Need a refresher about what the Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

I have a memory.

Me as a little one. Long, blond hair in pigtails. Just got into trouble…again. Daddy kneels down. Brushes loose hair away from my brown eyes and looks deeply into them.

I’m sure there were many words of wisdom given that day. A correction. A hug. But all I can remember are the words that have stuck with me for all of my life.

Big hand on my head directing my eyes to his.

“Honey, it doesn’t do any good to be pretty on the outside if you’re not pretty on the inside.”

Such truth in that simple statement.

I’ve served my time in front of the mirror. Heard it call me names like, “fatty, plain Jane, I guess that will have to do…” And other times when it seemed to smile at me, “beautiful, lovely, perfect for you…”

The mirror does have two faces. And my life has been spent in an up and down cycle I can’t seem to get out of.

But the mirror can’t see inside. Some people don’t bother to look past the outward layer. When they do they find someone with much to give…most of the time.

“It doesn’t do any good to be pretty on the outside if you’re not pretty on the inside.”

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.“ 1 Samuel 16:7

Thankful again and again for this truth. That my heart would reflect His pure love is my prayer. That His Word would be hidden there so that when one looks in…they find Him.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

Strong arms brought me such comfort. Strength of character brought me a wealth of wisdom. A safe place to land. Protection and peace. Freedom to grow and encouragement to fly. That is the legacy my earthly father leaves me.

“It doesn’t do any good to be pretty on the outside if you’re not pretty on the inside.”

Because I have known this joy I feel pain for those who have not. And I pray that my Heavenly Father will bind up their wounds, turn their ashes to beauty, set their feet on The Rock.

I have been given much. To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).

Will you join me in praying for the fatherless today? I bear a deep burden for them.

“Lord, in the strong Name of Jesus we pray that those who have no good earthly father would find Your strong arms a safe place to land. Protect them, O Lord. Turn their mourning to dancing. Let them hide safely in Your shadow and draw close to Your side where Truth and Grace abound.”

Amen.

Please join me. My heart is to serve you, encourage you, teach you and bless you as we walk on this journey called life…together. Subscribe today, and we’ll find God waiting for us in the everday.

Need a refresher about what the Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

My poor husband is struggling in his job. Not because he doesn’t like it, or because he wants to quit or doesn’t get along with his co-workers. But because his employer is short almost 600 employees right now! What does that mean for the McGlothlin Home for Boys?

Crazy…terrible…frustrating…disappointing hours for daddy. Crazy…terrible…frustrating…disappointing moods for mommy.

I’m supposed to go to a National Conference next weekend that I’ve wanted to attend for seven years. Hubby was supposed to go with me (can you say much-needed time away together??) and now he can’t get off of work.

Frustration!!

It’s really not his fault. But when he told me he couldn’t go I was bitterly disappointed. Wept.

Poor guy.

We’re in a season of choosing thankfulness. Even though his hours are crazy and he never seems to be able to get off when we need him to, HE HAS A JOB! And in this time of economic uncertainty, we realize that this is a gift from God. People around us are losing their jobs right and left. We might not make as much money as we’d like to, but his job seems fairly secure right now. And for that I am choosing to be thankful.

So today, I am choosing to pray James 1:12 for my sweetie.

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”

And I’m asking that you might join me in praying that we will continue to choose thankfulness and take advantage of the time the Lord DOES give us.

Are you in a season of choosing thankfulness? Share how you’re coping.

Blessings friends. Please join me in today’s Elijah Prayer Project. And if you share a similar heart as me, or just need a place to go everyday for encouragement and laughs, subscribe and never miss a post.

OH! And please go visit Z Couple again today to read Part 2 of my interview with this precious couple.

Need a refresher about what the Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

Have you ever considered that the times when you really don’t want to pray for your husband are the times you need to the most?

Sometimes, after a particularly trying day, or after an argument, or when I’m hurt or angry, I really don’t want to pray for my husband.

Or if I do, it sounds something like, “Lord, strike his heart with repentance and bring him to his senses. And then bring him to me on his knees begging for forgiveness!”

