This week has been a trying one for those of us in the faith, my friends. We have been blessed beyond compare, but in addition to all of those blessings, some of God’s people are truly hurting. When I am in a situation where someone or something hurts me, my first instinct now is to turn to my favorite passages in the Bible. The first one is John 16:33, where Jesus tells us:
“I have told you these things, so that in me, you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.“
Another Bible verse that I truly love to read is from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
It astonishes me, the older I get, how right the Bible is. When I was younger, I never thought that the Bible had all that much to offer to me. But now, when I am troubled, I do turn to the Bible, and it literally falls right to where I need to be reading, and there is always something to help me.
My friends, as I said, there are a lot of prayer requests for this week. As a result, this post will be quite lengthy. Please make sure you read all of the requests, and pray for all of the ones you see here. Also, please add your prayer requests in the comments below throughout the week, and we’ll add them onto next week’s post. As always, here is last week’s list of prayer requests that you can click over and read.
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for Rosemary, who is going through some medical issues right now. Pray that she will have healing, peace from the worries that perhaps are affecting her, and strength in the event that her healing takes time and isn’t accomplished immediately.
- My wife’s cousin is battling some serious health issues. Please pray boldly for a miracle, that he may show Glory to God with a miraculous recovery, but in addition, please pray for his comfort, God’s Peace to descend upon him and his family, and God’s Strength to help them all out in the days and weeks to come. He is being re-baptized soon, but I believe he is already a Christian, so his place with Jesus is assured! Of course, what will happen is all according to God’s Will, and we know that His Will will be done.
- I have a good friend that is battling fibromalygia. This unseen disease affects many things within her body, and the pain and debilitation can be quite severe. She asks that we pray for relief and joy, that she would be able to maintain joy in her life despite her malady.
- Another friend we have is suffering with a condition that causes her to have severe pain, and forces her to walk with a walker, despite the fact that she is a young person. Please pray for comfort and healing for her, and strength to continue to battle this degenerative condition.
- Rebecca asks for our prayers as her Uncle passed away from intestinal cancer on March 12th. Please lift up his soul to the Lord, but also pray for God’s Peace and Strength to settle upon Rebecca and her family, that they might be able to express their grief together, while knowing that their loved one is with Jesus at this time. God, please give them the strength to endure the weeks to come as the reality of their loss is felt even more.
- Becky asked for prayers related to a shooting in central New York state. The man, at the time, had not been caught, and he had shot 6 people, killing 4 of them, with the other two in critical condition. After a standoff of several hours, police went in, and with a K9 officer shot in the altercation, the shooter was shot and killed. It was a sad ending to a tragic mystery — why a person would succumb so much to darkness that they would take innocent people’s lives. In cases like this, the only happy thing is Satan, who was doing a victory dance. So now, friends, I ask that you pray for the families that are grieving, as well as for the towns affected, that they would have God’s Peace upon them, and the fear that they were facing would fade away to the distant past.
- My friend Rebecca asks for prayers for her Poppa, who suffered a heart attack last week. She has reported that the prayers are working, and he is getting the treatment and help that he needs, but please keep them up for her so that he can fully recover!
- Carrie asks for prayers for her husband, who is suffering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and is undergoing treatment. Please pray for him for healing, but also pray for their 7 year old son, that he can adapt to his Daddy being sick, and give his dad what he needs to get over this illness. Also please pray for Carrie, that she can be strong and help her husband in the ways he needs help, and that she can be strong for the whole family.
- My good friend has asked me to pray for our country and for those that defend our Constitution and our freedoms. This includes not just our military, of course, but any official of the United States that is in a position to have to defend our rights. My biggest prayer on this matter is that anyone in that position would put politics to the side and step outside of themselves and think about what is best for the country, not for their party or constituants.
- I would like to lift up my friends in prayer. I have so many close friends, and the unfortunate circumstance in their lives is that they have not asked Jesus into their life. They know who they are, and my prayers — for many months now — would be that Jesus would speak to my heart the words that I should say to them that would open up their hearts just a little so that Jesus could work his Will on them. Please give them the courage to let down those defenses just a little bit, that they would be able to rely on Him instead of trying to rely on just themselves.
- Lastly, Michelle asks for prayers for her family. She and her husband are having marital difficulties, and he has filed for divorce. At stake beyond their marriage is the fact that they have children, and they are all trying to come to terms what it might mean not having their husband/father at home with them. Michelle does not want a divorce, and has been praying for reconciliation so that their marriage can be saved, but things are very serious right now. Their divorce hearing is in April. Please pray for this family, that they can be brought back together, that the divorce does not go through, and that the husband can see what his leaving the family would mean to all of them.
Praises:
- Noreen had a prayer request that turned into a praise! She was worried about sounding petty, but she had lost her great-grandmother’s ring. While she explained that it wasn’t very valuable, it had extreme sentimental value for her, and she was sick over losing it because she wishes to pass it down to her daughter. She posted on our blog, though, and within 10 minutes she found the ring! I explained to her that her request was not petty, that it is the memories of our loved ones, which sometimes translate into objects that they used to have, lead us to remember our loved ones all the more. So, what started as a prayer request turned into a huge praise!
