Touching Prayers

Next blog post will be June 4th

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 106

A Father’s Blessing

As a medical doctor, our son-in-law Skip knows the importance of touching.  He also knows the importance of touching family members. But as the spiritual head of his house, he knows the importance of “blessing touching.”  For many years he has practiced spiritual blessings in their home.  Skip tells about it in his own words. 

As parents we are continually being encouraged in our efforts to lovingly nurture our children and spouses.  God’s Word and some recent writings on the importance of touching and blessing have had an impact on our family.  Our spiritual and secular culture has been rather silent with respect to the importance of the blessing.  Occasionally, we are affirmed by parents, teachers, and supervisors; however, touching is known to be vital in healthy social and emotional development. 

For several years we have shared together each week in personal blessings after our ‘special’ Sunday breakfast.  Our children clamor (usually) to be the first blessed.  Seated in our lap, the special person is surrounded by the rest and hugged and kissed by the “blessor.”  They are blessed in Jesus’ name for general or specific requests.  Other family members pipe in with particular things in that person they are thankful for and for special spiritual blessing they are led to offer.  Frequently we ask for healing blessings….

As a family encouraging and affirming one another with our words, prayers, and affection, we covet God’s cement to help us grow together and strong in Him.  The family blessing is one of God’s tools that help us accomplish this.

Oh, what a wonderful idea.  Family Blessings!  I wished I had done this in our family.  Can you imagine how children would feel to be blessed like this?

My children are grown up.  Is it too late?   Is there someway to do something like this with our grown children?  It would seem to me that no matter how old you are, it would feel wonderful to feel that your parents are praying for God to bless their lives, but even more exciting to do it together.

For many years I have been writing out my prayers for my children.  I have a notebook for each one of them.  It has always been so encouraging to be able to write an answer to prayer that I had written as a request, minutes, days, weeks, months, & years before.

I think I am going to try something new.  First, I still have one grandson who is 2.  I hold him all the time, and in this chapter it encourages us to pray for them as we hold and touch them.  I have done that sometimes, but I want to make it more regular. 

Then I also have three other grandchildren that live many states away.  I need to get creative.  Maybe I can write to them and tell them I am going to pray for God’s blessings on them.  Now, they are already very blessed, but who knows how God will answer.

Now, what about my grown children?  How can I pray Family Blessings for them?  I could write out prayers of blessing in each of their notebooks, but I am going to pray for creativity on how I can do this.

This chapter has blessed by heart to much.  Thank you God!

Romans 10:12

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call him.

 

“What Are You Teaching Us Lord?”

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn:  page 90

It has been in these hard things that God has been able to teach me who He really is.

It is in my family trials that He has taught me that He never makes a mistake, that He comes in proportion to my need, that He really does work all things out for my good—because I love Him and seek to please Him.

When things hurt in my family, God has taught me to cling to the promises He gave us in His Word.  Promises of His presence, His comfort, His wisdom, His guidance.  Actually, until God has brought us through the hard things of life, we don’t really know if those promises are true or not.

Evelyn’s words have encouraged me so much this morning.  Everyone in life faces family challenges, but God does not make mistakes.  He really does work all things out for my good.  I needed this reminder today.

The past few years have been challenging years for my family because of the trials of one family member.  Of course, I pray every day, but sometimes in the midst of everything it is easy to forget that God has everything in his control.  It is easy to think I need to do something or that I am not praying enough, but in reality our family is in God’s hands, I can trust this.

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn:  page 90 

GOD’S METHOD OF PERFECTING AND MATURING US

When God does not remove painful situations in our families, He has something far better than just asking them away.  He is in the business of producing mature, deeply spiritual Christian giants of the faith of our family members.  What prayers do we pray in times like these?  Pray each thing in order, according to…

James 1:2-4

Consider it all joy, by brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect results, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

“BUT, I want you to remove the painful situations God.  They hurt!” 

I have been praying a lot of these types of prayers.  I wonder if life will ever be normal again.  I guess totally surrendering my family to God does not mean life will be without problems. 

The change MUST happen in me.  Totally surrendering my family to God needs to begin.

Dear God,

I surrender my family to you.  You know more about what is happening in my life than I do.  You know what you are working in each family member.  I give them all to you.  I give myself to you.  Could you send some encouragement my way today?  Please help me to trust you in everything.

The worry needs to end.  The trust needs to be real.  I need to surrender my family to God, and then continue to live my life in a way that is pleasing to him.