Sounds righteous, but my heart is far from pure.

I gave up the notion that my husband was going to be perfect a long time ago. But sometimes I have to be reminded that I’m not either.

Perhaps, just perhaps, instead of being quick to ask the Lord to change my husband’s heart, I should be more concerned about the state of my own.

Anger, fear, bitterness, jealousy…am I praying from a heart fill with these things? If so, my prayer should look something like this;

“Lord, please help me to choose to love my husband in spite of his shortcomings. Help me extend grace in this situation and represent You well as I handle my emotions and fears. Please cleanse my hands and purify my heart so that I can be motivated by love, not revenge. Then, and only then Lord, show me what to do.”

Today, I’m praying Joshua 22:5 for my husband.

“Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and to cling to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Would you please pray for my husband to have peaceful rest over the next 7 days?

I would be so honored if you would subscribe to A Life in Need of Change and join me on finding God in the everyday.

Today is a truly exciting day for me!

I’m the guest poster for a woman with an incredible heart named Annie, and she blogs at an awesome place to visit…

Annie Blogs!

Profound…I know.

No really…she is profound…and a seriously gifted writer. Go over and check out her blog. You’ll be blessed and inspired. I love her heart to serve people like me who are trying so hard to do something meaningful. Yea for the little guy!

She talks a little about why people like me write.

So head over…

Go on…

You can catch a little of my story today at her blog!

She also talks a little about the Elijah Prayer. So for you guys who are here this morning to participate in praying for fathers, I’ll start us off.

Today I’m praying Jeremiah 29:11 for my husband.

“Lord show my husband that You know the plans You have for Him. Plans for his welfare and not for evil, to give him a future and a hope.”

I would love for you to join me in praying for strength and energy for my guy today.

Need a refresher about what the Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you can join me in the everyday!

I’ve written before about my love of praying the Word of God. It’s a practice I started several years ago when someone gave me the book by Germain Copeland entitled “Prayers that Avail Much.”

I fell in love with the Word of God around the same time…couldn’t get enough of it. I began to understand that God’s Word had all of the answers I needed and that it was perfectly suited to turning my heart to Christ.

I believe there is power in the Word of God.

“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

So in the spirit of encouragement I thought I would share with you today some of my favorite prayer verses. I get these out when I want to put on my prayer warrior hat and storm the gates of heaven. I use them for my children, my husband, my friends, my ministry and my even for many of you, whom I’ve yet to have the pleasure of meeting.

For my children

My core verse that I pray nearly every day for my boys is from Ezekiel 36:26-27.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

I also love to pray Romans 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.“

I also pray Galatians 5:22-23 on an almost daily basis…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

For my husband

Of course, you already know that I pray for a spirit of Elijah for my sweet hubby.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers…”

I also routinely pray Ephesians 1:17 for him.

“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him…”

Another hubby favorite is from Matthew 5:9.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

For my ministry

Both in my public ministry at a local Crisis Pregnancy Center and in my personal ministry here at A Life in Need of Change I pray that the Lord would fill me with His wisdom. From James 1:5…

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

I pray that the Lord will only allow me to speak His words through Psalm 141:3.

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

And I pray that the Lord will use me to show others the depth of His love and goodness through Ephesians 3:17-19.

“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Those are just a select few of the verses I like to pray over the people and things I love. From time to time you might find me blogging about some new ones the Lord has given me to pray. Because there’s power in His Word.

What about you? What verses has the Lord given you to pray over your loved ones? If this is the first time you’ve heard of this concept pick one of mine and begin praying it for that person, or people, once a day. Let me know which one you pick.

Also, hop over to see my friend Teri Lynn at Pleasing to You to join us for 30 Days of Prayer.

A Life in Need of Change is a work of the heart. God is constantly changing me and renewing my heart so it looks more like His. Want to join me in learning more about His heart in the everyday? subscribe now so you never miss a post!

Need a refresher about what the Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

“…And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers…”

That’s the theme of the Elijah Prayer Project.

