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Prayer Request: Francis
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Prayer Request - Francis
Francis is a mother, grandmother, and a daughter. She wants to play all of her roles well. Her mother lives 20 hours away and has just had a stroke. Francis is considering moving back home to help take care of her elderly mother and father.
Francis moved away from her mother years ago. She wanted to avoid raising her 7 children in an inner city environment. She doesn't look forward to moving back there but feels a strong obligation to her mother.
Her children are grown and have given her many grandchildren. She loves those grandchildren dearly. She cannot stand the thought of living so far from them. She also cannot stand the thought of not helping her mother through the recovery of the stroke.
Her strategy to raise her children in what she considered a better environment, worked very well. 6 of her 7 children grew up to be outstanding and productive citizens. Her 7th son has walked a rougher road and is in jail. Jail may have been the best thing for him because it is causing him to seek God.
This brings us to the next difficulty with her moving so far away. The son in jail has 2 small children. Francis has been helping with their care and takes them to church every Sunday. Their mother doesn't want to leave the area and is not active in any church. Francis is concerned that if she moves away, the children won't grow up in church.
I met Francis when I was getting my car worked on. We became friends. She is so torn. As we talked, I realized that Francis was going to feel guilty no matter what she does. She hadn't thought about it, but agreed with me.
She is praying hard and wants to follow the will of God. Every time she thinks she has heard his voice, something else happens to confuse her. She has her church and her pastor praying for her. Her husband will do what ever she decides.
I wondered if either of these alternatives had potential eternal impacts. I asked if her grandchildren were Christians. She said they were too young and had not made a decision.
I asked about her parents. She isn't sure about them either. She thought moving there might give her some time to talk with them.
Francis is burdened for both her parents and her grandchildren.
Join me in praying for Francis. Let's start by claiming the promise in James for Francis.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-7 NIV
Pray that Francis asks for wisdom and then doesn't second-guess this wisdom.
Guilt may be a form of doubting. Jesus came to free us from guilt. We are promised wisdom. Once it is given, we are told not to doubt.
Pray that Francis doesn't limit God to the two options she has given him. God doesn't usually do the obvious. It is possible that the reason Francis can't decide between the two options is that there is another option that solves all of her problems.
Pray that she listens and has the courage to do what God tells her to do. Pray that she will act in love and not in guilt.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV
Pray for Francis's family. Pray for her son that is seeking God. God always responds when we seek him. Pray for her other children and grandchildren. Pray for her mother and her father. Pray for her mother's health. Pray that Francis will get peace about their spiritual condition. Pray for her beloved grandchildren. Pray for their mother.
Thank God for Francis's steady love for her family. Thank God for mother and grandmothers that week the will of God for their families.
Francis is sincerely seeking God's will. God will give her "the delights of her heart." I suspect that she knows what the "delights of her heart are" so pray that she gives herself permission to act on them.
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