Pray for Marriages (Faithfulness in the Worst of Times)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When a couple decides to marry, they are usually caught up in all the planning of the wedding and making sure everything is just perfect for the big day! They may write their own vows, promising all kinds of commitments or choose to stick with traditional vows. However, I imagine hat neither the wedding planner (if one is lucky enough to have one) nor one’s friends and family will tell the couple to carve out time to contemplate the “for worse” part of their wedding vows. Can’t you imagine someone saying, “You know Mary and John, you really should take some time to talk about everything that could go wrong in your marriage!  Boy do I have stories of heartbreak for you!  You should think about how HARD your marriage could be!” After a conversation like this, either the couple kicks their well-intentioned friend to the curb or the couple bolts with worry!

While a healthy sensibility is important, so is trust in the Lord.  The Lord promises to be with us always.  If you invited him to the wedding, his Spirit of Love will be ever present, even when yours isn’t.  If you lean in to his Love the fruit will be faithfulness.  No matter how parched your marriage may feel, no matter how many tears for your marriage you have shed, he can bestow both life-giving and cleansing waters of grace upon it.  If you choose to remain faithful, his blessings will be more abundant than you can imagine.

  

No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

“For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17

Lord, we call upon you to bless marriages, especially those most vulnerable. We pray for their faithfulness, perseverance, and yes, patience and kindness too. May we turn to you, the source of all that is good, and beg your assistance on their behalf, because a failing marriage has far-reaching effects. Protect any offspring from the emotional pain that can spring from a crumbling family structure. In your love for us, shelter all in your most Sacred Heart. Amen.

I will pour out water upon the thirsty ground, streams upon the dry land; I will pour out my spirit upon your offspring, my blessing upon your descendants. Isaiah 44:3-4

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer is like a balm for a broken heart.  Why not use it to bring healing?  Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (The Immortal Soul)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.  James 5:16

As the holiday season rapidly approaches, our hearts often call to mind those loved ones who are no longer in this world. While we pray for families, we don’t think often enough of those who have passed.  Many religions don’t pray for the dead.  While the body is dead, the soul is not. Since God exists outside of time, our prayers can and do have efficacy.  In honor of family members who are no longer with us, please remember them in prayer.  Pray also for those of different faiths, because some may have no one to pray for their soul.

And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”  Matthew 22:31:32 (emphasis added)

Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions. Thoroughly wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me. For I know my transgressions; my sin is always before me.  Psalm 51:3-5

Let us give praise to our God!

For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Share the reason for your hope!  Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (Eternal Love)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

When two get married, the wedding ring is a symbol of their love; the circular ring represents love without end.   And who is the best example of love eternal? 

Love is the foundation of everything willed by God, for God is Love. It is no surprise then that the greatest commandments direct us to a perfect love.

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Matthew 22:37, 39

By loving the Lord, we will more intimately know Love, and in loving others, especially our spouse, they will get to know Him too as they encounter Love through us. In the instance where our self-love is weak, if we focus on loving the Lord, we will come to know His intense love for us and see ourselves through his eyes. We are beloved sons and daughters of the King!  Thus is the circle of love; by loving God we are better able to love our spouse. By turning our self-love outwards, they are better able to see the love of God.

So let us pray that we as couples focus more on loving God so that we may better love each other. 

Lord, what sounds so simple is often very hard to execute.  For the noise of our lives distracts us from loving you.  Give us the courage to soundproof segments of our lives and reserve that space just for loving you. In your graciousness, you do not even keep that love for yourself, but return it back to us 10-fold. Please grant us the grace of loving much, for we know the vocation of marriage is very precious in your sight.  Jesus we trust in You!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Love.  Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Unexpected Potholes)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

We pray for one another out of love, because we all have struggles and vices and understand the need for prayer. Sin is like a pothole that we never expected to fall into.  Just when we get out of one pothole we fall into another. Seldom are we alone.

For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if [I] do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.  Romans 7:19-21

Lord, deliver us from evil, as you are our mighty Savior.  You saw our brokenness and bore our wounds so that we might spend eternity with you.  Have mercy on us and those we love, especially our family. Help us to forgive one another that we may glorify You by imitating Your merciful love.

