Prayer Requests and Answers

[pelagius]

An ongoing thread for prayer requests and prayer answers.

[pelagius]

1. Please prayer for financial healing for my family

We have tried so hard to make ends meet for so many years and it appears our efforts are failing and the "end game" is in sight. I seek your prayers that we may weather this storm and, if it be God's will, that He will provide all we need in a timely fashion.

I am worried that my marriage might break up and my children be scattered as these things fall apart. Please pray for God's sustaining love to gird us in patience and strength.

[CBHagman]

2. Will be holding you up in prayer.

There's so much there to bring before God. I'm glad you were specific.

May God meet each and every one of your needs. May you feel God's presence and hand at work. May God protect each family member and lead you all towards the right things.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. Of course I will keep your family in my prayers

and am very sorry to learn of your troubles. May the Lord strengthen you and provide for your needs.

[pelagius]

8. I keep reciting Phillipians 4:19 to myself as I pray

"And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

[CBHagman]

9. The following passage crossed my mind when you posted...

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

And this"

"Many are the trials of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all." (Psalm 33/34: 20).

[pelagius]

10. Thank you for the verses n/t

[AngryOldDem]

4. Prayer for job

I'd appreciate it if you would keep me in your thoughts...I'm having a very difficult time at work lately -- not with the work itself (which I love), but with co-workers who have sadly lost sight of our mission. As much as I love my job, the atmosphere is getting toxic and if it doesn't improveI will probably have a tough (and not inconsquential) decision to make about my future very soon. I cannot let this situation break my mental, physical, or spiritual health.

I also have a personal matter that is nagging at me...

Thanks, all.

[CBHagman]

5. I can really empathize with that, AOD.

When you're bringing passion, energy, and commitment to a workplace in which dysfunctional attitudes are on the march, it can be -- well, you said it all.

This old sinner will be holding you and your intentions up in prayer.

[AngryOldDem]

6. Thanks very much! n/t

[pelagius]

7. May God shield and protect you and grant...

...that you find the right solution. May He give you the grace to see the situation through the eyes of Christ.

[DemBones DemBones]

11. It can be very helpful to

pour out your problems to a priest in confession or in conversation. When times are really tough, seek out a priest.

It's been my experience that priests will be supportive and reassuring, and they will pray for you as well as give you advice. Put your name on the parish prayer list, too, so others in the parish will pray for you. Since developing chronic illnesses, I'm not at all shy about doing this. But don't wait for illness; it's perfectly legitimate to ask for prayers to help you find a better job, get out of debt, etc.

If I were having financial problems, I would also go to the Catholic community for help. Catholic charities exist to help people in need, providing financial help, food, shelter, medical care, counseling, whatever is needed.

I'm not suggesting spurning non-Catholic or secular charities, or government assistance. I'm saying that we must remember that Catholic charities help many, many people, non-Catholic as well as Catholic, right here in the U.S.

I feel like I'm just stating the obvious, but I know how problems can overwhelm us and perhaps keep us from thinking of the obvious, so I hope this will help someone.

O8)

[AngryOldDem]

12. Your fellow parishioners are ready and willing to help

>>>If I were having financial problems, I would also go to the Catholic community for help. Catholic charities exist to help people in need, providing financial help, food, shelter, medical care, counseling, whatever is needed.>>>

Many parishes have St. Vincent de Paul conferences. They can help with just about anything -- utility bills, rent, car repairs, food...especially in emergency situations. It is all kept strictly confidential and is done in the spirit of helping one's neighbor. All you need to do is call your parish office and ask to talk to someone in SVDP.

[pelagius]

13. I heartily agree...

...and met with my priest yesterday for confession, followed by lunch. (BTW -- I'm Anglican and confession is not mandatory for us, but I practice it regularly.) I've also sought the help of a debt management non-profit. I firmly believe that prayer is one part of the solution -- the part that gives one the strength and confidence to get out and do what needs to be done. Thanks be to God!

[CBHagman]

14. Definitely praying for New Orleans tonight.

I hadn't really been following the news about Hurricane Katrina, but tonight at Mass the priest announced that the storm was category 5 and people were fleeing. Then I heard about the virtual evacuation of New Orleans. Words fail me, but tonight I do pray that the city may be spared and lives protected.

[pelagius]

15. Protect your children, oh Lord...

...and let us help them rebuild with all compassion. Amen.

