Lord God, I pray for the fulfillment of Your promises. Many words of faith have been proclaimed. Many words of salvation have been uttered into the darkness. Many scriptures have been whispered in tearful prayers. They still beg for a harvest. The words left the mouth of this servant and went into a chaotic and confused heart. Accomplish what it was sent out to do.

You have called me to love. You have called me to plead for the unbelieving and that is a holy thing. You have risen up in me to send Your Word forth to what looked hopeless. I have done it by faith. I know the power of Your words. When watered by Your Spirit, heaven’s seeds bear fruit on foreign soil. Infuse this hope into my discouragement today.

Someone I love is still resistant to change. They shun any mention of You. The Word has fallen into their darkness and I see no trace of it. Do not let them run toward their own destruction. Cure their spiritual blindness. Cause the breath of Your Spirit to blow over the carnage of their lives so that they can hear, understand, and then rise up to stand on their feet. I smell spiritual death but I say, by faith, “Prepare to hear the Word of the Lord.”

With these scriptures, enforce the victory of Calvary over the mind and heart of my unbelieving loved one. God, when You shed light, no darkness can overcome it. When You speak, no other voice nullifies it.   “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6   As Elisha prayed, I also pray, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:17

 Today is the day of salvation. Seal the process of their spiritual decision making by the power of Your Spirit. May it be that “The eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.” Isaiah 35:5 In Jesus’ name, Amen

He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.  He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.  Psalm 18:16,19

            Lord, I am confined.  I’m in the company of those with whom I cannot talk freely.  I’m weighing my words.  When I speak, I am not known nor understood.  I have little influence.  The wisdom that comes from You is not wanted and without it, there will be calamity.  I see it coming.  The consequences of unbelief and rebellion will fall upon those who despise Your ways.  I am so frustrated.  I have attempted, over and over again, to speak for You.  They have rejected You and me. I feel like a modern day O.T. prophet.

            I am struggling with rejection, Jesus.  I know it is You they hate but they do not know that.  I am the one they contend with.  I am the one they ridicule.  You have prompted me to speak, to sow seeds of righteousness, but this sprinkling of Your Word has fallen upon spiritually deaf ears.  You said, “Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”  John 3:19

            My frustration is robbing my joy.  My lips are shut.  Anger is simmering.  Where can I go with my complaint?  King David knew and assured me that You would come to me from on high.  You would draw me out of this place for spiritual rest.  You would, and are, providing emotional and spiritual safety from this dangerous situation.  You are opening the prison doors of limited language and inviting me into a broad and spacious place where my words are welcome.  I hear Your voice, “What’s wrong, child?”  Oh, not to weigh my words.  With You, I can be myself without a second thought of rejection.  You are my refuge.  I can speak freely, cast words to the wind, and You are not shaken.  You hold my life, and the ones who have driven me to You, in the palm of Your hand.

            Grow me to see this situation as You see it.  “Your Word is perfect and restores my soul.”  Psalm 19:7 So, speak Lord, into my tears.  Mend the ragged edges of my soul.  It feels battered and weak.  Restore me so that I may live.  Renew me so that I can speak for You again and not grow weary of spreading Your fame to a wicked and perverse generation.

            “You have answered me in the day of trouble!  You have set me securely on high.  You have sent me help from your sanctuary and supported me from Zion!”  Psalm 20:1-2   Since You, my God, are for me, whom shall I fear!  Amen

Before Jesus comes back, I not only want to be ready, I want my marriage to be ready.  Long term relationships can slowly erode.  Minefields develop over time and couples learn to walk around them.  Jesus can help us strengthen what is weak, re-create what has disappeared, and face what is frightening.  For all of us who live by faith – this is our prayer. 

                                                                                                Christine

PRAYER FOR MARRIAGE RENEWAL

Our fathers trusted in, leaned on, and confidently relied on You, and were not ashamed or confounded or disappointed. Psalm 22:5

         Lord, let long forgotten vows make their way to my lips. Let me declare what I have not spoken for a long time. Let the deadly routine of what has become comfortable be shaken. Just as you make me holy, make this relationship holy. I am a lover, not a frozen companion. I am a receiver, not a resistant abstainer.

