Pray for Marriages (Extraordinary Witnesses)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Marriage begins so blissfully. Then the gift of children arrives and we are thrust into uncharted waters. This is often the beginning of humility. How the Lord always seeks to perfect us! Yet as difficult as this transition is to the stability of the previous 1+1 marriage, how much more difficult it is when the child(ren) has/have medical issues, be they physical, mental, or emotional. The relationship is tested in extraordinary ways.

Those called to the highest heights of parenting will be given special graces, yet they need our prayers, on steroids! Please join me in praying for these special marriages, as their unions are so important yet so vulnerable! Lord God, you choose special people to be the parents of extraordinarily challenged children. They are an inspiration to us all, so please reward them with an outpouring of your grace. Give them times of respite and renewal, uniting them together more fully. Bless their marriages and bless all their children. May they be forever fueled by our prayers and sustained by your unwavering love.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. 

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

Thank you Lord for such powerful witnesses!

Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet

Faith is an action. Action requires prayer. Let us give and receive as needed! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Valuing One Another)

Greetings Prayer Warriors, 

Vacationing in the Eastern Sierra Nevada’s, I can’t help but be in awe of the beauty of God’s creation.  Majestic mountains, craggy cliffs, lush tress, waterfalls, lakes, streams, eagles, blue jays, and bears! But no beauty compares to that of God’s most treasured creation, man. Each of us was created as His masterpiece, precious in His sight. We are all one family in Him.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  Galatians 3:28

Vacationing in the same location for decades, we now also have a “vacation family” as several other families have maintained the same tradition.  Just like any other family, we have witnessed and experienced the joys, pains, trials, and heartaches of family life. The catching of the “big one” (fish), group hikes, kayaking, potlucks, the passing away of the “patriarchs”, the unexpected death of a young adult, kids becoming addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, stints in rehab, auto-accidents, ER visits, a “coming out”, and a shared sense of community. Our experiences have bonded us, highlighting that we are all interconnected through Christ, whether believer of non-believer. Through it all, we have learned to not to take one day with someone for granted, for we are not guaranteed a tomorrow with anyone. We have learned that each person has a cross, and within a “family”, we need not carry it alone. For even as we assist one another, Christ in turn is carrying us.

So today I feel called to pray for both your own extended family and your “adopted” families. May the Lord strengthen, guide, and protect them always.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:15-19

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

We are one in Him.  Let us follow His example.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (Refreshed by the Waters)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Vacations are wonderful opportunities for R&R.  So frequently we take off to destinations that have beaches, lakes, or swimming pools.  Water seems to bring refreshment.  It somehow renews and reenergizes us.  

Yet our souls seek something greater; an unending, satiating love. Such refreshment is found in the life-giving waters of the Lord.

“Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.” John 7:37

He who is the Rock quenches our thirst.

Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

Let us pray that this wellspring of life renews marriages that our dehydrating from neglect, apathy, and the heat of chronic dysfunction.

A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.  

Psalm 51:12

Lord, refresh the weary, hydrate those parched by the journey, and quench the thirst of those married and love-starved. Come now and flood marriages with the grace of renewal.  Jesus we trust in You!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Refresh the weary.  Pass it on!  

Pray for Families (Follow Me)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Jesus commands his disciples to “follow me”.  On one hand it must have been difficult, but on the other, who can resist a Light that you know will transform you? Can moths resist moving toward the flame?  We too are called to follow Jesus, so that His light may enter us more fully. Ask yourself, how closely are you following him? Do you radiate Jesus into your families? The world? Do your families sense the Christ in you?

If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light." Luke 11:36

Contemplate what you are reflecting to your family.  Pray that you can be a brighter light into your family and the world. Then pray that Christ increases the receptivity of your family as well as others to the Light.   In doing so, may the darkness in this world be diminished forever!

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

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Spread the Light.  Reflect it on to others! Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Freedom vs. Independence)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

God orders everything perfectly. From the creation of Adam and Eve, it was evident that he wanted to give man the abundant life (paradise!) and the free will to make decisions. He gave both man and woman a role. Man was created as the provider and protector, one who would lay his life down for his spouse. Woman was created to be beautiful, nurturing, and the bearer of new life.  Together, they would be made one. Although they had the charmed life in paradise, they wondered what they might be missing. They soon succumbed to the serpent’s offer for independence from God.

What do you think of when you hear about Adam and Eve?  Perhaps something like, “Wow, how could they mess up such a good thing?!”

Fast forward to the 1960’s.  Women began to feel oppressed as the “child-bearer” and instead longed for the power, respect, and sexual freedom afforded to men.  (This also indicates how poorly many women must have been treated.) Birth control became more acceptable, allowing women to minimize or eliminate their childbearing and focus on “true fulfillment,“ a career.  With pregnancy no longer a worry, men could easily objectify women and vice versa as sex was reduced to selfish pleasures.  50 years later, the killing of babies in the womb is common.  Children are no longer considered a gift (unless you have difficulty conceiving), but a disposable commodity depending on your “choice”. Is this independence from God, freedom? 

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

This is where Adam and Eve look at us and say, “They think WE were crazy? Do they not see that they too have fallen prey to the serpent?!”

The battle is a spiritual one. It is a battle between darkness and Light. But there is hope.

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

True freedom apart from God isn’t possible. Pray for wisdom and clarity to understand God’s plan for your marriage.  Are you being respectful of your spouse? Is your love a self-giving or self-serving love?  Whose voice guides your life? Help us hear you Lord!  Help us see!  Reorder the disorder we’ve created!

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 1 Corinthians 3:17

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Spirit of the Lord, reenter our marriages! Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Enjoying the Gift)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Think back to your favorite childhood memories.  A joyful smile floods your face, doesn’t it?  Rest there a while.   My guess is your cherished memories are not about time with “things” but with people: relatives, family, & friends.  Yet how easy it is to immerse ourselves with “things” when we are trying to fill a void in our life.  Other times we selfishly fill the void with people whom we treat like “things” which we discard when we have no further use for them.

Family and friends are a gift.  Our Lord shines through them so that we might experience his unconditional love and friendship and seek to draw nearer to Him.

Empty yourself of your needless wants and desires and make room for the only thing that can fill the void.  Jesus.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds.  Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. James 4:8,10

Lord, help us let go of all that separates us from you.  Bless our families, that together we may experience the fullness of your love!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Gather your family and cherish the time together. Feel the heaven-sent love!  Pass it on!  

Pray for Marriages (Plank-filled Eyes)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.  Matthew 7:1-2

“Not judging,” does not mean tolerating and accepting bad behavior. We were given an intellect to use for a reason. However the next passages seem to illuminate this further.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? 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 7:3-5

How easy it is to look at the other’s faults, particularly one’s spouse.  No wonder so many marriages are splintered! We are challenged however, to hold up a mirror to ourselves first.  Not a rose colored mirror in soft light.  Hold that mirror in the harshest of light!  Own your own imperfections (to your spouse) before speaking of theirs!  Together, make commitments for positive change.  However, even if the desire for change is one-sided, witnessing love in adversity is very powerful because such love emanates from Christ.

Lord, help us not to focus on our spouse’s faults, but instead on our ability to love despite them.  May we never tolerate or accept bad behavior, but rather love the person as you would, but challenge them to amend their ways. Tweeze out our imperfections and restore our sight! Help us grow in virtue and love, that we may one day become a perfect reflection of You. You converted the greatest of sinners, so our hope remains!  Amen.

All change begins with prayer. Continue to support marriages with yours!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

I'll keep on saying, keep on praying! Pass it on!