Apr. 3 - Seeking God's Presence through Praise regarding Families and Individuals

Thursday - Families and Individuals

Week 5 - Praise and Thanksgiving

Desired outcome of today's prayer - Praise can change the atmosphere. It invites God's presence, and it also places us in the attitude we were created for: acknowledging God and the goodness He has in store for us.  Families provide the most fulfilling experiences of our lives, and it is good to give God praise for His design and the delight He brings into our lives.  I Thess. 2:18 – "in everything give thanks"

When praying today, we have these in mind: Traditional families, blended families, single-parent families, grandparents raising grandchildren, dysfunctional families, families with teenagers, families with infants and children, families who are pregnant, parents with empty nests, pastor’s families, home school families, families recently experiencing death or tragedy, families with members in the hospital, singles, grandparents, fathers, mothers, teenagers, children, infants, the unborn, nursing home residents, pregnant and un-wed girls, college students, homeless, those who have disabilities, families who live below or near the poverty line, individuals with addictions, those physically ill, those contemplating marriage, individuals in institutions, incarcerated individuals, individuals who are of an ethnic minority, individuals who are sexually disoriented and/or have gender dysphoria, individuals contemplating suicide, those in depression, those incarcerated, families in transition due to job change, divorce, or death, Kingdom CO-OP, Family Promise, Family Coaching, Buckner Pathways

Praise God for the blessings He brings to families and individuals:  

• Praise God for the fact that He makes a path of redemption through Jesus for every person He creates!  

• Praise God that Jesus has said that He will never leave us nor forsake us!  

• Praise God that the Holy Spirit has been promised by Jesus to teach us all things!  

• Praise God for individuals with dramatic and undeniable testimonies of God’s goodness and ability to change a life from serving darkness into walking in the Light!  

• Praise God for husbands and wives whose marriage is measured in decades rather than years and are testimonies to God’s loyalty to us.  

• Praise God for parents who are finding the time in their busy schedules to pour their attention, their faith, and their Christian disciplines into their children.  

• Praise God for single moms and dads who are surviving the devastation of unwanted divorce and are finding God’s strength each day.  

• Praise God for marriages who are contending with the idea of divorce but are desperately clinging to God for healing, restoration and breakthrough.  

• Praise God for moments, days, even seasons when teenagers honor their father and their mother and bring great joy into the parent-child relationship.  

• Praise God for families and individuals who have experienced and are overcomers in the battles and devastation of financial, food, clothing and shelter insecurity.  

• Praise God for families and individuals who have found hope in shelters, family ministries, prison outreaches, pregnancy ministries, 12-step programs, suicide hot-lines, Christian counseling, centers for job training and life skills coaching, etc.  

• Praise God for churches who have found effective ways to reach out to, and include, families and individuals who are currently without a church home bringing salvation and the abundant life that Jesus offers.  

John 16:33 “I [Jesus] have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”