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    • Dec 28, 2023
    • 19 min read

PRAYER FOCUS: Families

In Psalm 107 we read of some seamen struggling in a tempestuous storm. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. [Ps. 107:28-29]


During this holiday season, families face many pressures, with wars, economic issues, climate patterns, family dynamics. Easily we could feel the waves around us are out of control. We have choices; get overwhelmed or cry out to the One who can calm the storm to a whisper.


In November and December, our prayer focus will be on the current issues confronting families. Instead of giving into the internal and external stresses attacking the family, let's join together, petitioning the Lord for peace in the storms. Monday through Friday we'll provide a podcast, prayer points, scriptures and resources on a different focused family topic. The podcast is a tool to help you participate in prayer. Use it as a platform to add your own petitions. Please encourage others to join us in interceding.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. Ps. 107:28-29

You're not alone! If you face a family dilemma, know that there are others praying with you and for you. We don't have to go through hardships by ourselves. Let's bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. [Gal. 6:9] Post a prayer request and/or a prayer for a topic in the comments at the end of this page.


MOST CURRENT TOPIC BELOW

 

Topic/date: Fri, 12/29th - FAMILIES AS LIGHTHOUSES [spark a fire, spread His love, shine in the darkness]

Scriptures: Matt. 5:14-16; John 8:12; Acts 13:47; Eph. 5:8

Prayer points: pray for your neighbors as a family; take prayer walks; look for ways to be a light to those around you; do simple acts of kindness; when encountering a neighbor offer to pray for them or ask if they have something they need in prayer; invite them over for a meal or coffee or tea; pray for divine encounters, ask questions, seek to get to know them & build relationship.


Topic/date: Thu, 12/28th - LEAVING A LEGACY [Living to Pass on the Torch of Godliness]

Scriptures: Ps. 112:1-3; Matt. 6:20-21; Prov. 13:22

Prayer points: to leave a godly legacy to the next generation: disciple, encourage, equip, resource, empower, position for success, reaffirm, remind what to do, point to Jesus, reassure, release, rejoice with them, share the hope you have in Christ and in your future heaven home.


Topic/date: Wed, 12/27th - INSTILL VALUES [It's never too late to share]

Scriptures: Deut. 6:6-7; Prov. 22:6; 1 Tim. 5:8; Col. 3:20; 1 Tim. 3:5

Prayer points: increase prayer for your family, keep a journal of requests, list the praises, increase faith with God’s promises; regularly repent and teach that; show unconditional love, forgive daily, serve others and take family along; tithe & donate; have family nights, show your faith.


Topic/date: Tue, 12/26th - TIME WASTED OR TIME WELL SPENT [living with no regrets]

Scriptures: Ps. 88:13; Prov. 16:3; 16:9; John 16:13

Prayer points: meditate on Eph. 5:15-16 letting it sink into our hearts; seek the Lord for ways to make the most of our time, paying attention to opportunities, identifying what we do that wastes time and replacing it with what matters more that exhibits love for God and for people.

 

Topic/date: Frid, 12/22nd - EMPTY NESTERS & RETIRED [Now what?]

Scriptures: Phil. 1:6; 2 Cor.10:10; Prov. 22:6


Topic/date: Wed, 12/20th - TEENAGERS [Questions! Answers? Trusted Source?]

Scriptures: James 1:21–26; Eph. 3;14-21; 1 Cor. 15:33

Prayer points: find faith in God and his love; find answers in the Word; sexual purity; filter sources; find safe family members to talk to; healthy peers; able to stand their ground despite pressure to conform; find beauty through God’s lens; protected from taking drugs laced with fentanyl; feel valued, important and needed.


