Tag: family

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless the Work of Those Serving Families

Caring Father,
Bless the efforts of all fields of work, organizations, and individuals who exist to help and serve families. Give family counselors and therapists the specialized skills and abilities necessary to help them provide whatever unique services families may need. Thank you for establishing organizations devoted to meeting the physical needs of struggling families. Expand the influence and reach of all who champion the important role of families and advocate on their behalf. Make ministries and congregations aware of the opportunities they have to pour into families, and equip pastors to minister well to them. Lead families to be dedicated to the pursuit of letting your Word dwell richly in the home, so that you may bless them in the greatest and best ways possible. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Special Blessings on Non-Traditional Families

Faithful Father,
Families today come in all shapes and sizes. One of the many effects the fallen world has had on families is on their mix and makeup. Realities like divorce have brought about single-parent families. Death leaves behind children without parents and the need for adoption. Remarriage inserts multiple sets of parents into families, normalizing step-parents and step-siblings.

Nevertheless, the different DNA we see in families does not make them inferior to the traditional family. Neither do such cases in any way keep you from being able to generously bless them. Indeed, let there be an extra measure of your grace, patience, and forgiveness within non-traditional families, thereby equipping them not only to overcome the typical issues every family faces, but also to manage the burdens and challenges brought on by their unique circumstances. Lavish them with your love and let your light shine brightly to and through them.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Heal and Restore Broken Families

Restoring Father,
Sadly, families are not immune to the collateral damage of existing in a fallen, sinful world. I pray for your help and restoration in healing families broken by sin. Where the sin of adultery has ripped husband and wife apart, grant repentance and reconciliation to repair the marriage bond. When abuse of any kind has left family members or children devastated, intervene and bring it to an end. In those cases, also bring about justice for the one responsible and provide any necessary therapy to those harmed by it. Let those families crushed by traumatic death or injury receive counseling and support to help them process and navigate their grieving or loss. No matter what struggle or hardship any family may face, see to it that your grace is always apparent to provide healing and hope. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Healthy Families

Loving Father,
When I consider the blessings that flow into and through healthy families, I marvel at your plans. You have established the institution of marriage as the bedrock upon which the home is built. Through it, you provide husbands and wives to commit to pouring into each other in loving service. Within the family, fathers and mothers work as one to teach and train their children not only life skills, but also eternal life truths by which your Spirit anchors them to you.

As children lovingly obey their parents, they display for society what honor and respect for those in authority look like. When families lovingly serve their neighbors, they model on a small scale how ideal communities function and what a healthy society looks like. Establish strong families, allowing them to serve as a special channel by which your goodness richly flows into the world.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Build Relationships With My Church Family

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Worship is the highlight of the week in the life of a believer. Through the proclamation of your Word as it is sung and spoken, you speak to our hearts and nourish our souls. In the Sacrament you feed our faith with forgiveness and fuel us for Christian living.

Yet, while your Spirit works on each of us and nurtures us individually, you never intended for our personal growth to remain private. So when we gather for worship, help us to be mindful of how we help each other grow as a community. While we may not all be extroverted, lead worshipers to be intentional about trying to connect with others and build relationships within their congregations. As these friendships are established and strengthened, let them be a means by which believers experience love, care, and support. Use these relationships to meet one another’s needs, to put faith into practice, and to experience the joys of ministry as you bear fruit in their midst. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Family Members

Loving Father,
Family relationships have the potential to be among the most treasured connections we have, as well as some of the most challenging. Since we generally tend to be as close to our family as we are to anyone else, that tight bond can amplify both the best and the worst of any relationships. Give me the awareness to recognize family members who manipulate the shared bond and twist it to induce guilt or shame on other family members. Grant me patience with difficult family members, as well as the courage to lovingly call them out whenever necessary. Let me be unafraid to call believing family members to repentance when they have sinned, and also unashamed to evangelize unbelieving family members. While I cannot change or control the behavior of my biological family, I am responsible for how I respond to them and handle them. Let me do so with a balance of firmness and grace, seeking always to do what is in the best interest of their eternal good.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Eagerly Serve My Home

Selfless Savior,
Just as you gave Adam the responsibility to lead his wife and family in the home, so you call all men to do the same. But, since we cannot possibly measure up to this calling on our own, we need you to lead us and equip us. For any man to lead successfully in his home, he must first be willing to be led by you. 

When men see their marriage, family, or home as something from which they need to escape or avoid, correct their view. Whatever challenges they face in any of those situations, you have also placed them there to address those issues and take the lead in working through them, rather than ignore them. Bring repentance where needed, and gospel restoration to redirect and strengthen them for the road ahead. Be their guardian and guide, providing an example of what sacrificial service for others looks like, and also compelling them by your grace to imitate you in their marriage and home. Use them to build strong and sturdy homes, solidly grounded on the powerful promises of your Word. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Families with Little Ones in Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Jesus told his disciples to let the little children come to him. Therefore, I thank you for young parents and families who faithfully attend worship. That season of life can be filled with more than enough hassle and headaches that would make it easy to stay home. Those parents recognize not only their own spiritual needs, but also the needs of their children. They are establishing healthy worship habits that can serve to bless their children for a lifetime.

When their Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings are filled with stress and frustration, and the pull to just stay home is strong, let your Spirit provide the determination they need to stay the course. And, when they do, and little ones are out of sorts or unsettled during worship, give other worshipers an extra measure of patience, and remind them how good and healthy it is to have little ones together in worship. At the same time, give parents the discernment to recognize when circumstances call for them to take a break if little ones have become a distraction for other worshipers, while also compelling other worshipers to lend a helping hand whenever possible. When we view worship not just as an opportunity to be served, but to serve, we’ll gladly welcome all worshipers – including children – and rejoice that they are present. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Gift of Mothers

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. I have countless reasons for which to give you thanks, and on this Mother’s Day, I give you thanks for mothers and the irreplaceable role they play in families and homes. Of all the ways you could have chosen to bring up children, in your divine wisdom you established families, providing mothers to love and nurture their children. Thank you especially for mothers who prioritize bringing their children to Jesus. 

While no mother is perfect, they so often model selfless sacrifice in putting their children first. They reflect our Good Shepherd when they display gentle tenderness and patience. And, just as our Good Shepherd does, mothers lovingly discipline and correct their little ones, both to show them the right way and also to protect them from future harm. You have established motherhood as one of the most noble callings of all. Lead our society to uphold it as such, and see that mothers are respected and honored among us. Richly bless their labors of love, encouraging them with supportive husbands and rewarding them with obedient children who are a delight to raise.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the People You’ve Placed in My Life

Triune God,
When I think of all the people you have placed in my life, I am grateful. Over time, so many others have left their mark in my life. Still today, so many surround me with encouragement, support, and direction, as well as correction and rebuke when necessary. When I consider the impact others have had in my life and the roles they have played, it is quite clear that your intent was never for our walk of faith to be one lived and carried out in isolation. I thank you for those who bless and challenge me in so many ways, and I ask you to bless them in return.

Bless my biological family and my church family. Bless my friends in general, both far-away and nearby, and especially those with whom I share tighter bonds and closer connections. Bless my neighbors and coworkers. Bless my online connections, and bless those right now whom you plan to bring into my life at some point in the future. Continue to weave your blessings into my life and into the lives of many through all of these interconnected relationships.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.