[NorthernSpy]

16. please pray for my Auntie Rose and Uncle Abraham

They're Catholic (very -- big framed picture of Pope JPII in the living room), and if you would please pray for them I know it would mean a lot to them.

They are in New Orleans. We haven't heard anything yet, and we don't know when we will. Really, we're all just trying to stay hopeful.

Abraham is profoundly disabled. I don't know whether they'd be able to get themselves to safety.


Thanks for this thread!

[pelagius]

17. God in your mercy...

...protect these your servants and comfort all who love them. Grant them peace in their distress for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now
And at the hour of our death.

[CBHagman]

18. A prayer attributed to Saint Columba...

...offered on behalf of Rose and Abraham.

"The path I walk, Christ walks it.
May the land in which I am in be without sorrow.
May the Trinity protect me wherever I stay,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Bright angels walk with me,
dear presence, in every dealing
May every path before me be smooth,
man, woman, and child welcome me."

God, hasten the steps of those bringing help, and come to the aid of those in need.

[DemBones DemBones]

19. Heads up: I just posted a thread titled MAXED OUT and the OP

includes a nice anecdote about the power of prayer. O8)

[pelagius]

20. Another prayer request

I edited this because, to be frank, what I had written was too shameful for me to post in a semi-public forum. I'm not worried about the group members, but just anybody who wanders in.

I need your prayers that a very uncomfortable situation resolve itself quickly. I'm sorry I don't feel comfortable giving details, but it would help me immensely if you could remember my family in your prayers and ask that we get through this latest crisis with good grace and humor and that God grants us some relief soon!

Thank you and God bless you.

[pelagius]

21. Well, how about that -- we received a very unexpected gift...

...of financial assistance today that will help us pull through for a couple of weeks. If we can just string things together until the end of October, things will be looking up for us.

Deo gratia!

[CBHagman]

22. Thanks for keeping us posted!

I'm delighted to hear you received unexpected help. We like answers to prayer that aren't "No" or "Wait." (One of my little problem areas...)

[CBHagman]

23. I'm still looking for a new job.

The other day I had a real answer to prayer, in the form of encouragement and insight from two different people. In one case, I sought out the person. In another, I bumped into the person I'd wanted to see.

Anyway, I would appreciate further prayers that I find the position where God wants me. Apparently it's not at the radio program "Interfaith Voices" (one of my recent applications). :-)

[shrike]

24. It's funny, the way that He directs you

One of the reasons I believe in God is that life always directs me to the place where I'm supposed to be. I'm not always happy about it at the time, but when I look back at my life, I see somebody giving me a push here and there. It can't just be chance. Although I definitely believe in free will -- we make our own beds. It's just that God steps in sometimes to give us a push.

My sister was once fired from a job -- she was devastated. I told her that, from personal experience, she would probably land in a place much better than she'd ever imagined. And she did: in a different profession, where her skills were appreciated the way they'd never been before. She's now an executive-level manager who still manages to be a great mom to her children.

[Matilda]

27. That is so true, when you look back on your life.

But I have to admit that one of the most dificult things for me is
to try to pray for acceptance of God's will and not to try to direct
him. On occasions when I manage to do that, I do find that things
have a way of working out, not always as I hoped or planned, but in
a way that's good for me.

[pelagius]

25. Continuing prayers for the right opportunity. n/t

[CBHagman]

26. Thank you!

The prayers are much appreciated.

Again, the other day I really begged for some kind of visible change in things, and that prayer was more than answered. Onward from here.

[CBHagman]

28. Update: More prayer, please.

Hi, DUers. Some of you know I requested prayers a while back regarding finding a new job. Well, demands are increasing at both my current jobs, and I have not as yet landed a new position. Please pray for clear thinking and the ability to endure, as I am feeling the strain these days (as many of you are also doing). Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[pelagius]

29. May God grant you clarity, strength, and good humor! n/t

[CBHagman]

30. Thank you for your prayers, pelagius.

I must confess to feeling very discouraged at the present time.

[AngryOldDem]

31. Job again

Please keep me in your prayers once more....

I won't go into details but suffice it to say I took the brunt of a co-worker's meltdown on Tuesday. This person may now lose her job. I find out tomorrow what happens. I have given my input on the situation but now it's out of my hands.

I have been literally sick since Tuesday.

Thanks.

[CBHagman]

32. Will be praying for you, AOD.

Be kind to yourself.