Topic/date: Wed, 12/20th - SINGLENESS [Remaining single; Seeking Mate; Following God]

Scriptures: Jer. 29:11; Eccl. 3:1-8; Ps. 84:11

Prayer points: begin praying for their mates in advance, not just to have one but for their life, for God to bring the right one and not a decoy, a believer not unequally yoked, healthy ways to find a mate, peace and joy in the journey, acceptance for those seeking a celibate life, opportunities to do things without a partner, loneliness turn to ways to connect with others, not give in to fatalism but know God has good plans for them, faith to believe.


Topic/date: Tue, 12/19th - SHARING OUR FAITH [right motives, methods and material]

Scriptures: James 5:16; Eph. 4:18; Acts 4:29-30

Prayer points: for hardened hearts to be tenderized and open to hear; breakdown of arguments; overcome by our testimonies, understanding and good questions to ask, discerning the time and situation when sharing [are they tired, sick, or hungry]; God to give them eyes to see and ears to hear above all the other noise; we model a good Christian life, apologizing and forgiving as needed, clothed in humility, remembering but for the grace of God we could still be unsaved.


Topic/date: Mon, 12/18th - SEXUAL ISSUES [Whose body is it anyways? What am I looking at? Who am I attracted to?]

Scriptures: 1 Cor. 6:18-20; Heb. 13:4; Col. 3:5

Prayer points: godly teaching share in the family of sexual boundaries; that God made them for our safety and protection, a healthy respect for God’s views of it; empowered to wait until marriage; taught this in churches, youth groups and even children’s church; for people to RUN from sexual sin – turn off the shows, make a choice to not watch movies, listen to songs or play video games that contain sexual overtones, get into accountability groups to overcome addictions.

 

Topic/date: Fri, 12/15 - SABBATH

Scriptures: Ex. 20:8-11; Lev. 23:3; Matt. 11:28-30; Is. 58:13

Prayer points: yoke with Christ, learn from his gentle & humble walk; plan for the day, make it different than the rest; work less; social media refrain; quality time with friends/family, spend time with the Lord reading the Bible, listening to worship music, choosing entertainment that builds the Spirit; reevaluate your activities – what to keep what to stop.


Topic/date: Thu, 12/14 - RESENTMENT

Prayer points: members deal with their resentment, find solutions to share chores, costs and responsibilities; confront not avoid or give up; create rules that build teamwork and camaraderie, encourage mutual engagement, invitational communication, clear communication of expectations for each member at events, gatherings and meals; ways to unite not divide; lighten loads.

Scriptures: Eccl. 4:9-12; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Eph. 4:16


Topic/date: Wed, 12/13 - RECONCILIATION & FORGIVENESS

Prayer points: regularly forgive offenders, recognize how much they’ve been forgiven by God, daily pray the Lord’s prayer, listen to how they speak about family members, admit it is sin to speak ill of anyone, keep forgiving until it is from their heart, not retelling the offense, able to be the first to own their part in the problem and apologize, recognizing one of the things God hates is someone who causes division

Scriptures: Matt. 18:21-22; Prov. 17:9; Matt. 6:9-13


Topic/date: Tue, 12/12 - FAMILY MEMBERS WITH DISABILITY

Prayer points:find living hope, ongoing hope in the Lord for grace & strength; healing to the disabled, medical progress and success, not give up when tired; see the heightened traits of those challenged, appreciate and savor the good moments, support from extended family, cast their cares on the Lord and not take them back

Scriptures: 3 John 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:3; 2 Thess. 3:13


Topic/date: Mon, 12/11 - UNSAVED LOVED ONES & PRODIGALS

Prayer points: persistence in prayer, removing any offense towards the one we pray for; asking for others to speak to them about the Lord, for them to see their condition from God’s perspective, to experience a pigsty moment like the prodigal and want to come home, for those who influence their lives be saved or removed; for God to remove the stony stubborn heart and replace with a tender, responsive heart, for dreams and visions of God’s love and judgment.

