PRAYER FOR LOVED ONE

Ephesians 3: 16-19 contains a prayer that I have decided to pray daily for my husband, my children and their spouses.

I am a firm believer in praying scripture. We always want to pray God's will and when you pray scripture you KNOW that you are praying within the will of God.

Father, I pray today for my husband, my son, my daughter-in-love, my daughter and my son-in-love. I ask Lord that you strengthen them with might [Might denotes superior power and strength, force, the ability to conquer. Gideon was called a 'mighty man of valour' by the Lord and he used him to destroy the Midianites. We need might because from the time we set our feet on the floor in the morning til we lay our heads on our pillow at night, we are at war with the enemy. I I Corinthians 10:4 tells us "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds". Furthermore, Ephesians 6:12 tells us who we are fighting, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Is it any wonder we need to be strengthened with might?! However, as we go to battle, God has already equipped us with all we need to go up against the enemy. He has given us His armor to protect us and to shield us from the fierty darts of Satan. (Ephesians 6: 13-17)]

"with might by His Spirit in the inner man" [The inner man denotes our soul...the seat of our mind, will and emotions. It could also be indicative of our new nature which we received when we received Christ. The new nature does battle with our old nature daily so we pray for God to strengthen our new nature with His might so that we might yield to it more readily than to our old nature.]

I pray that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith [Dwell...abide...take up residence within. Dwell denotes permanence, being at home there. I want Christ to be at home within my family's heart..not just a passerby. I want them to be so in tune with Him that they respond immediately to whatever He moves them to do. 'By faith' indicates this is a prayer for the believer. Christ does not dwell in an unbeliever's heart.]

I pray that they would be rooted and grounded in their love for You. [Oh that their love would have deep roots, roots that go deep into the soil of God's love. Roots that will keep them strong, immoveable, unshakeable, unwavering in their conviction even when the storms of life toss them to and fro. Grounded, knowing WHO they are and WHOSE they are.]

Lord, may they be able to comprehend [grab hold of, get their minds around, truly KNOW] what is the breadth and length, and depth and height [the sheer magnitude...the unending, immeasureable, unconditional, infinite aspects] of your love which surpasses knowledge [It's more than mental assent that God loves them, but a personal knowing, an intimate relationship with God Almighty.] so that [object of the exercise] they might be filled with all the fulness of God [which will make one complete..."For IN HIM dwells all the fulness of the godhead bodily and you [believers] are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power." Col. 2: 9,10]

This is a powerful prayer. I cannot think of a greater prayer to pray for someone you love. Maybe you will want to pray this prayer for your loved ones, too. God's word shall not return void.

CALL TO BATTLE

I have never seen as much suffering as is going on right now. Everywhere we look there are people who are hurting. Sit in any meeting at church and ask for prayer requests and the list is unbelievable!

Lost jobs
Businesses failing
Catastrophic illnesses of children and adults
Relationships crumbling
Marriages failing
Children rebelling
Hearts aching for prodigal children
Loss of loved ones
Homes and businesses burglarized
People being mugged/brutally attacked

The list is seemingly endless.........and hopeless.

Timothy warned us that these days were coming:

" 1-5 Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people. " (The Message)

Jesus also warned us:

"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 6:33 KJV

Now I'm not a big fan of THE MESSAGE but, understanding this is a paraphrase and not a proper translation, this describes where we are today pretty well. It's enough to make you just want to crawl into bed, cover up your head and wait for the Lord to return and take us out of this mess. But...that is NOT how God would have us handle it.

We are at war, and I'm not referring to the one in Iraq. We are in a spiritual war and as the days draw near for Jesus' return, the war that is being raged against us is getting hotter and hotter. Satan knows that his days are numbered, so he is unleashing all the forces of Hell against us as believers. Can't you feel the heat?!

But, God knew in advance that this was going to happen. He has not left us to fend for ourselves. Remember, GOD IS WITH US! Emmanuel means GOD WITH US!! II Timothy 4: 18 says, "the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for his heavenly kingdom to whom be glory forever and ever!"

Ephesians 6: 12 warns us "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." But He also tells us how to win this war.

"Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil...that you may be able to stand and to withstand the devil in the evil day and having done all to remain standing. " Ephesians 6: 11, 13

The MESSAGE gives us our marching orders this way:

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6: 13-18

So we must get up, get out of bed, put on our armor and head into battle. We must raise His banner high and go forth knowing that we go in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever we may face today, He is already aware of. We are not alone nor are we defenseless. HE IS OUR HOPE! Let us be found standing and doing battle in His name, sharing with others how they too can put their hope in Him.