May you be blessed, and may God's hand be at work in all this. I pray for your fellow staff, too.

[pelagius]

33. Prayers for healing in mind, body, and spirit. n/t

[AngryOldDem]

35. Thanks

The very nasty situation continues. At first a decision was to have been made about this person on Thursday, then it was knocked back to Friday, and now they're saying Monday. Either way, I'm potentially screwed, because rumors are apparently flying all over the place.

I've gone from being extremely upset about this to being white-hot angry. Not a way to live.

[pelagius]

34. Please pray my my employment situation

I am coming to the end of a six-month probabtionary period in my job. To be frank, I don't know if I've performed well enough to keep the job or not, due to lack of feedback. I've had some difficult personal problems to cope with during this period and worry they may have spilled over into the job and made my work less than acceptable. Then again, I may be fine. I don't know.

I do know without this job my family is in dire straits. We are on the edge financially as it is and can't afford even one missed paycheck. I like where I work and want to stay there long term, so I ask that you pray that I can keep my job, if it be God's will, and, if not, that he provide another opportunity so my family won't suffer. Thank you and may God bless you.

[AngryOldDem]

36. Prayers going out to you

Try not to read more into the situation than you have to. Chances are you're doing fine. Otherwise, I think they would have come to you sooner. It's only in your and their best interests to do so.

I'm probably the last person to offer employment advice (see above messages in threads) but if it helps I know somewhat how you are feeling, and I'll have you in my thoughts.

Please keep us posted.

[pelagius]

37. Thank you! And I will...

...keep everyone posted. I suspect "no news is good news", too, but my employment has been so tenuous over the last five years due to the economy and my own health issues, it's hard for me to believe that things might just be OK.

[CBHagman]

38. Will be praying for you, pelagius, and AOD.

Hear our prayers, O God, and lead our friends into the situations you desire for us. Send them brave companions, kind companions, and guidance of the best kind. Protect them and their loved ones from harm. Amen.

[AngryOldDem]

39. Still no word

First a decision about my co-worker was due Thursday, then Friday, and then today. Now, it's Tuesday, a FULL WEEK since the blowup. On top of that today I got more really bad news out out of the workplace that I really can't discuss here, and I feel like I am literally at the end of my rope.

What do you do when you feel that God is nowhere to be found, and you have no earthly clue why you are going through something?????

[CBHagman]

40. Basically what you're doing.

That is, turn to friends, talk it out, keep praying, vent as much as necessary, and wait for the still, small voice. Sometimes a great deal of grief and tears come before there's any approach to a resolution.

I really feel for you and have been praying for you for days, and will continue to do so.

[AngryOldDem]

41. Thank you, so much

I just heard the resolution -- she has been let go. I waited all day to get a phone call and by late afternoon I still had not heard so I called. They had just finalized the decision.

Words cannot describe how I feel.

[pelagius]

42. Good news!

Not only will I keep my job, I got very positive comments on my first six months of work. Thanks for your prayers and thanks to God "from whom all blessings flow!"

[CBHagman]

43. Congratulations, and thank God.

Oh, that is excellent news, pelagius. Thank God!

It helps to hear about your answer to prayer, too. Best wishes to you and your family.

:bounce:

[CBHagman]

44. Quite demoralized here.

I'm still job hunting and finding it difficult to A) make time (I am commuting or working from 8:30 to past 7:00 every day) and B) get my foot in the door and/or find a good fit.

In addition, both my jobs are becoming increasingly unpleasant, one due to serious problems at the company, the other due to various problems at the company, including a hostile environment, staffing problems, technical problems, etc.

I really need to be focused and bold (and tactful) enough to get into something else, but obviously God wants me to learn something through all this. But oh, the old patience is not doing well, nor are the spirits.

[pelagius]

45. Continuing prayer for the right job and the right attitude from here! n/t

[CBHagman]

46. Thank you.

The support is much appreciated. I know the answers are on the way...

[elshiva]

47. Please pray for Employment

Six months out of work. Thank God for my parents loving me and supporting me.

Praying for all of you too. Thanks.

[CBHagman]

48. Offering up a prayer now.

Praying specifically that you meet the right people, find the right guidance, get into the right position.

May God be with you in all these things.

[pelagius]

49. Prayers for you and all who need work...

Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this land so to use our public and private wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive just payment for their labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[AngryOldDem]

50. Sure thing

Praying for your peace of mind, and that the right opportunity comes along for you soon.