It’s something I feel the Lord put on my heart for my husband. I realized how much he needed me. But “me” in a way different than what I had been used to.

Not as much talking…

Not as much explaining…

Not as much counseling…

More praying.

But God didn’t just give this to my heart. He asked me to give it yours too.

I’ve been trying Fridays and the prayer model we’ve been using on for size. And I don’t think it’s working very well. I’ve been discouraged and have thought about giving it up…but I really do believe that God called me to the heart of the Elijah Prayer Project.

So that leads me to believe that something needs to change…

So here it is…

Change #1… There seems to be A LOT more traffic on the web on Thursdays…so I’m moving Elijah Prayer Project to Thursdays…starting next week…just to see what happens.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts on that.

But be nice

What remains though is that I have run out of days for this week…so today will be the last day of praying for fathers on Fridays.

Here’s what I’m praying…

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity.” Proverbs 2:6-7

Would you join me in praying that the Lord would bless my husband with patience toward our children (I asked him what he wanted prayer for and this is what he requested)?

Now…what are you praying for the father of your children today? How can we join you? Write out a Scripture verse (or just something you’re holding out hope for), a prayer request of your own, and then write out a quick prayer for the person before you.

Pretty simple

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Need a refresher about what the Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

Praying for the fathers of our children is so important. Have you thought about how much the father of your children needs you lately?

When you see the slump of his shoulders as he wears his stress of the day…

When he reaches for you tenderly, hoping…

When he comes to pick up the children for his weekend and doesn’t have a clue what they really need from him…

No matter what your circumstance, he needs your prayers. Maybe you’re not in a place where you feel you can pray for him…maybe there’s anger, resentment, hatred.

Tell God about it…He can handle your emotions…

And He can give you a heart to pray for that man in your life…whether he’s your loving husband, or your worst enemy…he’s still their daddy…and they need him.

So today, start off on your knees for him.

I’m praying Psalm 90:14 for my guy today.

“Satisfy [him] in the morning with your steadfast love, that [he might] rejoice and be glad all [his] days.”

And I’m asking for prayer that the Lord will sustain him during a difficult and stressful time in his career with joyful moments with his family and joyful moments of grace in the Lord.

Join me ladies?

And don’t forget to subscribe so you can join me in the everyday!

Need a refresher about what the Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

I’m so thankful to serve a God who can work miracles. He doesn’t always choose to…

But today I’m choosing to take great joy in knowing that He can…

and that I’m His.

Nothing else…

I’ve had a hard time deciding on a scripture to pray for my husband this week. I’ve settled on Ephesians 5:1-2.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

My prayer request is that the Lord would give my husband a heart like David’s…after Him.

Join me ladies…even if you don’t feel like it…pray for the father’s of your children…

so that the hearts of the fathers may be turned to their children and the hearts of the children may be turned to their fathers.

You’re needed…

It’s been a week of answered prayer for me so I’d like to begin today’s post by sharing a victory with you.

Last week I asked you to pray for peace and rest for my husband…we went on a small vacation and I sooooo wanted him to be able to destress and relax. He has a very demanding job…even more so as of late…it pays our bills and we’re so thankful for it during these times of instability, but it’s still very hard on him.

I’m happy to report that the Lord was so kind to us…Hubby was able to relax and unwind and we all feel refreshed and renewed after our vacation…SO GRATEFUL! Thank you for praying for us.

So here we go…week THREE!

“Lord, please give the Elijah Prayer Project Your blessing. If it pleases You and brings glory to your Name, use it to encourage the hearts of mothers and to turn the hearts of fathers toward their children and the hearts of children toward their fathers. Amen”

Need a refresher about what the A Elijah Prayer Project is? Or maybe a reminder of the (rules?)

Ready?? I’ll start…

Today I’m praying for my hubby that “Christ may dwell in [his heart] through faith – that [he], being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that [he] may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3: 17-19

My prayer request is that the Lord would lavish His love on my hubby in new ways that grab His heart afresh for the cause of the cross…

So grab your prayer mats ladies…and join me in committing this day to the Lord on behalf of the daddies in our lives.