Week 309: Marriages and the Special-Needs Child

Please pray this week for married couples with a special-needs child.

These couples are often strained by a lack of physical and mental rest since caring for a special-needs child, regardless of his/her age, is often like caring for an infant or young child. Many times these couples find their finances stretched as they seek to pay for services and therapies for their child. Additionally, these couples can face hurtful acts of discrimination and exclusion, often unintentional, but still painful to bear.

These couples can also become anxious and even depressed as they look into the future of their child who may never reach a level of independent living, wondering who will provide for their child’s care once they are unable to do so. Finally, those couples whose first child is a special-needs child may agonize over the decision to have other children.

Pray that God would grant these couples

• an extra measure of rest and strength
• great patience in the face of trying circumstances
• the resources they need to provide for their child
• oneness in their decision making
• peace that protects them from an unknown future
• joy in even the smallest step of progress in their child’s development
• ready support from their community of faith