Lifting Up Christopher, Leanne & Their Family in Prayer

Sometimes life brings us to a place where words feel too small, our hearts feel too heavy, and all we can do is turn to Jesus and ask Him to carry what we cannot.

Today, I want to invite our Add It to the Prayer Bowl community to pause, come together in faith, and lift up a very special family who needs our prayers, our love, and our support.

Leanne is a friend, a fellow scooper, and a cherished member of our small business community.  Like so many of us, she pours her heart and soul into her faith-based scoop shop, working hard on the side to bring a little extra income into her family’s home.  Behind her business is a woman with a family she loves, a faith she holds close, and a life that has been turned upside down by circumstances no family should ever have to face.

Leanne and Christopher are parents to 3 precious children, and their home is also filled with the love of their furry kitties.  Over the past couple of months, Christopher has faced a frightening and exhausting battle with cancer, including surgeries, treatments, hospital stays, and additional complications.  Most recently, he was rushed back to the hospital following seizures.

The road ahead is uncertain, and the weight of everything this family is carrying is difficult to imagine.  Through it all, Leanne has continued to lean on Jesus and has humbly asked for prayers from anyone and everyone willing to lift her family up.

So today, we are putting Christopher, Leanne, their children, and everyone who loves them into our Prayer Bowl.  Not because we have all the answers, but because we know the One who hears every prayer, sees every tear, and understands every fear that is sometimes too difficult to put into words.

A Prayer for Christopher, Leanne & Their Family

Heavenly Father,

We come before You today with heavy hearts, lifting up Christopher, Leanne, their precious children, and every family member and friend who is walking alongside them through this frightening and uncertain season.

Lord Jesus, You know Christopher by name. You know his body, his pain, his exhaustion, and every complication he has endured.  You know the surgeries, the treatments, the hospital rooms, the difficult moments, and the fears that come with not knowing what tomorrow will bring.

Father, we ask for Your healing hand to rest upon Christopher.  Please surround him with Your mercy, Your strength, and Your presence.  Guide every doctor, nurse, specialist, and medical professional caring for him.  Give them wisdom, discernment, patience, and compassion as they make decisions about his care. Help them recognize what Christopher needs, whether that means further treatment, relief from suffering, or the best possible comfort and support.  Please ease his pain, calm his body, and bring him peace in the midst of everything he is facing.

Lord, we ask for a miracle.  We know that You are able to do what we cannot, and we bring our hopes and our requests to You with faith.  We pray for healing, for more time, for good news, and for possibilities that may seem beyond our understanding.  We also ask that, in the uncertainty, Christopher would be surrounded by Your unfailing love and never feel alone.  Whatever each day holds, may Your presence be close to him.

Father, we lift up Leanne in a special way.

Lord, please hold her heart when the fear becomes overwhelming.  Give her strength when she feels she has nothing left to give. Let her cry when she needs to cry, rest when she needs to rest, and lean on others without feeling that she must be strong every moment of every day.  Remind her that she does not have to carry this entire burden on her own.  You are her refuge, her strength, and her ever-present help in times of trouble.

When the questions come, meet her there.  When the tears fall, comfort her. When the waiting feels unbearable, steady her heart.  When she cannot find the words to pray, hear the prayers of those who are praying on her behalf.

Lord, You see more than the medical battle.  You see the practical worries, too. You know the financial pressures that can come with time away from work, hospital stays, travel, medical expenses, and the uncertainty of providing for a family while caring for someone so deeply loved.

Please make a way where the way seems difficult to find. Provide for their household, their everyday needs, and the expenses that weigh on their hearts. Open doors to assistance, surround them with generous and compassionate people, and help them receive the support they need without shame or worry.  Bless Leanne’s small business, too, and let the kindness of this community become a tangible reminder that she and her family are not forgotten.

Father, we especially pray for their children.

Their little hearts are living through something they may not fully understand.  Please protect them from fear as much as possible.  Give them reassurance, stability, loving arms, and gentle words when they have questions.  Place caring people around them who can help meet their needs and remind them that they are safe, loved, and never forgotten.

Please watch over their home and their beloved furry kitties, too.  In the middle of such a difficult season, even the familiar little parts of home matter.  Help their family find moments of normalcy, warmth, laughter, and comfort wherever those moments can be found.

Lord, we also lift up Leanne and Christopher’s extended family, their friends, and everyone who has been praying, reaching out, sending messages, and holding them close in their hearts.  You know each person who is worried, grieving, exhausted, or struggling to find the right words.  Please strengthen them, too.  Give them the wisdom to know how to help, the patience to walk alongside this family, and the compassion to keep showing up when the days are long.

Guard everyone’s mental, emotional, and physical health.  Give rest to weary bodies, peace to anxious minds, and strength to hearts that are hurting.  Help those who are supporting this family remember to care for themselves, too, so they can continue to love and serve from a place of grace.

And Father, please care for Leanne’s faith in the quiet moments when fear tries to speak louder than hope.  Let her know that bringing You her questions, her tears, her weariness, and even her uncertainty does not mean she has lost her faith.  She can come to You exactly as she is. She does not have to have perfect words or unwavering strength.  She only has to come.

May Your Word be a light for her when the road ahead feels dark. May Your promises remind her that she is never abandoned.  May she feel the love of Jesus through the people who surround her, the prayers offered for her family, and the unexpected kindnesses that arrive when they are needed most.

Lord, we place Christopher, Leanne, their children, their family, and their friends into Your loving hands.  We ask for healing, provision, protection, comfort, courage, and peace.  Help them take each moment as it comes, trusting that they do not have to face the next step alone.

Thank You for every person who has joined in prayer.  Thank You for a community that can come together across different homes, businesses, and circumstances to love one another in Your name.  Let our prayers become more than words.  Show us how to offer encouragement, practical help, and ongoing support.

May Christopher feel surrounded by love.  May Leanne feel carried when she is weary.  May their children feel safe and cherished.  And may everyone walking this road with them find moments of peace even in the middle of uncertainty.

We place this family before You with all the hope, love, and faith we have.

In the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,

Amen.

A Little Reminder for Our Prayer Bowl Community

Friends, please continue to keep Christopher, Leanne, their children, and their entire family in your prayers.  We may not always know what to say or how to make a difficult situation better, but we can keep showing up in prayer, in kindness, and in love.

If you feel led, please leave a prayer, a word of encouragement, or a gentle reminder that this family is not walking alone.  And if you are able to offer practical support, remember that sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can lift a burden someone has been carrying quietly.

Let us be a community that prays not only when the news is difficult, but also through the waiting, the uncertainty, and the days when the family may not have the energy to ask for help.

May we continue to lift one another up, just as Jesus calls us to love one another.

Christopher and Leanne, you are loved, you are being prayed for, and you are not forgotten.  May the love of Jesus surround your family today and every day.