Updated on January 1, 2018
What wonderful blessings God sends our way
In good gifts that come from above!
And the gift that He gave my son and me
Is a woman easy to love.
First, she proves she’s a special creation;
She wears God’s design on her life.
His beauty glows bright in her countenance;
She’s the portrait of a good wife.
Then, because she’s a genuine woman.
She displays in her feminine charm
The sweet, gentler side of God’s nature:
Confident, dignified, and warm.
To all these good reasons I still must add
That she’s the belle my son chose.
He looked close at the garden in full bloom
And selected the fairest rose.
Now that she is officially his wife
I share in her hope and her joy
That God will grant her a lifetime of love
In the home she shares with my boy.
Birthday cake by my daughter in law | Source
I’m committed to praying for both of them,
To support in ways that I can;
To be the best mother-in-law there is
And support her stand by her man.
She’s won my respect for all that she does:
Birthday cakes and gourmet dishes,
Self-care, household management and more
Her fine skills exceed my wishes.
So I thank God when I count my blessings
For the gifts He sends from above;
For His special gift to my son and me-
A woman so easy to love.
Bless this loving wife.
Give her a tenderness that makes her great, a deep sense of understanding and a great faith in You.
Give her that inner beauty of soul that never fades – eternal youth that is found in holding fast to the things that never age.
May she so live that he may be pleased always to reverence and adore her. Amen.
(The original form of this prayer was published in Decision Magazine sometime before June 1971 and was attributed to Dr. Lewis Evans.)
Table of contents
My First Anniversary Prayer
Heavenly Father, today on their first anniversary, I am grateful for the love You have created within the hearts of my son and his wife toward each other.
Thank You for the pleasant interaction my daughter-in-law and I share, and for her Christlike virtues which make her still easy to love.
Please show me how to maintain a welcoming attitude toward her, and how to be positively involved, but not interfering in her married life.
May we become better, happier women as we both contribute toward the happiness of her marriage.
I pray with thanksgiving, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
My Everyday *Bible Prayers
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Offspring – (Genesis 49:25) |
May the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above . . . and blessings of the breasts and womb. |
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Success – Psalm 90:17) |
And may the Lord our God show . . . his approval and make your efforts successful. |
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Love – (Phillipians 1:9) |
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. |
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Virtue – (Phillipians 1:11) |
May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ. |
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Endurance – (Colossians 1: 11) |
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. |
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Joy – (Colossians 1: 11, 12) |
May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father |
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Fulfillment – (2 Thessalonians 1: 11) |
May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. |
*Bible Quotes in the table are from the New Living Translation.
My Favorite “In-Law” Story
But Ruth (daughter in law) clung tightly to Naomi (mother in law).
“Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”
But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”
When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
Book of Ruth Chapter 1: 14-18 (NLT)
© 2011 Dora Weithers
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Even if your mother in law isn’t the highest woman on your list, you probably owe her tremendously. Why?
Because if you have a mother-in-law, then you’re either a man who married her daughter, or a daughter who married her son. She gave birth to the love of your life.
If you have children, then at some point, you realize these sweet little blessings wouldn’t have come into the world without her. That makes her pretty darn important, yes?
How do you show her love? How do you treat her like a priority? How do you handle conflict or concerns?
I love this example God gives us in Mark about Simon making his mother-in-law a top priority–and the compassionate response Jesus has over the situation.
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. Mark 1:29-31
The text doesn’t give much more information about her here other than she was in bed with “a fever.” Was it a deadly fever–as would be suggested by her being in bed? Or was it just a small fever?
I don’t know.
But…does it matter?
She had a fever. She was not well. She was with need.
Simon, an attentive son-in-law recognized the need. Did he call for a doctor? Possibly. But that isn’t in this story.
What is in this story? What was the important part God wanted us to recognize when reading this? They immediately told Jesus about her. I mean, think about it. Do you really believe He didn’t already know who she was, where she was, or if she was well? Of course He knew.
This small story is a beautiful example of Simon’s heart. He immediately told Jesus about her.
And in Jesus’ compassion, He went to her, took her hand and helped her up.
Friends, our mother-in-law is a gift to us. And even when she looks like she has it all together, she still has needs. With sin and sickness in this world, she will indeed get fevers now and then. Some of them we will never know about. But some will land her in bed–completely knocked down.
We may or may not need to call upon doctors or others to assist her. But certainly, we should do as Simon did, and immediately tell Jesus about her–even though He already knows.
I firmly believe He will go to her. I firmly believe prayers are never ignored, even when we can’t see or hear an answer.
In fact, when we don’t see the answer to our prayers, we should keep praying. Pray harder. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray. And keep watching for an answer.
I encourage you all to make your mother-in-law a priority. Do the most important thing you can to help her in any way that you can–immediately tell Jesus about her–often. Is there any way to love someone more?
Are you praying for your mother-in-law? I would love to hear your encouragement.
I continue to tell Jesus about my mother-in-law. I know He is reaching for her hand. And I’m praying that one day, she too will choose to take His hand, be healed of her fever, and get up and serve Him. I’d love if you added her to your prayers as well.
Blessings,
www.growinginhisgrace.com