Scripture[s]: Ezekiel 34:16; Jude 1:22-23; Luke 15:11-32; John 10:28-29; Ezek. 36:

 

Date/topic: Fri. 12/8 - PARENTING

Prayer points: yoke up with the Lord to parent their kids, get energy and wisdom from the Lord; seek friends who are older parents, not do it alone; take breaks from kids to regroup; put away cell phones when kids need their attention; show the kids they are important and valued early and reinforce through the years; savor the moments when they are good and praise them openly; being honest and real; helping them see it’s not perfection that makes a good family; it’s love and forgiveness and a reliance on the Lord’s strength.


Prayer date: Thursday, Dec. 7th

Prayer points: predators caught before harm comes to children; parents educate and monitor children’s social media use; parents heard and empowered at school district meetings; voice of parents greater than Dept. of Ed.; books with explicit/implicit sexual overtones be banned from K-6th grades; Covid aftermath cause them to more resilient; family uses it as dialogue to strengthen and inform, children feel valued and important at home.

Scriptures: Jer. 29:11; Matthew 19:14; 1 Timothy 4:12


Prayer date: Wednesday, Dec. 6th

Prayer points: they would first focus on God and their love of Him would spill over to those around them, they would recognize what they do & say affects many; they would apologize, forgive and not hold offense from any family member; model persistent prayer & prayers of faith; their ending days would demonstrate the power of the Gospel; they would teach and not be afraid to speak the truth to their family in love; be grounded in God’s love & rock solid in their faith


Prayer date: Tuesday, Dec. 5th

Prayer points: recognizing we need them to help us learn and grow; learn from their knowledge of our history & culture; loving/forgiving those who are like porcupines; glean from their strengths & skills & wisdom; recognizing though blood related we have new DNA; praying for troubled ones; seeking God’s view of the hurting ones; quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry, holiday & celebrations are times of joy not drama

Scriptures: Eccl. 4:9; 1 Tim. 2:1; 1 Cor. 1:10


Date: Monday, Dec. 4th

Prayer points: truth would win out over lies taught in some college classes; resolve to stay true to what they learned and believed about God while attending college, parents to release kids to God’s ultimate care; for godly friends to surround them when they leave; for support from other parents in prayer and ways to love kids from a distance; hedge of protection against the worldly temptations, a desire & ability to stay the course to follow Jesus, no matter what, to be a light in the darkness.

Scriptures: Rom. 15:13; Phil. 1:6; Eph. 4:16

 

Date: Friday, Dec. 1st

Prayer points: healing to both partners, healing to the children, children not blamed, not think they will divorce because parents did, godly role models for the children, church pray for not judge those involved, support from extended family, mediation, all feel valued, find purpose, closure, how to navigate in the new, for churches to have programs like divorce recovery.

Scriptures: Eph. 6:18; James 5:13-16; Rom. 12:12


Date: Thursday, Nov. 30th

Family topic podcast: Childless by choice or not [No advice please, Never assume who is infertile; No children but still fulfilled in God] Prayer points: direction and open doors for those wanting children; safe people to discuss their pain, acceptance & no judgment by others for those that don’t want kids; renewed hope and strength as the childless couple looks for options; ways to deal with naysayers & when others conceive around them, hope where there’s despair, encouragement despite barrenness; the miracle of life & children, ways for them to love kids while waiting.

Scriptures: Is. 54:1; Luke 23:29; 1 Cor. 7:8; Prov. 30:15-16


Prayer date: Wednesday, Nov. 29th

Prayer points: common ground, open communication, healthy dialogues, truly listening to each other’s concerns, solutions that work, Jesus centered conversations, prayer & harmony, peace and connectedness, interdependence vs selfish ambitions, help from external sources, acceptance vs rejection to the new norms

Scriptures: Galatians 3:28; Psalm 127:1; Eph. 2:14


Prayer date: Tuesday, Nov. 28th

Prayer points:  : parents find ways to get short breaks; others help them raise these little ones, protection, early they will know the Lord as savior, discipline appropriately to guide, divine wisdom through temper tantrums, parents & godly people speak good words over them, parents get sufficient input that is spiritual, physical and mental.

