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!

 

 

Praying Family Members to Christ

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 40

HAVE YOU WONDERED after you have prayed and prayed and prayed about your children’s rebellion, sinful lifestyles, or lack of interest in Christian things why God hasn’t answered?  Why your children don’t live the way you taught them?  Why they don’t practice a godly lifestyle?  It may be they are just searching for independence—or their own personal identity.  OR it may be just plain rebellion against God or family standards.  However, a likely explanation is that they never really received Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  They still have their old nature. 

By far the most important prayer to pray for every family member is to receive Jesus as personal Savior and Lord.  Without a genuine salvation experience, your children and other family members are still in the spiritual condition of everybody before they are made alive spiritually by accepting Jesus, 

It is 3:00 am.  I could not sleep, so I finally just got up.  I sat down on my soft squishy couch and began reading this book.  As I sat there in the quietness of the morning, suddenly my wall clock began playing a song. (It will not play during the night unless a light is on.)  This clock will play up to five different songs, but at this particular moment it began playing the song, When you wish upon a star, your dreams will come true.

What are my dreams?  Will they ever come true?

The dream in my heart, has been, and will always be, that each member in my whole extended family will come to the point in their lives where they realize they need Jesus, and choose to invite him into their heart.  Once they do this, I pray that God will give them a desire to have a love relationship with God, where they enjoy speaking and listening to God daily.

When I was 12 years old I went to a Christian Camp in Iowa for a week.  It was a life changing week.  I made a decision to invite Jesus into my heart.  It was real for me.  It changed my whole life.  It gave me hope when I had none.

I have lived my whole life with this dream in my heart; this dream has motivated me in all that I do.  But today, reading this chapter has brought my dream to the surface.  This morning I was reminded of that dream, but it has also brought me back to an experience that I had several years ago.

One of my family members was going through a very difficult time in his life.  As often happens when we experience trials in our lives, he began to think more about God.  He began praying.  I could see a difference in him.  Finally, one day he shared with me what he had discovered in his own life.

When he was a very young boy, about five years old, he had invited Jesus into his heart.  He was now a man and could see things more clearly about his life.  He believed his eyes had been opened.  He had prayed and invited Jesus into his heart because this is what his family believed he should do. It was not a deep longing in his heart to have a relationship with God.

It took a challenging time in this man’s life to fill him with his own desire to begin a relationship with God.  He prayed and asked God to forgive him and invited Jesus into his heart.  He said for the first time in his life his relationship with God was genuine and real.  It was no longer my parent's God, but my God.

Quote from the book;  What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 43

No matter how long it takes, their personal salvation should be the number one prayer that we pray for each of our children and family members.

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 45

So, what should we pray for our unsaved family members?  Pray that they will see their sinful condition, repent, and truly receive Jesus as their Savior.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should

ALWAYS PRAY AND NOT GIVE UP.    Luke 18:1

Dear God,

Please be with every person in my family.  First, I pray for every family member who has invited Jesus into their lives, that they will examine their decision and ask themselves, “Did I do this to please someone or because it was what our family did?  Was my decision real and meaningful for me?” 

Oh God, speak to their hearts.  Show them if their decision was real.  If it was just going through the motions, please God give them the desire to invite you into their hearts.  Please show them how to have a real relationship with you.

If there is a family member who has never invited you into their hearts, please speak to them over and over until they realize how important it is to have a relationship with you.

Thank you for what you are going to do in our family.

In Jesus name, Amen.    

If you have never invited Jesus into your heart and would like to understand more about this, please click on the link that will take you to a Journey with God called, A New Beginning.

http://www.hesspeakingarewelistening.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2012-Session-2-A-New-Beginning.pdf

 

I WILL BE POSTING TO THIS BLOG TWICE A WEEK FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS.  I hope you will join me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crisscross Praying

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 25

When a Bride and Groom establish a new Christian home, they start to weave the fabric of which their home will be made.  Of all the things they begin to weave into their newly formed family, prayer is by far the most important.  Love, fidelity, mutual respect, support, and serving each other are all vitally necessary –but prayers are the threads that weave the fabric which God uses to hold a family together.

