Tag: Jesus

A Prayer for SIL, Day 88

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Lord, heal whatever is going on in SIL. This new habit she has is driving me away from her. I don’t know if she is doing it on purpose because it’s self-soothing, or subconsciously, but it’s very annoying. Like fingernails on a chalkboard, I can’t ignore it. Show me how to navigate this new obstacle. If it’s something she can control, show her the need to do so. In the meantime, she’s slipping back into her self-centered ways. Call her back, Lord. Put Your Word before her. Create a thirst for Scripture and Bible study in her heart strong enough to overcome her reluctance to read, or to write, or to join other women, or even to listen to teachings online.

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some. Hebrews 10:25a

Jesus, call her, convict her, motivate her, provide for her, and support her in meeting with other believers, other women, whether in person, online, or through audio. She needs the words and zeal of other believers to challenge her to look outside herself.

In your Soothing Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 85

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Lord, SIL’s new behavior is so irritating. I don’t know if she’s aware when she’s doing it, whether it’s something she can’t control, or if she has found a way to intentionally irritate me. If it’s the latter, it’s probably subconscious. Or it may have nothing to do with me at all.

Walk in a way worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1b-3

Help me, Jesus, to walk worthy of the call concerning SIL to which You have called me. Help me to humbly and gently be patient with her. Help me to bear her new behavior, and help her to bear with my behavior, so that we can maintain the unity of Your Spirit in the bond of peace between us. I know You love her despite her irritations, just like You love me despite my irritations.

In Your Love,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 84

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Jesus, walk closely with SIL on this hard path. Open her heart little by little each day. Give her courage to confront the truth – and the lies – that dwell in her. Convict her when she lies or deflects so she will quit doing it. Focus her eyes on Your Word; speak to her as she ponders Your ways.

But the path of righteousness is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18

I pray that her understanding of You and your ways will grow brighter and clearer each moment, and that the path of righteousness will be illuminated to her brighter and brighter until she has full knowledge of it. I pray that she then forsakes the path she has made for herself and chooses to walk the path of righteousness which You have set out for us.

In Your Enlightening Name,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 83

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Lord, as SIL spends time with your people, may they share their hearts and faith with each other. May they each speak and hear truth, and be strong enough to accept the truth.

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Jesus, as they talk with each other, let Your Word dwell richly in their conversations, teaching and admonishing each other in all wisdom. I doubt SIL will sing, but let spiritual songs bubble up from her spirit into her mind. Maybe she will consider the words with thankfulness to You. Bless every attempt she makes no matter how awkward.

Don’t be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Romans 12:11

Fill her with Your Spirit, Your Truth, and Your zeal for our Father who is in heaven. May she serve You instead of herself.

In the Richness of Your Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 81

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Jesus, hold SIL close to You this night. Heal the wounds created long ago that impact her current behavior. As You open her heart, spread Your balm over the sore areas to soothe them and so that they will be truly healed.

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of the daughter of my people? Jeremiah 8:22

Is there no balm in SIL’s heart or mind? Is she unaware of You as her Great Physician? Or unaware of her need for You in this area? Is that why it seems her healing is coming so slowly? Jesus, in the Old Testament days, balm was a sticky sap-like residue from plants. To the prophets it represented healing, restoration, spiritual health, and divine intervention. In the New Testament days, I think this healing ointment would be Your Holy Spirit but I’m not sure.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Revelation 3:18

SIL appears to be as lukewarm as the church in Laodicea so this verse may apply to her as well as to the Laodiceans. I don’t know what You meant by buying the gold, white garments, and salve (which I assume is like balm) because You bought these for us, but I pray that You show SIL how to do so.  I pray that she would ask for and apply this spiritual balm to every part in her that hurts. Guide her to find those places.

In Your Care,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 78

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Lord, I don’t know how You did it when You were here. How did You love people when they kept doing wrong things to You?  How do You do it even now? Do You see their – our – future with You, a future when all is made right? Is it about hope?

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord”, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest, declared the Lord. For I will remember their iniquity and I will remember their sin nor more.” Jeremiah 31:34

Lord, I can’t see into the future like You can. So I will place my hope in You. You know SIL – probably the only one who does – and You know her future. I pray that she makes wise choices so she will end up where You are leading her. Help me to give her the grace that You do, to forgive her like You do, and to love her like You do. Even when she hurts me, help me to love her like You love me when I hurt You.

In Your Forgiving Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 77

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Lord Jesus, prepare SIL’s heart to hear from You today. I pray that she is open to what You want to say to her.

The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. Acts 16:14b

Lord, open SIL’s heart to pay attention to what You say today through the people she encounters. Prepare her now to face whatever truth You want to show her. Strip from her whatever will get in the way – excuses, deflection, deceptions, lies, or denial. Let today be a time of healing for her. I pray that whatever You want revealed will be received, accepted, and dealt with so that she may be healed and set free.

In Your Gentle Hands,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 76

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Lord, tonight I pray again for honesty and truth in SIL’s heart and mind.

Behold, you delight truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Psalm 51:6

It’s so confusing when her behavior changes, when the look on her face and in her eyes change from kindness and gentleness to aggression and ridicule. Teach us the wisdom we need to discern what is going on and how to deal with it. Give us the grace to be open with each other so that real lasting healing can occur. As long as she can hide behind her aggression, she will be stuck there. If she’s built a wall, reveal it to us – to her – so it can be dealt with. It’s like she built a wall to hide her aggressive self from other people, but from time to time it peeks out from behind the wall with all its anger and hatred.

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17

You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

Lord, bring everything out in the open so the truth can set her free.

In Your Revealing Light,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 75

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Jesus, thank You for showing me the kindness that still exists in SIL. I pray that the good in her will outweigh and displace the violence in her. Lord, use some positive reinforcement with her since she apparently can’t hear You yet. When she does right, fill her with your peace and presence; when she does bad remove that sense of peace and presence from her. I know Your Spirit won’t actually leave her, but I ask that SIL feels as if He did so she can seek why and start making connections between what pleases and what grieves the Holy Spirit. You did it with the Israelites and You did it with me when I disobeyed You about praying for other drivers.

For your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Isaiah 59:2

Blessed is the man… in whose spirit is not deceit. But when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long; day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Psalm 32:2-4

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

I pray that SIL’s concern about grieving the Holy Spirit grows to outweigh her desire for self-gratification. May her love for You continue to grow each day.

In Your Guiding Presence,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 74

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Jesus, SIL confuses me. How can she be so attentive, sympathetic, and supportive one minute and hard, deceptive, and aggressive the next? What war rages in her? What force controls her so much that she yields to it most of the time? Wake her up, Lord. Open her eyes to what’s happening. Strengthen her so she can resist the evil and choose the good.

Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 1 Chronicles 21:1

Lord, is this what’s going on? Is Satan standing against her healing and restoration and thus incites her to feel, think, and do what she’s doing? Then, I pray that You strengthen SIL’s desire to follow You so that she can resist the urgings of the demons. I pray James 4:7 for her: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

In Your Strong Name,

Amen