prayer challenge - day 7

We’ve been praying faithfully for a week! Way to go! Let me hear from you - either email me at chamfam@bellsouth.net or comment on this blog. I want to know how it’s going!!

And it looks like two days of praying inadvertently went out yesterday -oops! Sorry about that - I’ll just trust that we needed to pray for both things yesterday :)

Today, let’s pray for marriages. Your own, those of your children, siblings, parents. Pray for marriages! If you are not married, pray not only for the marriages of your family members, but also for your future. If God’s plan is for you to one day be married, then pray for your future husband. That God would be working in his heart, keeping him pure, getting him ready for the responsibility of marriage. And pray the same for yourself - purity, conformity to the image of Christ, and contentment in the waiting.

Overall, let’s pray that your spouse would ever be captivated by your love. Proverbs 5:18-19

Then, let’s pray more individually, more specifically. For that, let’s go to that familiar passage in Ephesians 5. Read verses 22-33 and mediate on them for a few minutes. In summary, pray out loud verse 33 - “let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband.”

If you’re a wife, ask the Lord to show you what it looks like to respect your husband. Ask Him to remind you to daily give to your husband what feels like the breath of life to him — respect. He needs respect the same way that you need love. And I know, if you’re not getting the love you need, it can be really hard to give him the respect he needs. I know, my sister, I know. And I am praying for YOU! But God can take your willingness to do this hard thing, to be the initiator of obedience, to do a miracle in your marriage. Be that sister, the one to trust God and commit to showing daily respect. I challenge you, on the authority of God’s Word, to step out in obedience in this area of showing daily respect….and just watch God work!

P.S. - remember to write those notes we mentioned yesterday!!! :)

prayer challenge - day 6

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life, in all godliness and dignity. I Timothy 2:1,2

A few days ago, we prayed for our nation. We will continue that today. This passage exhorts us to pray for all people, especially those in authority over us. I hope we do that faithfully - this verse explains our own personal motivation in praying that our leaders act wisely: so that our lives may be peaceful!!

So today, as we pray for those in authority, let me ask you this….do you know your leaders’ names? We probably know the President and the Governor, but what about Senators? US Congressional Representatives? State legislators? City council, mayor, county commissioners? If some of those names escape you :), I challenge you to find them out. Instead of praying for nameless people, find out their names so you can pray for them personally. It makes a big difference.

One other thing I’d love for us all to do - write a note to, let’s say three, officials and let them know you are praying for them. Talk about a huge encouragement!!! And it will bless you as well!

prayer challenge - day 5

Lord, there are a lot of things to love in this world.Lots of good things. And, of course,lot of not good things. My prayer today, for myself, my husband, and my children, is that we would love Your Word. That we would find “Your Word more precious than gold, than much pure gold, and sweeter than honey, than honey out of the comb” Psalm 19:10

Cultivate that love in us, Lord Grant that we would taste it, so that we can love it, and see that You are good (Psalm 34:8)

prayer challenge - day 4

Lord, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Remind us of the witnesses -those who have already finished their race and are cheering us on. Those who are running beside us and leaning on us. Those who are not in in the race but are watching us, deciding whether or not to join. Remind us of all those witnesses. Let that be our encouragement to lay aside anything, even good things, that keeps us from running well. Let us commit to stop sinning, and thereby avoid the traps of the enemy. Let us focus on our race, not the lane of our neighbor. And, Lord, let us not quit. Sometimes this race is hard. Sometimes it’s lonely. Sometimes we are so tired, so weary, so discouraged. Let us not quit, dear Lord! Send us encouragement today….and may we be that cup of refreshing encouragement to someone else. Help us persevere. Help our children to persevere. And our spouse. Let us not quit!

prayer challenge - day 3

Today let’s pray for our nation. We all know that our country is in a hard place. Divided along political, ideaological, religious, and ethnic lines. There is bitterness, even hatred. Violence, slavery, murder of innocents. Things that only a few years ago seemed unthinkable are commonplace today. Evil and vile things. Sometimes I feel helpless, don’t you?

We are not helpless.

We are responsible.

God’s Word is clear. 2 Chronicles 7:13,14 says “If I (God) shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”

Yes, dear Sisters, we Christians must bear much responsibility for the sad plight our country is in. It is we who must humble ourselves. It is we who must turn from our wicked ways. It is we who must seek the Lord.

Then He will heal our land.

Let us do that. Today.