Through the years the family praying expands.  As the children mature, they also can become pray-ers, not just the objects of prayer. The threads of prayer then come from several directions for each other.  From the first time our first child Jan, started kindergarten to when our last child, Kurt, graduated from high school, Chris or I prayed with them at the door sending them off with the Lord protecting and guiding.  It was reassuring to our children and us that they weren’t going out to meet the world alone but going out under God’s care.

My heart was so touched reading this chapter.  I wish I had prayed for my children every time they went out the door to school.  I know I did pray for them as they left, but I did not pray with them as they went out the door. I wonder did this have a big impact on Evelyn’s children.       

Prayer for our families is so important.  I have kept a prayer book for each one of my children over the last 10 years. I write my prayers out to God for my husband and each of my children.  When they would tell me of a need in their lives, I would write my prayers out to God for them.  My children have no idea how much I prayed and saw God answer my prayers for them.  Seeing my prayers answered always made me feel thankful, but it also built my faith in God.

I love the idea of Crisscross praying for our families.  The idea of each of us praying for the needs of others sounds amazing.  We are always so blessed when we see God answer our prayers.  I am going to be praying that God works in my family to begin or grow Crisscross prayers that we pray for each other daily.

Quote from the book What Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn, page 31

However, that crisscross is not just an inert, lifeless network.  No, it is ever-changing in intensity and frequency as family members’ needs come and go.  And changing person relationships within the family determines the quality and quantity of the praying.

Our family has one son who is going through a very difficult time.  As a family, we need to be praying for him and each other.  I would appreciate your prayers that our family would grow crisscross praying.

 

God will lead us how to pray for our families

Last week, as I began reading a book by Evelyn Christenson called, What Happens When We Pray For Our Familes, I decided that I needed to get serious about praying for my family.  I began to pray as Evelyn suggested.  I made a poster of how I was supposed to pray, put it on my wall in My LISTENING Room, and then set out doing it.  I was so amazed because what she said really did happen.  I’m so excited because I really saw God answer my prayers.  It was incredible. 

Here are a few postings from My Journal. 

Day one:  I prayed and asked God what he wanted me to pray for my family.  Without thinking, I picked up the Daily Bread and began reading it.  It suggested that I read the following verse.

James 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him.

Then I prayed back to God what he showed me through the words of the Bible.

Dear God,  Please give each person in my family wisdom. ( I prayed for each person.)  I know I need it, so please fill me with your wisdom.  Thank you for showing me how to pray for my family today.

 Day two:  I prayed and asked God what he wanted me to pray for my family.

I was sitting at my desk in My LISTENING Room.I turned and looked at a shelf in the  corner of the room.  I noticed a version of the Bible that I had not read for awhile.  I decided to pick it up and look through it and I came across an underlined verse that spoke to my heart.

James 1:19  My dear brothers, take not of this.  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Then I prayed back to God what he showed me through the words of the Bible. 

Dear God,  I need to learn to be slow to speak.  I needed to listen more.  Please be with each person in our family (I named each one.) that we would really listen to each other.  Maybe we need to speak less and listen more. I am sure I do.  Thank you for speaking to me today.

Day two:  I prayed and asked God what he wanted me to pray for my family.

Again, I was in my LISTENING Room reading my Bible and a verse popped out at me.  This was my verse for the day.

John 13:34  So now I am giving you a new commandment.  Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

Then I prayed back to God what he showed me through the words of the Bible. 

Dear God,  I know our family loves each other, but do we love each other enough to give of ourselves to each other.  Do we love each other enough to tell each other how much we care?  Do we love each other enough to help each other in need?  Do we love each other enough? 

I want to challenge you to try this.  It has been such an exciting week to actually watch God show me from his Word how I should pray for my family.

Quote from the book what Happens When We Pray For Our Families. Evelyn: page 7

Many have asked how I know what I should pray for my family members.  First, I pray asking God to show me what He wants me to pray.  Then I just wait on God to tell me—either as I read His Word, the Bible, or during prayer by His calling to my remembrance the Scripture He wants to be the basis of my prayers for them.  Then I write down and date what God said, either in the margin of my Bible or in notes I keep on file.  Then I pray so the whole process is God—from Him and then back to Him in Prayer. 

I have read Chapter Two, Crisscross Praying, which was amazing.  I wanted to share my thoughts about it, but I really felt that I wanted to share how God led my prayers for my family this week. 

I will post my comments about Crisscross Praying on Friday of this week.  Hope visit here again this week.