Saturday, October 20, 2012

A Prayer for My Family

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This prayer comes from the heart. If you feel led, please intercede before the Throne of Grace for my family. I do not believe this is what God wants and am battling in prayer for His perfect will to reign.

Father, 

You promise the prayers of the righteous avail much. I am standing before you righteous because of the blood that covers my sins praying for a family that doesn't run in my veins, but runs in my heart. My heart aches for what has happened to Midge's children knowing this is not what any mother desires. More importantly, it is You we are to honor before all others, and we are failing miserably. 

I do not accept that you brought us through so much to accomplish so little. I plead for You to change this family's legacy from one of bitterness into eternal love. Strengthen me to keep praying for this family. After years of praying for this and only seeing it get worse, I am very battle weary. I feel like no one cares…except You! Hear me, Lord! Let Your mercy triumph in this situation! Let us reflect Your image of renewing all things by renewing this relationship through the ministry of reconciliation, the very ministry You called us to when You reconciled us to You.

Forgive us for how we have failed You and each other in our history. Pour Your mercy out on us, and help us lavish it on each other. Soothe away the deep hurts and make the past unimportant. Make us quick to apologize and quicker to forgive. Let us see each other's strengths so clearly that it blinds us to their weaknesses. Let the generosity of love be pervasive in our dealings with each other. Remind us that we should be trembling in awe of Your Holiness and let that motivate us past this disappointment to come together united.

Heal this family and give us a lasting legacy that brings You glory. We withered before we even began, but let us flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon from this point forward. Give us a deep love and sincere interest in each other. Help us to understand each other, and make it very easy for us to mesh our families together for Your glory. Let us be a joyful, integral part of each other's lives. I ask You to weave our lives so closely together that we can never fray. Establish us permanently together through Christ's blood. Show us how to do this, make the way blessedly easy, and give us an iron will to follow through to forge a new heritage for our children and grandchildren. 

Give us an incredible ministry to a hurting world, and let us show others Your power of reconciliation not only to each other, but with Him. Unite our families in serving You together, and let us reap You a bountiful harvest. Let us rejoice in our old age about this painful time in our lives and the good I know You are working through it. Let this story be a blessing to others. Make the Asbell name a powerful testimony for You!

Anyone who hinders this work, please deal heavily with their heart. Chastise them for the sake of this family. Remove the sin that makes them stumble so they can run to obey. Let no one and no thing stand in the way of the unity and fellowship You want for the Asbell family. 

I believe the future generation of Asbells is full of leaders with a powerful ministry. Please undo the harm that has been done in the hearts of our collective children, and give them Your wisdom and understanding of this situation to be taught as a lesson to future generations. Please God, don't let this bitterness extend to them too. Unite them in You, Lord. Let them and the future bloodline always be bound with unfailing love by a desire to serve and please You that increases with each generation.  Lord, let them lead together for Your glory, and let no weapon formed against them prevail!

Father, our time on this earth to serve You is very quickly passing us by. You showed us three weeks ago with Amanda's close call that none of us know how much time we have left. I ask You to move very soon so we can have more opportunity for the Asbell's to build a better testimony and ministry together. Let us get past the hurt to the good things You have in store for us. 

In Jesus' precious Name, Amen.


In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity. --Albert Einstein