by the encouragement and help of others, even from the smallest of kind gestures. 

Let’s pray for the aging and all their caregivers.  

Lord, grant patience to all who are tending to their elderly parents and grandparents. May they exhibit your love, compassion, and tenderness.  Bring them joy and sustain them in their journey.  Comfort the elderly and eliminate their fears.  Bless all families and may such times of self-giving bring them ever closer, not just to each other, but to You. Amen.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray, encourage, support, and pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Transformation and Renewal)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Do you love secrets?  I have one. While I pray for the virtues of patience, humility, and charity, (just for starters,) I hate that the Lord keeps using my marriage as a means to perfect me!! The Lord tends to put us with the spouse we need. While I acknowledge that opposites attract, the qualities that attract you to your spouse can be the same ones that irritate you decades later. They end up being virtue-producing qualities!

How is the Lord calling you to grow? Are there temptations you are trying to avoid? Are you challenged with fidelity, chastity, or gluttony? Anger,  impatience, sloth? Too much indulgence or excess in work, play, or other? What causes friction in your relationship? If you kept yourself from reacting to the argument and instead did some self reflection, what would you see?

We need to become conscious of our psychological defects before we can begin to grow in virtue. While it’s important that we first see ourselves as a precious son or daughter in the eyes of God, it’s indeed painful to see how far we are from becoming who we were made to be. Unless we are reflecting the image and likeness of God, we aren’t there yet!! Lord have mercy! 

Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to help you see what needs to change for you to become a better person and thus a better spouse. (The answer can’t be changing your spouse!)

Lord, help our marriages to flourish. May we take constant self-inventory of where we are falling short, not to self-flagellate, but to grow in humility as we daily surrender to your Divine Will. Transform us by the renewal of our minds! May we never fail to accept the endless love and mercy you desire to give us each moment, each day. Thank you for clothing us with your peace, even in the midst of our daily chaos. Our hearts overflow in gratitude!  Jesus, we trust in you. Help our unbelief!! Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Transformation and renewal begin with assent! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Eliminating the Golden Calves)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When I was younger and heard the story of Exodus, in which God led the people out of Egypt through his servant, Moses, followed by Moses being given the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai for all the people, I imagined it must have been an incredible time to live and to witness the goodness and mercy of God.  However, I was alway a bit dumbfounded as to why the people who were so grateful to God suddenly created a golden calf to worship when Moses was absent for a while.  It seems like such ingratitude!  

They have quickly turned aside from the way I commanded them, making for themselves a molten calf and bowing down to it, sacrificing to it and crying out, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Exodus 32:8-9

Yet, I look at our culture today and realize we aren’t that different. We have made many golden calves of our own. As we have slowly pushed God out of our culture, it has devolved, and few consider that Sunday is the Lord’s Day. Now instead of worshiping God, we worship self!  

The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

How have we worshiped self?  By leading a life whereby we hope everybody gazes upon us! We can have an over-emphasis on health and beauty, draping ourselves in the latest designer fashions, and artificially molding our bodies so that others would adore us. Let’s not forget that we often have to take those selfies and glorify ourselves by posting them so many more people can worship our body and envy our lifestyle! 

Perhaps that’s not you. Maybe the golden calf that replaces your physical presence in church or daily prayer time with the Lord is sports attendance/participation/viewing, a long time favorite Sunday Golden Calf for many.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14

There are many versions of the golden calf as the devil love to set subtle snares. A little self-reflection can help you identify yours. Pray for eyes to see. The Lord always awaits us with open arms, and a heart overflowing with mercy and love. We only need to turn to Him.

Pray this weekend for the spiritual health of your family. Resolve to change what you can, and be a true witness to others. You never stand alone. 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Change starts with self! Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (Heavenly Guidance)

 Greeting Prayer Warriors,

For those married any length of time, there are many times the relationship is at a standstill. For those not married, you know of couples, perhaps the ones your pray for, who have reached an impasse or even a stagnation. There doesn’t seem to be a clear direction of the way to go. Yet, we each have a heavenly helper we often forget about: our guardian angels.

Everyone has at least one. They were given to us to protect and guide. When you are frustrated, lonely, confused, broken, , or at your wit’s end, call upon your guardian angel for guidance.

Do you know the Guardian Angel Prayer? Perhaps you regularly pray it, haven’t prayed it since childhood, or never learned it. Add it to your prayer arsenal! It is short and powerful!

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day (or night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. Psalm 91:11

Heavenly Father, thank you for our heavenly angels who serve us so faithfully. May your legions of angels continue to protect marriages, especially those of our dedicated prayer warriors and all those they hold in their hearts.  Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

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