For My Family, Friends and Others (long)

One of the things I have the privilege of doing at church is praying for others. It has the added bonus of causing me to think about my own friends that I know now or those I've known throughout my life and lift them up in prayer as well even though I may not know anything they are struggling with or going through. Sometimes certain people come to mind and other times, like here recently, I've just felt the need and desire to pray for everyone. Obviously with everyone I know it's hard to be specific, but sometimes a blanket prayer hits just the right words for just the people who need to hear (or read) them. I feel like God's been prompting me to do this for a few weeks and so to/for all of my friends and every other person who may read this, I want to pray for you and your families.

Loving Father, you allow me every day to be witness to your glory. You allow me every day to pray with and for your people - to encourage those who are struggling and pray with those who need you to show up in their lives. You send people to lift me up when I am down and to encourage me when I feel beaten. When I've almost given up, you let me see a life that has been touched because of the work you're doing through me. Your unending love and your commitment for every person to be with you is awe-inspiring. I love watching you move in the lives of those around me and I thank you for letting me have any part in it at all.

I pray, Father, that you would be with me now as I pray for those I care for and love. I pray you would make me sensitive to your Spirit and sensitive to what you are doing in their lives so that I can pray for them effectively. I come asking that you lean down to listen to this prayer . I come seeking your Love. And I come knocking on the door for your favor that you will be quick to act on behalf of those who need you.

Today I lift up my friends to you, Lord. There are so many areas they could be struggling with or need help or healing in, but first you've put on my heart to pray for those who are discouraged. I pray, Father, that you will lift their spirits by sending someone into their life that will encourage them, compliment them, praise them for the work they do and the heart they have. I pray that their husband or wife or someone in their family or a best friend will let them know how appreciated they are, that they are a blessing to those around them, and that they are loved by You no matter what they've done in their past or what they still struggle with today. In the name of Jesus my Savior, I pray against all forms and feelings of inadequacy, doubt, self-loathing, depression, and failure. I pray that all of those feelings meet you face to face as you come in search of your children - and I pray they will flee before you so that those who are struggling with these issues will be able to lift their head high again and know that they are counted worthy in your sight. I pray you will help them to see themselves through your eyes - forgiven, accepted, and loved beyond their ability to comprehend.

I pray for those who are struggling with injuries or sicknesses, especially those ones that seem incurable. You are our great Healer. It is by Jesus' stripes we are healed and I pray for that healing in their lives today. You do not need anyone to lay hands on them or even to refer them to the right doctor, whether it is a cold, the flu, MS, fatigue, migraines, or knee or back injuries. I pray that you simply bend your thoughts to them now and heal whatever has gone wrong with your perfect creation that is the human body. Encourage those who have struggled with disease for a long time and reassure them that you will not be kept silent; that you are getting ready to act on their behalf. Though you test us for a time to see if we truly love you, you never abandon or desert us.

Merciful God, I lift up those to you who have yet to find their purpose. So many things can distract and so often unimportant problems seem so massive that they take our focus off of what really is important. I pray that those who need direction in their lives will seek you for the gifts that you have given them. You have equipped us all for mighty works and there are people on this earth who will not receive the encouragement, love, smile, hope, and message of how much your Son loves them without our feet going and our hands reaching out to them. I pray that you will teach every person reading this how it is that they can impact the world, and I pray that you will be given all the glory for it.

I pray also for every marriage that is represented by any person who reads this. Satan is attacking homes with a vengeance with everything he can possibly throw at us and I pray that you will teach both husband and wife how to fight those battles. I pray against every form of anger, jealousy, lust, bitterness of past words and actions, unforgiveness, greed, and pride. I pray, Father, that LOVE will rule in their homes. I pray that through your Word and through prayer, every husband and wife will stand aware and on guard against the ways the enemy can destroy their relationships with those they love. I pray they will take bold stands in areas of weakness or in areas of fear. If alcoholism is their fear then I pray not one sip of it will be taken. If an affair is their fear then I pray both husband and wife will avoid every situation where Satan can plant that seed of lust or fear and jealously. Whatever fear gnaws at the one, I pray you will teach the other how to assure and confirm their love and commitment, and that they will do so with everlasting patience. I pray you will raise up an army of Godly husbands who stand up and take on their role as leaders of their homes and lead by being a servant to his wife and children. I pray that he will know deep in his soul the meaning of treating others as more important than himself and that you will show him how to apply that in everyday activities. I pray his relationship to you will be an inspiration to his family and that his wife will submit to him, not out of requirement, but out of love and respect and because of the awesome work you are doing through him. Let his guidance and devotion to you be a barrier of protection for his family.

So many of my friends have children and so many prayer requests for kids have come to me recently. Father, children are a blessing to any man and woman. They bring light to our eyes and joy to our hearts and we learn so much from them. They are precious gifts that you give us and I pray that you would be with and strengthen those gifts. I pray for a hedge of protection around each and every child of every parent and uncle and aunt and grandparent that reads this. I pray that you will walk before those children every day of their lives and be the light to their path, and I pray that you will walk behind them in protection against every form of attack that will come their way. I pray that as they grow, you will surround them with other kids who love you and who want to resist the temptations to make fun of others, hurt them, or encourage them to do things that will hurt themselves and others. In the name of Jesus, I pray for divine revelations in their lives that many years won't pass before they come to know your Love and fall in love with you as you have done with them. For those whose heart is to reach out to those kids in need, I pray that their love will heal the wounds of the past for children who have been abused or abandoned. May your Love shine through those parents and affirm that child's self-worth and purpose. For any child that is sick , I pray for healing. I pray Father, that those children will feel your presence go with them throughout the day; that you will heal their bodies of all forms of sickness and all forms of injury. Bring them to full health.

I lift up the broken-hearted, Father. No one knows what it is like to have a heart broken more than your Son, which makes Him the perfect Comforter. For those who have lost husbands and wives and sons and daughters and brothers and sisters and close friends, I pray that your Spirit would hover over and around them and bring them comfort from being in your presence. I pray that you will give each of them a renewed hope and future in the face of this trying time. I pray that you will help them through this time of grieving, but that sadeness, depression, hopelessness, and inactivity would not be given a foothold in their lives to take root. Lift them up and carry them until they are able to walk again themselves.

Lord, I pray for those with financial burdens. You understand how important money is for you teach us many things about it throughout your Word. I pray that those who are struggling at the end of every month, for those who are fighting with their spouse because of it, for those who are feeling the burden of debt weighing down on their shoulders, that you will provide relief to them. I pray first that you will mold them while they are in this furnace of affliction so that they will learn and become wiser for it, but then I pray that you will deliver them from that affliction. I pray for blessings to be poured out onto their lives, their businesses, their work. And I pray that while you are working on their behalf, that you will give them comfort and peace to know that you will never let them fall. Regardless what may come from poor decisions on their part or pride or greed or just betrayals from those they trusted, I pray you will draw near to them and reassure them.

Lastly, Father, I pray for those who do not believe in you and those who do not believe you are worth pursuing. I pray that you will draw near to them especially and overwhelm them with how much you love them. As you have done with your people throughout history, be persistent in your pursuit of their hearts, of their love, of their affection. Whatever is separating them from you, I pray you will open their ears that they might hear your voice and open their eyes so they see the truth of who you are. I pray you will send men and women who are truly in love with you to meet them where they are and show them your love by both words and example. The world is yours to command - use it, Father, to bring your children home.

All these things I pray in the name of your Son, Jesus, whom I love.

Amen.