My years of being single (and not by choice) were difficult for me. From my teenage to young adult years, I was sure something was ‘wrong’ with me, that’s why I was not ‘dateable’. I thought perhaps I was too athletic, too intellectual, even too enthusiastic about my faith.
But now that I’ve entered into a romantic relationship for the first time, I’m glad I took time to seriously reflect on these soul-searching questions.
When in the company of a fellow brother or sister-in-Christ, I believe there are few things more loving than to pray with them. But oftentimes, we can be so caught up in our busy schedules that we might not be in the right frame of mind to pray intentional prayers.
Here are four ways we can pray for our friends more boldly and relevantly—putting the focus of the prayer time on God and not on our own words and wisdom.
There is no prayer request that’s more urgent and close to our hearts than the desire to see our loved ones—whether they’re our family members, colleagues, or close friends—come to know the Lord.
Sometimes, in praying for our loved ones, we might find it difficult to know what to pray or even find the right words to say. Here are three prayers that I hope will serve as a good starting point for you.
As I write these words, the dust has just settled from some weekend conflict with family. Don’t get me wrong—my family and I love each other very much, and we all want the best for one another. It’s just that at some moments, pride takes over my heart—and more than wanting family unity, I want my own way. On this particular weekend, I felt that I could do things better than my father.
Singleness was never a gift I asked God for. Instead, I have always desired companionship and to start my own family, so the more years I move up in my twenties, the more tempted I am to detest this gift and “exchange” it for the gift of marriage.
After graduating from university, I considered the popular advice not to set any New Year resolutions—lest I disappoint myself. However, in that same season, I thought to myself: On the first of January with each passing year, shouldn’t I notice some spiritual growth in myself as a person?
29 September, 2010. That was the day I realized I was burned out. As a young Christian undergraduate, I thought that I was immune to burnout. After all, wasn’t I doing everything “right” by serving in multiple church and campus ministries every week?
As I settled into my new home and met my housemates, I quickly realized that as a committed evangelical Christian, I was in the minority. While I believed God was my source for everything, most of my housemates did not see the need for God as they deemed themselves “self-made successes”.