It's "Marriage Prayer Friday!"

Today we are praying for marriages as it relates to the work couples are doing — individually and together — paid or unpaid — and satisfying or not. With so many marriages (including my own) facing the strain of unemployment or underemployment, let's take these things to God together remembering that He intimately knows our needs, has designed us with good plans in mind, and never leaves us or forsakes us.

A prayer for your own marriage

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HEAVENLY FATHER, thank you for the many ways you have given my family work to do. You have given my husband/wife and I individual projects and responsibilities as well as some things we do together. Sometimes we are paid for our work and sometimes we are not. Whether we labor in careers, volunteer efforts or other needs and passions, please make it fruitful. In particular, I lift up my husband/wife to you asking that you put him/her in places where he/she can do work that suits the ways you have equipped him/her with talents, temperament, experiences, and passions. Would you also make that satisfying work for him/her, Lord Jesus? In all the ways that my husband/wife applies him/herself, help him/her to be yielded to You so that where You go, he/she goes. Please make my spouse efficient, wise, creative, bold, and insightful so that he/she makes valued contribution to the life, work and businesses of others. Give him/her favor with the people he/she serves and make him/her a fragrance of You in the world where You have placed him/her. And, Lord, help us to trust in what You to provide for our family and teach us to live within the boundaries of what is given. In Jesus' name, I ask all of these things. AMEN

Something to pray for a friend's marriage—

HEAVENLY FATHER, thank you for the many ways you have given my family and friends work to do. In particular, I want to pray for my married friends who are working on both individual and collaborative projects. Sometimes they are paid for their work and sometimes they are not. Whether they labor in careers, volunteer efforts or other needs and passions, please make their efforts fruitful. Please put them in places where they can do work that suits the ways you have equipped them with talents, temperament, experiences, and passions. Would you also make that satisfying work for them, Lord Jesus? In all the ways that these couples apply themselves, help them to be yielded to You so that where You go, they go. Please make my friends efficient, wise, creative, bold, and insightful so that they make valued contributions to the life, work and businesses of others. Give them favor with the people they serve and make them a fragrance of You in the world where You have placed them. And, Lord, help them to trust in You to provide for their family and teach teach them how to live within the boundaries of what is given. In Jesus' name, I ask all of these things. AMEN

FINDING GLORY Wednesday

What a wonderful summer it's been reflecting together on the presence, love, power, and purposes of God. Especially when life is hard, it is easy to get confused or angry and tempting to question our faith. It is such a privilege to have God's Word to keep us rooted in the Truth! These weekly reflections have been designed to keep us all focused on those Truths while providing an opportunity to explore how they apply to us personally and how they relate to the circumstances of our lives. Being able to discuss these things with an online community of people from all over the world is another of God's great gifts. We certainly pray that this summer's study has been that for you — a gift.

As we wrap up this cycle of "FINDING GLORY Wednesdays," we hope you'll continue to join us on Wednesdays as we circle back to the beginning and start a new discussion series this fall? In churches from Apple Valley, Minnesota to Brooksville, Florida, we are hearing about new groups starting, old groups continuing and some individuals just joining us as part of this "cyber group" online. We are praying new friends will join us and we hope you will help spread the word. If this has been a helpful process for you, please tell us about your experience and talk about it with others. May the Lord use it to encourage and bless many in their walk with Him.

Your "Glory Story" has influence with others by the power of the Holy Spirit. Talking about how God is present in Your life and heart has the power to change eternity for someone else. And besides that, sharing a faith story is part of your spiritual act of worship! Consider today’s scriptures and discussion questions:

"And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!" Revelation 12:10-12

In this passage, what two things have the power to conquer the accuser?

If you had 60 seconds to give someone the "word of your testimony" today (knowing it has this kind of power), what might you say? In other words, what would your Glory Story be?

Please consider sharing a Glory Story right here in the comments section below today's post or by writing us at info@walkrightin.org. I can already envision God's enemy shuddering at the idea that we are all sharing boldly of Christ's power and presence in our lives!

This series has been based on the Finding Glory collection of resources by Larry and Lisa Jamieson and has included copyrighted excerpts taken from Finding Glory in the Thorns: Group Discussion Guide. For more information about Finding Glory Groups, visit http://www.findingglory.com/findingglorygrou.html.

Packing Up for Someplace New (Part 1 of 2)

The Jamieson household seems to be moving in the direction of new things these days. We have just launched our oldest daughter into college; within days, we expect to receive official tax exempt status for our non-profit ministry; we’re also praying a lot about how to support our middle daughter’s blossoming music career. Many of you may also be facing new adventures or promptings from God as a new school year begins and the fall season nears.

In Genesis 31:13, God told Jacob,

“I am the God you met at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made a vow to serve me. Now leave this country and return to the land you came from.”

As sisters Rachel and Leah gathered up their things and packed for the new adventure ahead, it seems Rachel included items that would give her a sense of security (31:19) or connection to her past. The idols Rachel hid and the patterns of behavior that Jacob and Rachel took with them were harmful. Rachel would have been better off walking away from things that would keep her stuck in comfort zones, fear, fantasies and sin — embracing, instead, what was ahead.

Rachel had everything going for her (29:17-20) yet it seemed like nothing would ever be enough for her (30:1-2,24). She even had an opportunity to come clean from her sins but she kept things hidden in fear and shame (31:33-35).

I hope you’ll take time to read chapters 29 through 31 of Genesis. I’m prayerfully asking these questions and making some very helpful discoveries. I’m trusting God will speak to your hearts also because He promises that His Word will never return void. (In her book Idols of the Heart, Elyse Fitzpatrick brings some very practical examples to her reflection on Rachel’s story that would resonate with many of us too.)

How would you describe one “new place” where God is sending you in life right now?

As you follow God’s prompting into a new season, what do you need to leave behind?

I hope you won’t rush through these questions like I was tempted to do at first. It helped me to brainstorm a list of things that came to my mind and then I prayed over where these ideas might be coming from the Holy Spirit in my life.

Come, LORD Jesus, teach our spirits to yield! AMEN

By the way, I don’t usually stay in one place very long but this story has so gripped me that I’ve decided to do a “Part 2” next week. I hope you’ll join me!