Calling all Prayer Warriors

I want you to picture your baby(s) right now. In fact... if you've got a picture nearby, grab it and look at it.

Yep. I'm serious. Get it out.

In fact, if you're kids are nearby, take a look at them. If you don't have kids... well, you'll have to imagine with me.

Ok, look at the picture. Take a minute and think through all of the time, energy, tears, prayers, hopes, anxiety, love, gifts... that you've spent on them.

That first day.

How you brought them home from the hospital and how they breathed so quietly that you held your own breath just to hear it.

Those sleepy afternoons...

...when they'd take a nap on your knees.

The first time they found their thumb.

Kisses on the nose.

Tiny toes.

The first time they figured out how to hold something.

Baths.

Their first smile.

All the hugs that never seemed to be enough.

You've been their mom (or dad) forever.

There was never a time when they weren't your baby.

Now imagine that you have to go to court and fight to keep them. Imagine that someone might take them away and you might not get to raise them, even though you were theirs and they were yours since their first breath. Imagine you might lose them.

Imagine you have to do that on Thursday.

I'd like you to meet Lori.

I found Lori's blog through Kingdom Mama's blog. As it turns out, though we never knew each other, she and I went to college together. You can read her story in detail here, but in short, Lori and her husband, Troy, adopted Matthew. Matthew is their second son. They are now in the battle of their lives to keep him in their home, where he has been since he was born.

I am so impressed that despite the court battle that could break up their home and take away their son, Lori continues to stay on her knees, submitted to the Lord's will, grateful for each day with her two little ones. She has asked us to pray that Matthew end up being in the best home for him.

This is the prayer of Lori's heart. On Friday, she wrote:

There is a hearing scheduled for next Thursday (October 29) and I am begging all of you to please lift the day up in prayer. Please pray for the very best for Matthew. Please pray that the judge would begin to side with us. Please pray for the birth father. Pray that he would understand that parents put their children first and they don't use them to fill their own void, that he would see that this is the best place for his son, and that he would come to a place in his life where he recognizes that only one person can fill his void--our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please pray, ultimately, that Matthew would stay with us.

The desperation coming through in her words breaks my heart and I want to do all I can to stand in the gap for her and her family and for Matthew. On Thursday I will be fasting and praying in my best effort to bear another's burden in the only way I know how.

As a community of believers, I believe we can provide so much encouragement to Lori in these difficult days. I feel led to ask all of you to join me in a day of prayer for Matthew's family.

Here's what we're going to do: On Thursday I will be doing a liquids-only fast from sunrise to sunset. I encourage all of you to pray about this and join me if possible. If you've never fasted before, you can read scriptures on fasting here and a sunrise to sunset liquid fast is a good way to start. You can find out what time the sun rises and sets where you live here.

The purpose of this is to bathe Lori with all the prayer and encouragement possible, so before Thursday I will post my prayer for her family. Each of you can write your prayers for her in the comments section of this post or any other post about Lori between now and Thursday. That way, Lori can read all of the prayers and be encouraged. If you have a blog, please also leave your blog site so she can get to know you (as time permits her). You could even post your prayer on your own blog so your readers can join us too.

Father, prepare our hearts to learn about intercessionary prayer. Strengthen Lori and hear our cries for Matthew and his future. Thank you for the privilege of approaching your throne with our most desperate needs. Receive praises and honor and glory this day.

Hold your babies close and stand in the gap with me as we call upon the Host of Heaven for Matthew's little life.