Pray for Marriages (Love a Little More)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Make a daily decision to love a little more.  The world if forgetting what real love looks like. 

The more you pray, the more you will love.   Pray with your heart, with your mind, or with your words.  Love your spouse through your actions, with your words, with your tone, and with your expressions.  Love them by praying for them.

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts.  

1 Thessalonians 3:12

Having difficulty in prayer?  In action?  Meditate on the love of the Lord; His kindness, tenderness, humility, selflessness, and patience.  Ask Him to teach you to love a little more.   

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Encourage others to love a little more. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (The Gift of Mothers)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The importance of motherhood was highlighted with an exclamation mark when God decided He would send His only Son to save us.  He could have sent His Son in any manner, but chose that He should enter this world through a woman.  He wanted His Son to have a Mother.   Not just any mother, but the most beautiful woman ever created.  One that was pure, kind, loving, and generous of heart.  One that with her “yes” would like most mothers, suffer along with the fruit of her womb.  One that would be wholly present to her child His entire life. One that would continually pray on His behalf, and no matter what happened, would continually trust in the will of God.

What an incredible prototype, what an incredible example, and what an amazing gift mothers are!!!   As Mother’s Day approaches, let us turn our hearts toward God and praise Him for the gift of our mothers both living and deceased.    Let us focus on their sacrifices for us, their ways of love, and in turn also choose to let go of any old hurts or anger.  May that be the most beautiful gift you give.  

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son. Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27

For Jesus so loved us, that as he neared death, He gave His mother to us, and us to His mother’s care.  Now that is an incredible gift.  For as He chose her to walk with Him throughout His life, He desires that she also walk with us during our lives.

Thank you Jesus, for the gift of your mother and for the gift of our earthly mother!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Share your love for mothers.  Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Creating good habits)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

hab·it    [hab-it] noun
an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary

Did you remember to pray for marriages today?  Make praying for Marriages on Monday a good habit you hope never to break.    As you invite others to prayer, may it become an “almost involuntary” habit.  You still get credit if you pray on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or any other day of the week, so make praying a daily routine!

Answer me when I call, my saving God. When troubles hem me in, set me free; take pity on me, hear my prayer.  Psalm 4:2

Prayer is the ointment for the wounds of the heart.  Keep praying for marriages!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Encourage good habits.  Pass it on!

Pray for Families (A Father to Shepherd)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

As I contemplate the Holy Family today, I see Joseph, working diligently to support, protect, and lead his family in accord with the will of God. He is faced with trials, poverty, and hard physical labor. He is willing to risk his reputation by marrying Mary, in order to preserve hers. He remains celibate, so that Mary may remain Immaculate. His is a life of self denial and total self-giving to his family. What a beautiful example he must have been to the Christ-Child who would grow up to sacrifice himself out of total love for His bride, the Church.

It sounds so simple, but how far we have wandered so far from the ideal!

For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.   John 3:17

Today I feel called to pray for fathers. Please join me.

Lord, look kindly upon fathers, and lead them back; Back into the families they may never have formed. Back to families they have abandoned, selfishly ignored, or failed to lead to You. Inspire them, engage them, guide them, and bless them! Heal them from their own childhood wounds, perhaps inflicted by their own father(s). By the example of St. Joseph, may they lovingly lead by listening to your voice. May they protect their families from emotional, physical, and spiritual harm. Make them shepherds of the family. Make haste, hear our prayers, and grant us the grace to continually pray for them. Amen!

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Ask a father to pray for fathers. Ask him to pray for his own healing. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Adopt a couple)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

It’s said that singing is like praying twice.  Let me add that praying for someone else is twice as nice!  It benefits them and it benefits YOU!

This week, pick a married or engaged couple you would like to adopt in prayer and pray for them.  Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the couple most in need of prayer.    Try to pray for them daily for at least a week.  Perhaps you will be inspired to pray for them even longer!

…Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. James 5:16

May the Lord abundantly bless you and your families for your commitment to pray for one another.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Share the joy and blessings of praying.  Pass it on!

Pray for Families (Mercy and Love)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Imagine a moment (just one J) where you have completely messed up.  REALLY messed up.  You are expecting  “fireworks” to ensue be it from your boss, your spouse, your friend, your parents, or your peers (depending on the situation,).  You brace yourself for the worst …… but instead you receiver forgiveness, and mercy.  You are completely disarmed by such love.  Speechless, you are filled with humility and gratitude.  This is what Christ’s love is like. 

We go through life, making messes all over the place; poor decisions, hurtful words,    selfish actions, and complete inaction when help is needed.  We offend the Lord over and over.   Yet He awaits each of us, hoping we will ask for His forgiveness and mercy, and when we do, His mercy overflows and we are drenched in forgiveness.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) Ephesians 2:4-5

Hear Him knock at your door of your heart. “Open it”, He calls, “do not be afraid for it is I, your Savior, your Redeemer”. He waits patiently, ready to disarm you with His love. Open the door of your heart. Beckon Him to bring Mercy and Love. Then ask Him on behalf of your family as you bring each of them to Him in prayer. Mercy and Love will heal their wounds.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne. Rev 3:20-21

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Introduce Mercy and Love to the masses.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (Weak and Weary)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

We have all seen the stoic and brave-hearted. We’ve also seen the weak and weary, not to mention the broken-hearted; Those who struggle to make their marriage work and those who have lost hope in the fight; Those who can’t imagine a better  marriage and feel stuck in their misery; Those who are eternally hopeful.   They may be your friends, family, coworkers or strangers.  This may be you.  It is for you and these sweet souls that we pray this week. 

He gives power to the faint, abundant strength to the weak. They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint. Isaiah 40:29, 31

Lord, help the weary discern your will in their marriages.  We do not know what is hidden, but in prayer we ask your guidance, protection, strength, grace, and peace for them.  Sustain them in your love.  Help them rest in your loving hands, so that they know what holy love feels like.  Heal them in their brokenness, and recreate in them new hearts to love.

We are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

You are not alone.  It is for you we pray!

For the grace of God has appeared, saving all.  Titus 2:11

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Sustain hope.  Ask more people to pray. Pass it on!