Written by unknow on . Posted in Women.

The Longing Prayers of a Sister

"Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:1-2

 

Oh God, make me a woman…
who has God first in every area of my life; wholly devoted to the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Make me faithful…faithful in prayer; faithful in times of fasting; faithful in Bible reading; faithful in memorizing and meditating on His word; faithful in rising early to give Him the first part of my day; faithful in praise. Make me obedient…instantly obedient to the clear direction of God through His Word and Spirit; that the Lord Jesus Christ might be manifest in my life, to the glory of the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit; daily seeking God’s direction.

Oh God, make me a wife…
A meek, quiet, reverent wife; loyal, gentle, and cheerfully obedient to my dear husband. I want to be loving, supportive, encouraging and satisfying to my husband; doing him good and not evil, that he might safely trust in me. Make me a wife… who is a crown and a pleasure to him; modest, feminine and chaste in appearance and spirit, willing to bear his children. Make me submissive… grateful to be under the covering of his love and leadership; seeking his counsel, advice and prayers. Help me to humbly appeal in points of difference, rather than instructing him. Teach me to respect the burden of leadership he bears for our family. Make me adaptive… adopting his priorities, goals and desires as my own; readily and gratefully accepting his leading and reproof as from the Lord. Help me to be grateful and content with God’s material provision through him. Teach me how to express honest appreciation to him; trusting his ideas and believing in his visions. Make me merciful… graciously giving him room to fail; never saying "I told you so" in word or spirit; always yielding my expectations of him to God. Help me to assume the very best about my husband, ready to forgive any wrong, free from grudges and bitterness towards him, remembering how much God has forgiven me. Make me reverent… a ready listener to all he shares, maintaining eye contact with sincere interest. Make me a joyful laborer in our home, singing as I work, and a partner with him in reaching our children and others for Christ.

Make me a faith filled Mother…
joyful, compassionate, kind and wise; meeting the needs of each child, sensitive, tenderly relating to each one. Help me to view each child as a trust from God and not as my own personal possession. Make me a teacher… of good things, regularly storing in their hearts God’s Words, hymns of the faith and poetry of eternal value. Let me be an example of what I teach, full of enthusiasm, walking alongside them as they learn their responsibilities. Make me a regular source of commendation in their areas of growth in good things; graciously allowing them to fail and learn. Make me an example… in our home, one who doesn’t change the order when their father is not present. Help me to teach the children to honor and obey Daddy out of love and devotion, setting a trustworthy example of this in my own relationship to him. Make me an example of honor and reverence toward my own parents and my husband’s, that the children can learn from me. Make me a friend… a ready listener to all the children want to share with me, careful to maintain eye contact as an evidence of sincere interest. Help me to implant in them love and appreciation for each family member and a heart of humble service toward each one. Make me a friend who encourages and helps them to establish godly friendships with others; involving them in opportunities to serve others, using their own ideas whenever possible. A friend who freely forgives each one for any offenses; having no "favorites," but delighting as God does in His unique creativity of each one’s God-given characteristics.

Make me a homemaker…
creating a haven for my family where love abounds and a place of welcome for visitors. Help me to make the atmosphere of our home one of cheerfulness and spiritual encouragement where nourishment, health, refreshment and rest abound. Make me a woman who rejoices to share Christian love and hospitality to all who enter, with simplicity, compassion and humility.

Make me an edifying Sister…
in the church family, joyfully given to the ministry of the saints; ready in every way to labor together with others in the Lord’s harvest. Teach me to honor and support the shepherds God places over me, as well as their families; having no favoritism, but valuing each minister’s uniqueness. Help me to love the saints, considering each one better than myself; freely forgiving any wrong with a spirit of restoration; having a heart beating for unity and purity in the church. Teach me to be careful to approach the needy one (if it is my place) in humility and the love of Jesus, with much prayer. Help me to be a faithful example of a Christian woman; especially encouraging other women in their walk of faith, giving special attentive care to any widows or fatherless children in our church family.

Make me a witness…
burdened for the souls of every person; with a special heart toward lost family members as Paul had for his lost Jewish brethren. Oh God, give me souls that I might win over to Your love! Help me to be ready to meet others’ physical needs as God enables, in love carefully communicating to each one a heart vibrantly ready to care for their eternal needs above all. Make me mindful at all times that I am a representative of Christ to others, carefully guarding the honor of Him, my Beloved, that no shame would come to His name as others observe my life. Teach me to humbly serve all to whom God directs me without regard for my own personal preference among people, not considering people of lowly status too low, nor people of high earthly rank too high. Lastly, help me to be careful to maintain separation form the world, and all its attempts to entice, while serving those still caught in its clutches; faithfully praying for God’s best for each one, including enemies.

Oh, my God, I brings these prayers unto Thee. How I long to be pleasing to Thee in all things. Receive the prayers of Thine handmaiden, which I cry to Thee from the depths of my heart. In Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.