Scriptures: Prov. 22:6; Is. 40:11; Jer. 1:5


Prayer date: Monday, Nov. 27th

Prayer points:  Children waiting for adoption, hope, process smooth, adapting goes well; foster children in the system, foster children after the system ends, foster parents, for the right reasons, ethically, lovingly, treat as their own; adoptive parents, patience, ability to love through assimilation, both foster & adoptive parents supported by extended family, gratitude for having a Father who will NEVER leave us NOR forsake us and who provided us a forever family.

Scriptures: James 1:27; Gal. 4:4-5; Ps. 10:14


 

Prayer date: Wednesday, Nov. 22nd

Prayer points:  families would limit nonessential activities; learn when to say "no"; establish boundaries; unplug; ask God what to keep & remove from home activities; let others know you need help; review tasks as a family; delegate more; what’s most important that you value; schedule family time; create mini-vacations where you rest; plan body-care and moments to exhale; savor the moments.

Scriptures: Ps. 127:2: Prov. 23:4; 3 John 1:2; Eccl: 4:5-6


Prayer date: Tuesday, Nov. 21st

Prayer points:  families to look at content together, what value does the gaming provide, is it an intermission, fun entertainment or wasting time, how does it bond the family, is it destructive, looking for ways to play that bond families together; making decisions collectively, using as a teaching moment, for older members to review costs and time away from families, not be dominated by it, seek help if addicted

Scriptures: Eph. 5:16-17; Ps. 101:3; 1 Cor. 6:12


Prayer date: Monday, Nov. 20th

Prayer points:  for couples to be quick to forgive and apologize, not keep an account of wrongs, ask for you to be the 3rd chord that keeps them together, they seek God above all else, learn to accept and not try to change each other, learn each other’s way of giving and receiving love, to find time to connect, be open with each other/not hiding anything, divine wisdom to handle the external pressures.

Scriptures: 1 Peter 4:7-8; Col. 3:13-14; Eph. 4:32


 

Prayer date: Friday, Nov. 17th

Prayer points:  Pray about behavior when playing or watching, parents teach good sportsmanship, how to lose and win gracefully, monitoring time/costs involved, is it drawing families closer or farther apart; ensuring it doesn’t take God’s place in their hearts; keeping God their first priority.

Scriptures: 1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17; 1 John 5:21


Prayer date: Thursday, Nov. 16th

Prayer points:  not to be on phone when someone is talking to you [phubbing]; setting clear boundaries on when to listen, what to watch & how to use for good & how much time; identify why families look at social media; remember you’re Christ’s ambassador online; connect with family, take breaks from it; consider fasting

Scriptures: Ps. 101:3; 1 Cor. 10:31; Matt. 5:16


Prayer date: Wednesday, Nov. 15th

Prayer points:  seeking God for what to keep and what to eliminate and what to add; making appointments to spend with family undistracted; 1:1 and communally, ensuring there’s time to care for body, soul & spirit

Scriptures: Ps. 37:5; Eph. 5:15-17; Matt. 6:33; Is. 58:11


Prayer date: Tuesday, Nov. 14th

Prayer points: give to God first; generously, cheerful, save, learn to be content with what they have, not love money, not greedy, test God, tithe, spend appropriately, share with others, teach children how to spend/save and give to God, understand why we need to love God over money.

Scriptures: Prov. 3:9; Prov. 6:6-8; Heb. 13:5


Prayer date: Monday, Nov. 13th

Prayer points: for the one experiencing - wholeness, healing, deliverance, able to forgive those who harmed, feel valued and important & see purpose in the body of Christ; freedom from fear/anxiety, mental disorders, able to make healthy choices; for the one caregiving - discernment, wisdom, patience, compassion; for the one observing – no judgment, empathy, intercession, words of encouragement, help person see they matter.

