It's "Marriage Prayer Friday!"

Whether you are praying for your own marriage or standing in the gap for a friend, thank you for joining us in seeking the Lord for growth, refreshment, renewal, healing, and even restoration!

A prayer for your own marriage—

EVER-WISE GOD, You say that two are better than one and that a cord of three strands cannot be broken. Please strengthen me and my husband/wife as a team and bind us together more firmly in relationship with You. Help us to see the benefits of clinging to You both individually and together so that we are hungry for the kind intimacy and strength that most fully satisfies us and brings great glory to You. Gracious Lord, forgive me for defending my individuality/ideas/needs instead of celebrating the partnership I have in marriage. Open my eyes (and my spouse's eyes too) to see the beauty in what already exists in our relationship as well as the opportunities to grow. Thank You, Jesus, that You never leave me alone with my dreams and efforts to grow in marriage. Seeing my marriage heal, grow and thrive causes You great delight so I can count on You to advocate before the Throne of the King on behalf of my relationship with my spouse. I pray in the name and power of Your blood, Jesus. AMEN

Something to pray for a friend's marriage—

EVER-WISE GOD, You say that two are better than one and that a cord of three strands cannot be broken. Please strengthen my married friends as teams and bind them together more firmly in relationship with You. Help them to see the benefits of clinging to You both individually and together so that they are hungry for the kind intimacy and strength that most fully satisfies them and brings great glory to You. Gracious Lord, forgive my friends for defending their individuality/ideas/needs when they can be celebrating the partnerships they have in marriage. Open their eyes to see the beauty in what already exists in their relationship as well as the opportunities they have to grow. Thank You, Jesus, that You never leave any of us alone with our dreams and efforts to grow. Seeing marriages heal, grow and thrive causes You great delight so I can count on You to advocate before the Throne of the King on behalf of my friends and their marriages. I pray in the name and power of Your blood, Jesus. AMEN

FINDING GLORY Wednesday

It’s been a great blessing for us to hear about new Finding Glory Groups using the Finding Glory in the Thorns: Group Discussion Guide in Bible studies this summer and to see God increasingly at work through communities around the world! Thank you for your faithfulness in seeking the heart of God in your own life and being willing to share that with others. We always love to hear from current and past readers who want to continue growing and be encouraged in Christ and Bible-saturated relationships.

Today’s scriptures and discussion questions are:

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." JAMES 1:12

"Resist (the devil), standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 PETER 5:9-10

Many of us are waiting on God for something — answers, healing, rest, help, the transformation of our grief into joy, etc. Sometimes God's healing work looks different than we expect it to. In what obvious or even not-so-obvious ways might God be doing works of healing in your situation?

Is there a Bible verse(s) that encourages you when you are discouraged about your life situation (doubtful, fearful, confused or hopeless)?

For more information about Finding Glory Groups, visit http://www.findingglory.com/findingglorygrou.html.

Today's reflections are copyrighted excerpts taken from Finding Glory in the Thorns: Group Discussion Guide.

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