- I also have a huge praise for Dustin! His illness was a rare form of cancer, one that chemotherapy normally does not treat very well. However, in his case, chemo did a great job, and he is in remission from his cancer! The prayers should continue, though, to make sure he doesn’t have a relapse that would lead to further illness!
- My final praise is for the Jubilate Worship Dance Conference, which was held March 15th and 16th in Apex, North Carolina. My daughter was a participant, and they brought glory to Jesus and tears to us with their beautiful, Spirit-filled dancing. We celebrated Holy Communion as well, and as I told Sophie before she went to bed, Jesus is very proud that she stood up for Him this weekend. Special praises go out to Miss Jackie and Miss Brook, two Angelic Saints at Edenton Street UMC, who lead the dance teams and show them daily what it is like walking with the Lord.
My friends, while I know that the troubles in our lives are many, I hope you are all able to focus on at least one thing in your life that is a blessing to you, whether it be your children, or your health, or the fact you have a job and a roof over your head, or whatever you come upon. It is very easy to be caught up in what is wrong with our lives — believe me, I know this, because I have been there — but I firmly believe that if I give my concerns to the Lord, He will take care of them, and allow me to focus on all the beauty that exists in my life.
As always, please add your prayer requests to our comments so that we might pray over them in the coming week! God Bless You all!
Prayers are peace for all. What an uplifting post Mike.
~A.
Thanks, Amanda!
Praise for good health and the ability to work out!
Prayers for My Sailor who is deploying soon, and for strength as I work through my dad’s cancer. He’s opted to go on Hospice. He’s been married to my mom for 41 years (all of my life and my brother’s). We’ll never be ready to let go and say good-bye, but if something should happen while My Sailor is away, it’ll be very challenging if impossible to let him know, and I’ll need him more than ever… So peace and strength to get through this challenging year.
And gratitude for the strength and new skills I’m learning every day.
J Darling,
You and your family are in our prayers! My prayers will be for your Sailor, that he be protected from harm while deployed, and that God will grant you the special Peace that only He can bestow on us during that time. I’m also praying for Him to give you the strength you and all your family needs in the days and weeks ahead, and that your dad has the Peace of Jesus to keep him comfortable. While it is extremely difficult to say good bye to our loved ones, at least we can find peace in knowing that our loved ones are moving on to a better place, that we have the hope of eternal life to sustain us, and that we know we will see them again. Imagine the mourning that comes from those that don’t know God and lose a loved one. While we still grieve, the grief is less because we know that our loved one is healed, and not in any pain, and that they are with Jesus.
God’s Strength and Mercy is incredibly powerful, and can get us through anything life throughs our way.
As always, I’ll give thanks also for you, for your good health, and thanksgiving for the strength and new skills you are learning also.
Thanks for sharing, we’ll be praying!
Mike
My friend Jessica needs prayers for her husband’s father, who is battling cancer. Please pray for healing for him, but also God’s Peace and Strength to come upon all of the family in the days and weeks ahead! Thanks!
From my friends Karen and Tim, this prayer request:
Small request Mike, my husband lost his job back in Sept 2012 due to bankruptcy and he has only had several short part-time jobs without insurance for the family. Prayer for health for our family, we have our kids on medicare but my hubby and I have zero insurance. We have work but the jobs dont offer ins. and we cant afford ins. thru independent carriers…..Thanks
I also want to include a prayer request from my Aunt Ti, here is what she wrote — it is of a similar nature to Karen and Tim’s request:
I’ve been in that same boat as Tim Pugh Mike, since Jan. of 2009 and I know exactly how they feel. Obamacare hasn’t helped one bit.
We also have a desperate prayer request for our fellow Park View Graduate Jeff. Here is what was written on Facebook:
Want to send prayers to Jeff Fowler. This was just posted. This is Natalie. Jeff has taken a turn for the worse. He is in ICU at NIH. Sadly it wont be much longer. Jeff has fought a valient fight. I will update with another post later with additional information.
Please pray for Jeff’s salvation at this late hour — pray that he knows Jesus, and that Jesus also knows him! Also, please pray God’s Peace and Strength upon the family and friends in the days and weeks to come, and also pray for Jeff’s comfort, that he be free from pain, and that he wake up in Jesus’ loving embrace when the time comes. Thank you, everyone!
Overall RatingFoodServiceAtmospherePrice/ValueRomanceSuitable for ChildrenGarden Grill is perhaps one of the most uenarretdd Disney World restaurants. This little gem of a character meal at Epcot is a plated, all-you-can-eat feast, with different kinds of meat, fresh veggies, delicious bread and butter, and a cobbler that’s to die for to top it all off. The menu seems to change a bit seasonally.It’s worth it coming here just for the food and the rotating view of some of the scenes from the Living With the Land ride, but the character experience really tops it off right. Many character meals are rushed, with the characters pausing just long enough to pose for photos, sign an autograph, and hurry to the next table. At the Garden Grill, they take the time to stop and interact. We’ve seen many neat interactions with kids at nearby tables, and they stop and play around with us, too, even though we’re just a party of two adults.Garden Grill is relatively small, so it’s not unusual to get visits from the same characters twice, especially when it’s not overly crowded.