Scriptures: Ps. 139:4; Ps. 34:17-18; Ps. 23:3; Is. 53:5

Resources: PRAYER FOCUS: Families (sbcuniteandawake.com); What does the Bible say about dealing with mental illness? | GotQuestions.org

 

Prayer date: Friday, Nov. 10th

Prayer points: during memorials cover the griever in prayer; emotions free not held back; find the source of comfort, the Holy Spirit, the comforter; words inappropriately spoken overlooked, during times of remembering pray people show their love by their actions fewer words spoken; for the later days when they miss the loved one pray for the griever to want to live, not give up, care for themselves and not seek destructive things to numb the pain; pray they recognize it’s a process and eventually accept it and work through it until they see their future purpose.

Scriptures: Ps. 23:4A; 2 Cor. 1:3-4; Is. 40:13


Prayer date: Thursday, Nov. 9th

Prayer points: For family members who chose to be LGBTQ+; for family members dealing with those who chose it; first that we always define others as children of God; for the family member to draw closer to Christ; for wise counsel, not derision or coddling; that homosexual friends and family respect their Christian loved ones; for them to know they were designed by God; for healthy conversations, protection from suicidal thoughts, truth would set them free; for loving people to speak to them

Scriptures: Gen. 1:27; Rom. 1:26-27; John 8:7-11; Deut. 22:5


Prayer date: Wednesday, Nov. 8th

Prayer points: Reminder Jesus is with you all the time when we take in entertainment, be aware of little ones around, whether music, movies, video games or other types would not be an idol in our lives, for Holy Spirit to help you understand the Bible’s entertainment principles, for wisdom as you establish family media standards, to get rid of temptations [i.e. stop a streaming service, throw away what uses foul language, sensual, or God’s name in vain; fast it for 30 days, for strength to resist the temptation to indulge in entertainment that doesn’t glorify God; that the changes made will last.

Scriptures: Ps. 119:37; Ex. 20:3; Josh. 1:8


Prayer date: Tuesday, Nov. 7th

Prayer points: Identifying who we are depending on – man or God; are we the cause of their dependence; learning each member matters; each family can do something; co-dependent means we’re not relying on God; interdependence means we need each other; independence means I can do it by myself, me is at the center of relationships, God dependence means I recognize the Potter, I’m the clay and under His leadership and need to depend on Him.

Scriptures: Phil. 4:13, Matt. 10:37; 1 John 4:7-8


Prayer date: Monday, Nov. 6th

Prayer points: use the prayer in the resource to intercede for your loved one who is distant

Scriptures: Ps. 34:7; Ps. 91:11-13; Is. 41:9-13

 

Prayer date: Friday, Nov. 3rd

Prayer points: making a choice to listen out of love; get rid of distractions, right place right time, seeking to understand first, be humble, gentle, patient, make allowance for their faults, be united, seek peace, speak truth in love, communicate intentionally, be angry & don't sin, build each other up with wholesome language, be kind and forgiving, put away phones.

Scriptures: Eph. 4:1-3; 15-16; 23-24; 26-27; 29; 31-32


Prayer date: Thursday, Nov. 2nd

Prayer points: spending quality time with God; taking Sabbath time to restore; renewed with love to care for family member; finding joy in the caring, combatting fatigue with enough sleep & down time, paying attention to red flags in the member and in self, able to receive care without feeling like a burden; clear communication of needs, getting help, sharing the load; more than a duty – it’s a service to God.

Scripture[s]: 1 John 3:17; Phil. 2:4; Gal. 6:10


Prayer date: Wednesday, Nov. 1st

Prayer points: Identify root cause; examine motives; lean on grace; put on humility; create an environment of thanksgiving, pray before and after the conflict or argument, seek resolution not restitution, the end game is not your way or my way - it's God's way.

Scripture[s]: James 4:1-3 NLT; Phil 2:4 NLT

 


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Topic/date: Tue, 12/27th - INSTILLING VALUES [by God's not man's standards]

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