The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love.  Zephaniah 3;17

Renew us daily Lord!

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Prayer is a timeless gift. Pass it on! 

Pray for Marriages (Inheritance)

Greeting Prayer Warriors,

How do you define wealth? What type of inheritance are you working toward?

When I think of wealth, I think of material goods; those that bring comfort, ease of life, and assurance of mind.   That type of wealth allows one to pass down an inheritance to those left behind.  Yet, how often do we consider the riches of spiritual wealth?  Are we seeking to grow in the virtues?  What impact would our growth in faith hope, charity, patience, kindness diligence, humility, and  fortitude, have on our marriage?  Add to it a life rich in prayer.  Could such virtue be without effect? As a result, what type of spiritual inheritance do you think would be passed to your spouse and down through the generations? Which type of wealth would serve them throughout eternity? 

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

Lord, may our path to holiness be one of mutual encounter, for one is forever touched by another’s kindness, love, fortitude, and understanding.  May we mirror your holiness so that others, especially our spouses, may come to know what true wealth is.

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Be rich in what matters to God. Pass it on! 

Pray for Families (Now is the Time)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

Have you ever lived somewhere but failed to take advantage of local attractions, excursions, or events, thinking to yourself, “they will always be there”.  Then an unanticipated move occurs and you kick yourself for not taking advantage of what was there all along.

Behold, I am with you always.  Matthew 28:20

Sometimes that’s how we treat God.  Since He’s always there we tell ourselves, “One day I will spend time with him.  One day I will go to church.  One day I will begin to read scripture.  One day I will carve our time to pray.”  The problem is, we don’t know how many tomorrows we will have!

The King of Kings continually invites us to spend time with Him so that He might refresh us and give us gifts. The invitation comes in many forms and through many people, yet apathetically we feign disinterest and mumble, “no thanks.”  “I’ve got to watch the game today.”  “I need to sleep in.”  I’ve got to go shopping”.  “I have too much homework.” “There is too much house/yard work that must be done.”  Would we have that same response if royalty, a sports celebrity or a movie star invited us to spend time with them??

He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.  Matthew 22:3

What are we waiting for! Let us not make assumptions that tomorrow always awaits us, for we do not know the number of our days nor the number of those we love. Spend time with the Lord daily, that you may enjoy the riches of His love both here and throughout eternity. Be kind to your family and friends, and let them know how much you love them.  Make time for them, and pray that they see the face of Jesus and feel His love through you.  Pray often, as the Lord loves the sound of your voice.  And what’s better than advocating in prayer for others and uniting ourselves with Mercy & Love?

Many are invited, but few are chosen.  Matt 22:14

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Pray that many will say “yes!” to His invitation. Pass it on!

Pray for Marriages (A Model to Follow)

Greetings Prayer Warriors,

I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. John 13:15

What a wonderful passage to meditate on.  Jesus engaged with everyone during his earthly ministry.  Whether interacting with saints or sinners, He loved each one and challenged them to “follow me.” It was a call to live a life of self-denial and sacrificial love. In the end, the Lord showed us the price of such love.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. John 15:13-14

In marriage, whether we are a saint or sinner, we vow to be true, in good times and in bad. While today’s culture would encourage divorce when things get bad, we must admit that everything Jesus did was counter-cultural. Nothing has changed. He still calls us to be counter-cultural; He asks us to live the Truth. We are to love, especially when it is most difficult. It is unlikely any of us will die on a cross, but we are called to die to ourselves by letting go of our self-will and seeking the good of another, especially our spouse. 

Lord, we ask for the grace to live a life of sacrificial love. Help us to let go of our self-absorption and teach us humility.  Help us to focus on the other. With loving patience, guide us in your ways, that we may be perfect models of Your love in our marriages.  Jesus we trust in You! Amen.

I kept faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted! Psalm 116:10

Peace, Joy, and Love,

Janet

Follow the model of Truth.  Be counter-cultural!