Iron Rose Sister Ministries

When I read Romans 12:9-21, I sigh and long for a world in which this text is lived out. These practical, specific instructions of how to live love involve a conscious commitment to put others before ourselves.

Today, I invite you into my own prayer, based on this text.

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Heavenly Father, may I be so filled with your love that my life is an outpouring of that love. Help me to hate what you hate and long for your goodness—not whatever I think might be good.

¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
My sisterly affection sometimes does not extend beyond those I am comfortable loving. Help me to celebrate and honor the beauty that You see in others.

¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
The world is turned a bit upside down right now and the ways in which I have enjoyed fervently serving in the past have been stripped away. May the zealous, fervent fire of Your Spirit continue to burn in me, leading me to serve You and serve others in different, but awesome ways. No act of service is too small, and it is not a competition. Help me remember that.

¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Hope. What a word! Hope is transformative. Hope is uplifting. Hope keeps us going when the trials and tribulations seem never-ending. Help me to be a beacon of hope that points others to You, the ultimate source of hope. May I remember that you offer Light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for the reminder that when I am constant in prayer, I continue to see hope.

¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Hospitality, Lord? How do I show hospitality during a pandemic? Your Son embodied hospitality though He never had a home in which to invite others. He went where the people were and met their needs. Help me to see others’ needs with Your eyes and seek out ways to continue to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Believe it or not, not everyone likes me. Not everyone agrees with my opinion. But is that the extent of the persecution I am feeling right now, Lord? It’s humbling to realize that there are those that face true, brutal persecution, even within their own families. May you pour out such blessings on those individuals that they are led to repentance from their persecution.

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
And when there is repentance, may I rejoice instead of falling into the trap of the older brother of Your prodigal son (Luke 15). May I be willing to get uncomfortable and weep alongside those who are broken and weeping. And then, when you bring us back to a place of rejoicing, may the party be such that others long to join in the celebration!

¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Harmony comes through unity in You. It does not depend on me, nor my way of doing things. My view of the problem, and even my view of the solution, may not be the best. God, You’ve got this. Help me to listen to Your wisdom and to hear the voice and perspective of others.

¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Are my actions and intentions honorable?

¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Am I doing what I can, when and how I can? Or am I only making a minimal effort?

¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Thank You for being our Avenger, Defender, Redeemer, Comforter... Please help me trust You and Your timing.

²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Who is my enemy, Lord? And how can I serve him?

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Father God, You are good. May I cling to You and Your goodness. In You and through You, evil has already been overcome through the sacrifice of Your Son. It is in His name that I lift up these prayers in humble thanksgiving for sharing with us these words through the apostle Paul.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Jocelynn Goff, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas, and mother of Michelle J. Goff 

As a mom, there are scriptures that I can quote quite easily. One of those is our key verse for this blog, Luke 22:31-32. “Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you return strengthen your brothers.”

Three others are:

“Being confident of this that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”(Ps. 24:1-2)

“so is My Word that goes out from My Mouth; It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”(Is. 55:11a)

You may ask why these scriptures in particular? During various seasons of their lives, these scriptures were my lifeline to the throne of our Father on behalf of my children.

I learned the pattern from Jesus in John 17 as He prayed for Himself, His disciples, and all believers. Jesus was showing how to appeal to His Father what was on His Heart and what was important. His prayer in John 17:3 was for them to know God and Jesus, “that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, who You have sent.”In verse 11b, the prayer is for protection, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name.”In verse 21, a prayer for unity, “that all of them may be one, Father just as You are in Me and I am in You.”

I have felt a desperation at times to know how to guide, correct, encourage, or warn my children. Often, I felt my words were communicated in a way that wasn’t heard with the heart and spirit that I intended it, or I feared I would communicate too harshly, abruptly, or angrily, and mess the whole thing up. Afterwards, I would apologize and then fall on my knees and beg our Father to bring about His Glory in spite of what mistakes I’d made. I’d cry out to Him and remind Him that He is good at that, like we see in scripture over and over again—such as in the stories of Abraham, Jacob, Rahab, Naomi, the Israelite people, Peter, and Paul. All of scripture is full of imperfect people for whom God turned their actions into good and for His Glory.

After my appeal to God’s goodness, then my prayers are intercessory prayers of claiming scripture over the situation and over my child. Over the next days, weeks, or years, until there was an answer to my prayers, I’d repeat the scripture to myself every time I’d feel fear. It calmed my anxious spirit and kept my prayers before the One who had the power to change the situation or the child, or show me where I needed to change.

Specifically, in Luke 22:31, Jesus is warning Peter that satan is going to test him. However, there is a blessing as Jesus says in verse 32, “But I haveprayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail.” Wow! Jesus prayed for Peter!

This is a specific mention of Peter by name brought before our Father by Jesus Himself. Then, there is also a promise in this verse. The promise is when Jesus says, “And when you have returned...” This says to me that even though there is a failed test, there is a return. We know that Peter was tested and failed the test when he denied Jesus three times. We know this from reading further in Luke 22:54-62. In verses 61 and 62, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown Me Three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” This was the beginning of Peter making a choice to return or not.

However, Jesus’ specific prayer mentions “when you return.” Oh, this is such a promise and why I claimed this scripture at a particular season of life for my child. Every time I felt fear, I would pray this scripture. Over time, there were other occasions and seasons of life when other scriptures were prayed. Along the way, God has given me blessings of hearing these scriptures in a sermon, a Facebook message from an old friend who just had to share that scripture with me, a song on the radio, or a devotional that focused on that exact verse. These messages of hope from my LORD were divine touches from Him, assuring me He is hearing my prayers on behalf of my child.

I encourage, no, I urge you to claim scripture in prayer for any person or situation in your life. It can bring hope to your soul and refresh your spirit as you wait for that person to come back or situation to change.