Throughout April we’ll be praying especially for families: our own families and families of people we know. There is so much pressure on families these days: financial pressure, emotional pressure, time pressure, to name but a few. The family is God’s idea and we so need God’s love to guide us and help us in the reality of living alongside others. Forgiveness, communication, appreciation and kindness are the essential ingredients that make a successful family: Virginia Satir says “Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible — the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.”
Pray this month for:
- stability and healing of relationships within families – so many families are estranged and there are often complicated relationships throughout extended families, but God can help us to be stable and to demonstrate faithfulness and love in all our relationships and bring reconciliation and hope to painful situations
- children and young people in our families and in families associated with church to be saved
- new parents as they adjust to the pressures of parenthood and cope with the demands of sleepless nights and adjustments to their relationships
- grandparents to have wisdom and insight in helping each generation
- God’s transforming power to be seen in our families and in local families
- for people to be saved and welcomed into the wider family of God
There are many organisations seeking to work with the family. Check out the following resources: