So many doubts and questions! 1 Sam 12:23 was a great reminder to me. "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by not praying for you." Then I remembered some friends who are going through a heartbreaking situation. How could I sin against God and not remember them in prayer today? So I got up, went to church, and prayed. This morning was a breath of fresh air. How beautiful it was to be with others in prayer, to sense the passion rise, as the urgency overtook us, and the Spirit of God fueled what needed to be said! God showed up and reminded us that the work of prayer does matter...but maybe more for us than the situations we bring forth. Thank you, God, for grace this morning to break through my sleepiness, and to pray!
We're praying for Families and Marriages:
- Pray that parents of any age child will be faithful to pray for and encourage our children’s understanding of the gospel, and that we might move toward them with love and forgiveness if there are unreconciled issues from the past.
- Pray that children of any age parent will render them honor and respect, and move toward them with love and forgiveness if there are unreconciled issues from the past.
- Pray for the salvation of any family member who does not know Jesus.
- Pray for our marriages that they may reflect the steadfastness and faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God:
- That wives may deeply respect and submit to their husbands.
- That husbands may deeply love their wives and not be embittered against them.
- Pray that we will see struggling marriages reconciled and healed, and that CF will become a “no divorce zone.”
- Pray that our married couples see that marriage is more about making us holy than making us happy; that it is God’s great laboratory for our sanctification.
Mitchel,
ReplyDeleteFirst I just wanted to let you know these posts have been an encouragement and conviction to me in my own prayer life and the daily struggle to set aside focused time to pray.
As I read this post, it reminded me of the chapter I just read in Bonhoeffer's "Life Together." In this particular chapter he talks about our time of solitude, prayer and meditation, and how vital intercession is; he says "A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses." And later, he says how hard it can be to stay faithful each day, but counters by stressing its importance; "Every act of self-control of the Christian is also a service to the fellowship." Especially as you're growing still closer to God & experiencing him through these 40 days of prayer & growing in faithfulness & discipline, clearly God is being faithful, too, to show you (and the church) his power. Is it any wonder the enemy would attack you more fiercely?
I'm excited to see how God continues to work in the church and community through these 40 days of steadfastness.
allison
Allison, thanks for the thoughtful words! Just yesterday Seth and I were sitting and sharing about our experience with the 40 days. Amazingly, we both noted how much our heart for people has grown. We are seeing relationships and our desire for God to work in those relationships. Funny how just spending a few weeks in focused prayer has moved us to love people more. Kinda makes you wonder just how much God loves people?!
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