Praying for Marriages (PfM)

Join us this week in praying for marriages experiencing the “empty nest.” Couples who have children know their children will one day “leave the nest” and establish independent lives of their own. Even so, and even for those who have given it some serious thought, the departure can take couples by surprise and create a void they do not know how to fill. This situation can be particular difficult if a couple has not maintained a balance between their role as parents and their role as husband and wife. All of a sudden it is just the two of them and they do not know what to do with each other.  Oddly enough, an awkward period of re-acquaintance may be necessary as spouses re-orient their time and attention toward one another. Some couples can experience a real sense of loss when the last child leaves the house, particularly if the empty nest comes quickly or unexpectedly or if the separation from children involves great distance or unusually long periods of time. ...

Please join us this week and in the weeks to come in praying for marriages living through this pandemic. Let me confess initially that I have no expertise in living through a pandemic. I, as most of you, have not been down this road before, but I don't believe expertise is necessary to make some general observations and to call you to join us in prayer during this time. So, here we go. First, though marriages are experiencing some profound changes during this time, many, many things continue to be the same. The "how" may be different, but marriages still must carry on with the normal and necessary activities of their lives. This includes dealing with all the life situations I have written about in other posts. Children with special needs do not cease to have special needs; workaholics don't stop wanting to work; military deployment doesn't end; the stresses of ministers do not disappear etc. Second, the differences in how individuals in marriages deal with s...

Please join us this week as we pray for couples that are the primary caregivers for an aging parent. This life-situation can turn life on its head as roles are reversed with children becoming the parents and the parent the child. At best this situation can be awkward; at worst is can lead to serious conflicts. A parent, who has had a lifetime of making decisions, now has children making decisions for him/her. These can be small decisions (“Dad you should not climb that ladder”) or life-altering decisions (“Mom, you can’t drive anymore"). Caring for an aging parent can limit the freedom of the care-giving couple. It can mean delaying travel plans, changing long-established schedules and learning the old “spur-of-the-moment” event now requires planning. Also, the decisions that come with caring for an aging parent can put the couple at odds with siblings who may have different ideas about what is best for the their parent. Adult-sibling disagreemen...

Join us this week in praying for marriages dealing with infertility. Couples dealing with infertility experience drastic ups and downs, hopes and disappointments, month after month. Hormonal issues can create mental and physical weariness for the wife. Medical testing and treatments and their side effects can be a burden to both spouses and also strain their financial resources. The marriage relationship itself can also be tested, particularly when the husband and wife cope with disappointment differently and grieve differently. Also, the spirits of couples in this life situation can be wounded by insensitive or thoughtless questions and statements made by their families and friends. Finally, despite their best efforts to rejoice with others, these couples can struggle emotionally as they see their friends becoming pregnant and having children with apparent ease, while their hopes are frustrated again and again. As you lift these couples up, pray that th...