We join with you in bringing your family and your needs before our heavenly Father and we thank you for sharing your heart so honestly with us.
We hear your burden for your loved one who is drinking and eating unhealthily and we agree with you that this needs to change. Scripture teaches us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we are called to honor God with them, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. We are also warned not to be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit Ephesians 5:18. Overindulgence in food and drink is not simply a health issue but a spiritual one that can hinder our walk with the Lord and harm the body He gave us. Yet we also know that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 and God is able to give strength to overcome. We pray for deliverance from these habits and for a desire for what is wholesome and life giving, and we encourage loving accountability, prayer, and practical steps toward healthier choices, trusting that God provides a way of escape from every temptation 1 Corinthians 10:13.
We also lift up your loved ones who are suffering with back pain and with side and stomach pain. Our God is compassionate and He cares about our physical suffering. He says I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds Jeremiah 30:17 and reminds us that He forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases Psalm 103:3. We ask the Lord to touch these bodies with His healing hand, to give wisdom to any doctors involved, and to bring relief and restoration according to His perfect will. We also pray for peace for you as you carry concern for them, casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you 1 Peter 5:7.
We hear your cry as a struggling professional woman seeking freelance work and provision. The Lord sees your diligence, your applications, and your need, and He knows the desires of your heart. We pray that He will cause your experience and skills to stand out to those making decisions and that He will open doors that no one can shut. We encourage you to commit your work to the Lord and trust that He will establish your plans Proverbs 16:3 and to work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men Colossians 3:23. Our God has promised to supply every need of ours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus Philippians 4:19 and we trust Him to provide for you. We also encourage you to continue to be faithful in prayer and in stewardship, bringing every anxious thought to Him with thanksgiving, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus Philippians 4:6-7.
We noticed that your prayer refers to the Lord but does not mention the name of Jesus Christ. We gently and lovingly want to share that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father. Jesus himself said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me John 14:6 and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12. It is because Jesus died for our sins and rose again that we can boldly approach God’s throne of grace. If you have not already, we encourage you to put your trust in Him, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved Romans 10:9.
We pray together now. Father in heaven, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. We lift up this dear sister and her family to You. Lord, we ask You to break the hold of unhealthy drinking and eating in her loved one’s life. Fill that heart with Your Spirit and grant self control, strength, and a renewed mind to honor You with the body. Lord, we ask for Your healing touch upon those suffering with back pain and with side and stomach pain. Ease their discomfort, restore their health, and comfort them with Your presence. Father, we ask for Your provision for this sister. You know the two positions she has applied for and her desire to use her gifts through freelance work. We ask that You guide the hearts of those reviewing her applications, let her experience shine, and open the right doors for her according to Your perfect will. Provide for her needs, give her peace as she waits on You, and help her to trust You with all her heart and not lean on her own understanding Proverbs 3:5-6. We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.