      

Eight prayers we should pray when hurt by loved ones

Quote from the book what Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn

 1.  Lord Change Me.
God answered me by immediately bringing to my mind that I first should ask the Lord to search my heart and enable me to change my attitude toward the loved ones who had hurt me. Pg. 73

2.  Lord help me forgive. 
The most important prayer in the whole family healing process is prayer that leads to our being able forgive loved ones –not just in words but truly in our hearts. Pg. 74

3.  Lord help me comfort those who hurt me. 
In addition to praying “Lord Change Me” and to enable you to forgive, the next step is to pray to be able to comfort those who have hurt you.    Pg. 75

4.  Lord, enable me to pray for those who hurt me.
When loved ones hurt us, we must pray for them, not just about them.  Pg. 76

5.  Lord, help me love.
Again, in H Sermon on the Mount, Jesus included loving in His instructions to pray for those who persecute you:  “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44, italics added.) Pg. 77

6.  Lord enable us to pray together.
If at all possible, set up a time to pray with family member who has hurt you.  Pg. 78

 

7.   Lord, call others to pray for me.
There are times when we are so shattered by a family hurt that praying for ourselves, and a family member who has inflicted the hurt, is impossible.  Words simply won’t come.  This is when crisscrossing prayers of other family members take over us.  Pg. 79

 

8.  Lord, break the victim change.
Everybody is a victim.  Every family member is at times the victim of their other family members during various circumstances.  Siblings frequently are victims their brothers and sisters.  Children are victims of their parents. Parents are also victims of their children’s actions, words, and attitudes. And their parents are victims of their parents—the grandparents.  It goes on and on. Pg. 80

These eight prayer steps work.  They have worked for me and my family, they can work for you.  Pg. 84

Many years ago, I had a sister disown me because she thought I had done something that    I did not do.  When I would call, she would not answer, if I wrote a letter, she would not reply.  It hurt me a lot because I was innocent of what she accused me of. 

I prayed through each of these prayer steps, but she would not talk to me.  I felt hurt and helpless.  I live in one state and she lived many states away, so it was not like I could go over and talk to her personally.

After waiting on God, through prayer, there came a time for action.  Nothing had worked.       I was the Christian, she was not.  God kept speaking to me, but I did not want to listen.

After spending time running away from God, I finally submitted to what he was calling me to do.  I booked a flight and went and visited her.  When I knocked on the door of her home, she welcomed me in with a slight quietness.  BUT, as the time there unwound, our relationship started over with a new respect for each other.

Yes, These 8 prayers for loved ones that have hurt us truly are life changing.  Do not give up on any relationship.  With God, anything is possible.

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said,
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

 

 

       

How to Pray When Loved Ones Hurt

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 67

WHEN WE DON’T WANT TO PRAY  When a family hurt drags on for weeks, months, and even years, it is hard to keep on praying as instructed in Ephesians 6:18:  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

Dan’s wife, our Nancy, ran out of patience several times.  “Mom, I just prayed, ‘Do something God.’”

When the pressure got too great, Dan even admitted getting angry with God a couple of times, praying much as the psalmist often prayed.  “God, You can do something.  Why don’t YOU?  Why are You so silent—so long?”

I remember one day sagging under the ongoing load of so much praying, and complaining, “Lord, I’m sick and tired of praying these prayers!”  And I was.  That kind of prayer is hard work.  And I was tired.  But those attitudes were sin—and we knew it. Being able to confess them melted those fleeting negative feelings, and we settled into the regular prayer routine again.

I am right smack in the middle of this same road.  I have been praying so long for several different things and it is wearing me out.  I was wondering, “How long Lord?”

Then I went to my Bible study this morning.  We are studying the book of Philippians. Our wonderful teacher Suzi, shared with us how Paul was talking about having joy in his life and he was in prison.  Oh my gosh, how can I ever complain about anything I might be going through.

And we know that in all things God works for the good to those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

Whatever I am going through will work together for our good. What a precious promise,  I need to just trust God, believe and don’t give up praying.  In his timing, it will work out for our good.                                              

Dear God, 

Forgive me for complaining that I have been praying so long about something, without any answers.  I know the Bible verse that says, “All things work together for good?”  I forget about this when someone I love is hurting.   Please help me not give up, but to keep praying. Thank you God for what you are going to do.

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 69

When your family members hurt—pray in faith.  It works!