         There is no breech that You cannot mend. There is no unspeakable topic that You cannot facilitate. There is no fear that You cannot annihilate. I lay out my heart before You. Though I tremble, nothing is off limits to Your probing of my heart. Bring to mind every single place that needs grace. I will tread upon that which I’d rather forget because Your love makes me strong.

         If I declare my love and affectionate words are not returned, I forgive in advance. If my heart courageously opens and another heart remains closed, I know that You hold my heart in Your hands. If I broach a difficult subject and there is no closure, I know that You will reward my obedience. I will give grace where it is not deserved and I will ask for grace where it is not merited. No matter the outcome, Your grace is enough. I feel like a small child as I confront my fear but I am tall, graceful, fluent, and agile in Your kingdom. Imprint this picture on my soul.

         I want to finish well. Marriage is a picture of Your love for Your church. You rejoice when my marriage looks like the marriage You envisioned in the Garden. Bless my endeavors. How it needs the wind of Your Spirit. I can see every way this undertaking might fail but help me see that if I do my part, my obedience will be credited as righteousness. In Your eyes, there will have been spiritual success.

         Lord, if You come today, I won’t want anything to exist that I regret. I take hold of the hem of Your garment, Your tallit, and ask for an infusion of Your strength. No ground is more intimidating than this but ~ You, Lord, are the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 In Your name I pray these things, Amen

But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.  2 Cor. 11:3

Corrupted ~ Changed from good to bad, destroyed, degraded.

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Lord Jesus, when I love You completely, no one can talk me out of it.  When others tell me my faith in You is foolish, weak or misplaced, I shake it off easily.  At those times, my love is like iron and cannot be corrupted.

But what about other times?  Satan is always lurking.  He knows what has happened to me in my life.  He knows that, in certain areas, it will be harder for me to believe that you are caring, fair, and loving.  He knows exactly where I could find it hard to trust you.  So, he comes and accuses You to me.  He knows just how to word it and just what event to target.

Help me be strong against his accusations.  He is a liar after all.  He weaves vicious rumors with NO foundation.  Each one is designed to corrupt my love and make me back up from you.  If I don’t trust You, I have nothing.

I need Your voice in my ear and I know where I need to go to hear it.  I vow to preserve my time with you at all cost.  Your Word is Your story, and my story, and I live in the wonder of it.  When Satan comes accusing, I will say what I have taught my children and grandchildren.  “Be gone, in Jesus name.”  It’s pretty simple.  Give me spiritual backbone, holy cunning, and airtight strategy.  In Jesus name, Amen

PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM FEAR

Since then the children [of God] share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.  Hebrews 2:14-15

Deliver (yasha) ~ avenge, preserve, save

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Lord, I am Your child.  I am flesh and blood.  Before I was Yours, I was completely at the mercy of the evil one, Your enemy.  I was his, not Yours.  So You came and took on flesh and blood, too.  You put Yourself at risk, within Your Father’s will, at the hands of fallen men.  You were misjudged, physically abused, rejected, frustrated by the religious arrogant, and in every way, you experienced whatever I face today.

Oh, but we are not alike.  You died as the perfect Lamb in order to make a way for my adoption.  Once I said “yes” to You and asked You to rescue me from slavery to my own sin and make me Yours, You acted immediately.  You didn’t leave me in Satan’s hands for one more minute.  All the things I was deathly afraid of were no longer threats.

I am not afraid of You.  We are at peace.  I am not afraid of Your anger.  You call me Your friend.  I am not afraid of dying.  My first sight will be of Your face.  I am not afraid of failing.  You redeem all things I put in Your hands.  I am not afraid of being hated.  No matter what, You love me.  I am not afraid of being disowned, no matter how much I sin.  My adoption papers were finalized, sealed by Your hand.  I am not afraid of an enemy who is parading around as though he is victorious.  You already defeated him and his charade is short-lived.

Whatever threatens me today, remind me that I am no longer a slave to the fear of it.  There is no threat that can destroy my soul when I live in the truth of Your love and power.  The body, they can kill.  But my eternal future is untouchable and incorruptible.  In Jesus name, Amen