[AngryOldDem]

51. Back again

After praying about a matter that I have been struggling with for months, I think I finally got my answer today. To sum it up, "Sometimes God says 'No.'" I really can't go into details here but needless to say I am rather upset (not good, either, because in about an hour and a half I need to make a presentation before a class). Please pray that I can take this development with grace, and that I come to see the wisdom in why things turned out the way they have.

I am a creature of habit. I don't necessarily like change. This development is yet one more change in my life that I have had to go through in a relatively short period of time. It's hard, and I don't mind publicly admitting that.

(And a few prayers that I don't mess up too much this afternoon won't hurt, either.)

Thanks, friends.

[CBHagman]

52. Will be praying for you, AOD!

Oh, how I can identify with your words about change...and when the answer is no.

I don't know who said it first, but life is understood backwards but lived fowards. I hope you get answers to all your questions, and support in the meantime. Will be praying!

[pelagius]

53. Continuing prayers for best outcomes! n/t

[CBHagman]

54. Update.

Dear friends in the Catholic/Orthodox Christian Group:

Happy new year! May it be a year of peace and of growth.

Well, I'm still on the job hunt and welcome any prayers available. The ol' attitude is decidedly BAD these days, as December saw the end of a store where I had long worked part-time, and my current job brought additional work in December and January due to the more senior people above me taking a lot of time off and leaving me with staff beginners, whose work I had to check.

In addition, my supervisor remains in her position and behaves unprofessionally, despite numerous complaints to upper management since virtually the first day she was appointed to her current position. I'm rather bitter about that and eager to leave this behind, though I suspect I need to learn as much as I can during this time.

If you could pray for me to show a little bit of a Zen attitude, a forgiving attitude, and also to have more energy and cunning regarding finding a position, I would appreciate it.

Thanks, gang.

[CBHagman]

55. Special request for community in Buffalo, New York.

Dear friends, I have a special prayer request today. It's with sadness that I note the tragedy that struck the community of Buffalo, New York, during the last few days, when it was discovered that a 62-year-old nun, Sister Karen Klimczak, had been murdered. She was a pacificist, an activist, and worked for many years with former convicts in a halfway house.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060419/1064980.asp

There have also been other tragic events in the area.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060419/1068313.asp

Please pray for all Sister Karen's friends and family (and they are spread out over the country and perhaps even the world), as well as those connected with Bissonette House, and all those involved in the Buffalo community and even the crime investigation. Please pray for Craig Lynch, who confessed to taking Sister Karen's life. Pray that he will be successfully treated for his addiction and receive the kind of support that would help him transform his life.

Pray for a dear friend of mine, who volunteered with Sister Karen many years ago.

Buffalo has more than once been rocked over the past 20 years by violence directed at members of the clergy and/or religious communities. I know at least one person who was a victim of the same, and I know people who knew Sister Karen and Father Joseph Bissonette.

[CBHagman]

56. Please pray for Tom, a cancer patient.

I just got word that a man I know has been diagnosed with colon cancer and is undergoing surgery. I'd appreciate prayers for his health, guidance for his medical team, and of course support for his family, who has been through a lot.

Thanks very much, DUers.

[ribrepin]

57. I am making a prayer request for my son and his family

My son and daughter-in-law married @ 19. They now have a 13-month-old and another due in September. They don't have insurance due to my son leaving so many jobs. My daughter-in-law will have the baby @ home with a midwife.

Please pray for this young family that they make the right decisions and come safely through these trying times.

Thank you

[mrs_p]

58. in my prayers

for a safe delivery and for your son and dil.

[ribrepin]

59. Thank you that means the world to me

[demosincebirth]

60. ...for reconciliation between my two eldest daughters

[mrs_p]

61. special prayer

for healing and peace in your family

[ribrepin]

62. I wanted to let everyone know that my daughter-in-law delivered safely on Aug. 19

My daughter-in-law delivered a 6'14" boy on August 19th. He was about three weeks early, but mother and baby are doing well.

I took two weeks off and have been going over every day to help out. My son was only able to take two days off because of financial pressures. I am so proud of my son...he works all day and then helps my daughter-in-law as soon as he gets home.

Thank you for your prayers.

[CBHagman]

63. Thank you for telling us.

And all the best to you, your son and daughter-in-law and new grandbaby.