Pray for Marriages (Promises to Believe in)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

I will lead the blind on a way they do not know; by paths they do not know I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These are my promises: I made them, I will not forsake them.  Isaiah 42:16

This scripture reminds me of a young couple getting married.  Expectations are high, but does either spouse really have a clue about the hills and valleys of married life?  We each have an inherent blindness, perhaps even by design, however the Lord is there to support and guide each step of the way, each year, each decade. It is a promise He as made to us.  All we need to do is believe in His Word, His unfailing promises.

Lord, it is easy to believe in your promises when all goes well, but when our marriages start to stumble and our hopes start to crumble, and we are no longer humble, sadly our trust and faith in You weakens.  Lord, increase our faith and grant us the grace to have unwavering trust. Especially bless the engaged and newly married so that the cloud of disillusionment will never obscure the beauty of their blossoming love.  Collectively we pray, "May the abundance of your grace rain upon marriages!"

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

May our prayers prevent the stumble and the crumble and make us humble! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families. (The Prayer of Presence)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When you are at a loss for words, sometimes the perfect prayer is to just be present for someone in need.  In prayer, ask the Lord to help you discern who might need the comfort of your presence, the compassion of an open ear, the encouragement of a warm smile. Then act.  It will be a most glorious prayer.

When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you.  Jeremiah 29:12

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Give the gift of your presence. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Imitators of God)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Love each other.  Even when you are too tired; even when you are angry; even when you have suffered insults; even when you are mocked; even when those you love the most hurt you’re the most.  Love, as Christ has loved and your world will change.  So will your marriage.

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 4:31-32

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2

Lord, unconditional love can seem beyond our capacity.  Come dwell in us, so that you may love others through us.  You are our hope, our joy, and our strength.  Come eternal Love, that together we may reignite those who no longer know love., so that ultimately, they may embody Love.  

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray that all may have a greater capacity for love. Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (The Blessing)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

No matter how wonderful or not so wonderful one’s family is, they are still your family.  There is an unbreakable bond.  Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandkids all add a layer of beauty and complexity to our lives.  They are all a blessing, even if occasionally some may feel like a curse.  In the end, they help us grow in virtue.

Let us pray today for our own families. Praise God for the blessing that they are!  Let us pray for them and all of their needs.

To this end, we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.  

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Make prayer a daily practice and Christ will bear fruit in you. Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (A Beautiful Aroma)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Can you think of a couple struggling in their marriage?  Most likely you can.  Pick a couple you know who is in great need of prayer and pray for them this week. Ask the Lord to help you identify the right couple.  Don’t know of anyone walking on a rocky road?  Commit to praying and ask the Lord that your prayers bear fruit for a couple of His choosing.

The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. Revelation 8:4

Prayer is beautiful aroma before the Lord.  Your commitment delights the Lord. May He bless you abundantly!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Encourage prayer.  It benefits both the giver and the receiver.  Pass it on!

Pray for Family (Weathering the Seasons of Change)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

We all experience constant change, if it’s calm in our life it’s probably crazy in another family member’s. May we learn torest in the fact that the Lord has a purpose for it all.

There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.

A time to give birth, and a time to die;

Let us rejoice in new life and pray for the souls of those at the end of life.

A time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.

Plant the seeds of kindness and uproot bitterness and jealousy.

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

Kill your pridefulness and heal relationships harmed by your self-love.

 A time to tear down, and a time to build.

Tear down your personal wall of protection and take time to build up another.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

Let your tears cleanse the sorrows of your heart, and laugh for joy and the generosity of our Lord.

A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Mourn for the years lost without knowing the Lord; dance for joy once you have found Him!

A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;

Take the stones from your heart and use them to build a foundation of Love.

A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.

Embrace those longing to be comforted, avoid embraces leading to lustful desires.

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

Seek the Lord with all your heart and all your strength; lose the arrogance of self-dependency.

A time to keep, and a time to cast away.   Ecclesiastes  3 1-6

Do not store up treasures here on earth but rather give them to those in need.

Pray for family that each person weather the seasons of one’s life with a greater understanding of Christ’s love for them.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

We are strengthened by climbing hills and walking through valleys, so praise God for the fortifying of your character! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Change Me!)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

As you pray for your spouse, how often do you ask the Lord to change something about them?  While it may sound reasonable, what if (God forbid!) we are the ones who need to change?  Consider what would happen if you reacted differently to your spouse’s behavior, comments, or quirks?  How would their response be different if you eliminated the eye roll, the negative body posturing, the groan of disapproval, the raised voice, the accusations, the placing of blame, and so on?

Conversely, what if you suddenly decided to stop tolerating bad behavior?  What would happen?

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:4-5

Lord, we will labor endlessly and without fruit if we believe we have the power to change anybody but ourselves.  Open my eyes to what I can change in my own behavior, so that my spouse may respond differently to me.  Give us each the grace to become the best version of ourselves, so that we may then live to honor and glorify you.  We are in need of your abundant graces so let the deluge begin! Amen.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Love begins with our actions, words and deeds.  Love more! Pass it on!