Pray for Families (Indescribable Gifts)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Family is beautiful, fun, challenging, rewarding, and such a gift! While one’s emotions towards family may be variable, the gift of time and experience gives one perspective.What teen doesn’t think their parents are awful, only to realize how amazing they are once they become adults? What child didn’t think their little brother or sister was annoying, only to become close later in life? Who didn’t cherish an aunt, uncle, or cousin who made you feel extra special or stood in the gap for you? Yes, family indeed is a gift!

Therefore, our God, we give you thanks. 1 Chronicle 29:13

Equally a blessing, are those who are like family; those friends and neighbors of the heart. The ones we “adopt” or adopt us because one or both of us don’t have family nearby. Think of those other than family who showed up in the worst of times to stand with you. They too deserve our prayers, and the Lord our God is worthy of more praise!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

Lord, how you know us and bless us. Everything you do for our good. Despite pains and trials, you use those to  bring about greater good. You always surround us with family and friends who love and  support us in the  journey of life, and boost us when our energy wanes. We praise you for the gift of family, and giving us friends to fill the empty spaces. We  praise you and thank you, for such gifts, as we never walk alone. We trust in your merciful love! Amen.

All your works give you thanks, LORD and your faithful bless you. 

Psalms 145:10

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet 

Give thanks and praise to the Lord for the gift of family and friends. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (All You Need is Love!)

 Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Who doesn’t want more LOVE!  We all do!  Who wants to give more love?  Only some. 

The best way to nurture love in a relationship  is to give it, especially when we don’t feel like it, because love isn’t a simple feeling, but an ACTION!  To be able to love so unconditionally, we must first step out of our own darkness (sin), attach ourselves to Love Himself, and He will show us the way.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Ephesians 5:8-9

To love your spouse is to share Christ’s light, love, and truth. We need to bring more Light into this darkened world, beginning at home with our spouses. 

Love is a decision.  Pray for the grace to execute on it!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Feelings follow actions.  Love first and pass it  on! 

Pray for Families (The Promise of Mercy)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

How great are the mercies of our Lord! 

Do you ever ponder your youth? Look back on all your foolish decisions, sometimes in amusement, other times in horror? Yet in your heart, didn’t you feel the Lord would never abandon you? Perhaps naively you also assumed your sins were harmless…enough? 

Our sins affect not just ourselves, but the entire Body of Christ. Each sin has a ripple effect, like a pebble or stone thrown in the lake. Those who have had near-death experiences affirm this. We are wrong to assume that sin is harmless, however we absolutely correct that He will never abandon us, at least while we are on earth. We choose our next destination, as we are given free will to follow Him or not.  

Perhaps you are not leading a Godly life or maybe it’s a child, spouse or other relative that is cruising down the road to perdition. Your prayers do matter. For the Lord never tires of hearing our pleas, calling for His sheep, and offering forgiveness if they turn back to Him.

And though I say to the wicked that they shall die, if they turn away from sin and do what is just and right—returning pledges, restoring stolen goods, walking by statutes that bring life, doing nothing wrong—they shall surely live; they shall not die. None of the sins they committed shall be remembered against them. If they do what is right and just, they shall surely live. Ezekiel 33:14-16

May we never lose hope for ourselves or another. May prayers of praise always be on our lips as we rejoice in our loving Savior.  

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

The rewards of prayer are eternal. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Understanding the Perfect Law of God)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Summer is such an uplifting time! Long days, warm rays, and glistening bodies of water lend themselves to abundant fun and lively community gatherings. The sun is the best anti-depressant and life feels easy-breezy!

Let us praise God for the joys of summer! And, when cooler temperatures arrive with Autumn, many more will be praising Him as well!  

The seasons can be great diversions from the daily grind, ongoing conflicts, and crushing disappointments. As mature Christians, we learn to unite our sufferings with Christ, trust in God’s plan for our lives, and to surrender our will to His. For the less mature Christian, agnostic, or atheist, the concern is greater, especially for our young adults who enter into marriage (when they finally do) with little thought of God, and huge fantasies of the perfect life, often not anchored in reality. They don’t perceive anything is missing, so they don’t know what they need!

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The statutes of the LORD are true, all of them just. Psalms 19:8-10

The Lord is the great Sustainer! Our food, our sustenance, and our strength! Thus, I am cheering couples on, most often in the form of prayer. My heart tells me that we need to pump up the volume in this regard!  

Would you join me in praying for the marriages of the engaged, the newlyweds, and those approaching the 7 year itch? Nothing truly prepares one for marriage and family, as no one can imagine the selflessness it begs, the dying to oneself, and the authentic love it requires.

Lord, you ordained marriage as a special covenant where two become one. May we never tire of contemplating that, nor of praying that we come to fully understand it. In a culture that attacks marriage, may our prayers never cease for one another, irregardless if one has been married for a day or 7 decades.  Hear our humble prayers, as we beg for mercy on the most fractured marriages, and grace upon the newly united. May your blessings be more abundant now, than ever before! Jesus, we trust in You!!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray for a greater capacity to love, and pass it on!