(submitted by Kerry
Patton)
“I have manifested Your name to
the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You
gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have come to
know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which
You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood
that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 I ask on their
behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You
have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and
Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the
world; and yet they
themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep
them in Your name, the name which
You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which
You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished
but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be
fulfilled.
John 17:6-12
For My Family, O God… May Your
Will Be Done
This really is our point of
greatest care and vulnerability isn’t it?
We pray daily for the welfare, wisdom, health, and safety of our family
members. How I have wrestled in prayer
for my children across the years, and see no end in sight. I know you understand, having done the same
for your own. My prayers increase for my
parents as they age, and for my spouse as we continue to grow through life
together.
We continue this week, focusing
on praying for God’s will to be done…and today, we pray for his will to be done
in the lives of our families in this New Year of 2017.
We asked members of our Prayer
Advocates team to contribute prayers as examples of how they ask for God’s will
to be fulfilled in their families. As
you read their prayers, may the Holy Spirit of God inspire you and lead you as
you pray for God’s will to be done in your own family.
From Alan Myers:
“Father God, I praise you for the healing
you have brought to my family. I thank you for the way you have blessed us with
good health. I thank you Lord that all my family know you as Savior. God,
please give me wisdom to lead my family in a way that would glorify you.”
From Judy Myers:
“I pray that I will be an example to my
family in prayer, in actions, and in seeking God’s will even if it comes
against earthly approval that they would see the ONE and only one that I want
to give me praise and hear Him say “well done my good and faithful
servant”. I want them to see there are much worse consequences from
following others, but the blessings I will receive by following God’s
directions.”
From Robin Moore:
“Father God also I come to you and pray for
our families for our Parents, Children, and grandchildren. Lord let us be a
testimony to them, let them see the love we have that only you bring to us in
the hard times. Lord for our grandkids if we are the only Jesus they see let
them be touched by our presents and let them see something is different with
us....Amen.”
”
From Laura Patton:
“Heavenly Father, I pray for our families,
that you would bind us together with an unbreakable cord. That there would be peace and harmony in our
home. That our home will be a place of
safety, physically, mentally and emotionally, for all who abide there. We pray that any guests in our home would
feel Your presence and love. That time
together would be sweet and that relationships would be strengthened. We pray that, as parents, we would guide and
teach our children how to rely on, and rest in, You. That we would pass on the necessary skills to
allow them to grow into knowledgeable, engaged, productive adults. Adults who are confident in who they are and
whose they are. Adults that would be
bold in purpose and vision and compassionate to those around them.”
From Kerry Patton:
“Father, I pray first and foremost that my
family will always choose to follow you, to seek you, and to serve you. I wrestle, O God, when I see them
struggle. I worry for my children…there
are so many voices competing for their attention these days. There are so many gods that call to their
hearts. I pray that your angels will
continue to battle the enemies that seek to call them away. I plea the blood of Jesus for my family and
ask that they all be sealed and saved forever.
Father, open the minds and hearts of my family to seek hard after
you. Give them a hunger for your Word
and a thirst for righteousness and truth.
Fill them all with your Holy Spirit and make them like clay in your
hands. I pray with all my knowing
how…that your will be accomplished in each of their lives. Teach my family your voice, O God. Jesus said “My sheep know my voice…” Teach them your voice and work within them
your obedience. Not my will, but thine,
O Lord. I pray your will be done in the
lives of my family. In Jesus’ name I
pray, Amen.”
