Motherhood VI: The Power of Prayer

I truly believe that there is very little that we can do for our kids that will be better than praying for them.  I come across great articles all the time about this very thing.  We have prayers written out in either corner of our house that remind us to lift up our son to the Lord in prayer.  But sometimes I find myself so distracted by the “preparing” that I fail to remember the “doing”.  Does that make sense?  That is why I am so thankful to Mark Harris.

Mark Harris is a Christian music artist and has recorded a song called “Find Your Wings” and when it plays on the radio, I am given the perfect opportunity to pray as I sing along.  In fact, I even caught my son singing along with me the other day, which was powerful.

I encourage you to listen below (or sing along) and pray for your kids today.  

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How Can We Pray for Our Kids?

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.   Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth” (Deuteronomy 11:18-21).

This is a beautiful verse.  In Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, he breaks it down and says “Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. . .Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God. . .Let our tongues be employed about the word of God.”

“Arise, cry out in the night,
       as the watches of the night begin;
       pour out your heart like water
       in the presence of the Lord.
       Lift up your hands to him
       for the lives of your children,
       who faint from hunger
       at the head of every street” (Lamentations 2:19).

I have a rather compliant child, and by compliant I mean that maybe 7 out of 10 times he will do as I ask without much fuss.  The other 3 times his human nature takes over.  I’m doing my best to do exactly as this Deuteronomy verse instructs me–fix God’s words in my heart and mind, teach them to our son, talk about them when we are home and out, going to bed and waking up, and write them on the doorframes of our house.  But as involved as I am and as compliant as he is now, I’m not so naive as to believe there will never come a time (or many times) when he wants to go his own way 10 out of 10 times, even when it means walking out of God’s protection, provision and plan for his life.  So what is one of the best things I can do for him, to cover all those compliant, non-compliant, and downright rebellious times?  Yes, pray.

“Prayer alows you to enter into places where we don’t have access” (anonymous author).  I’ve had this quote in my kitchen for many years, and it reminds me that, during those times in which I feel completely powerless over my circumstances (including any involving my son), I can pray and immediately do one of the most powerful things of all (if not, THE most powerful thing).

So, what specifically can we pray for?  What are some of those prayers that we can lift up to the Lord on a daily basis and immediately know that we are employing the power of Creator God in the lives of our children?

One of my favorite authors of is Stormie Omartian and she has written a book called “The Power of  a Praying Parent.” 

 In it, she outlines 29 topics that we can pray for our kids and then gives beautiful sample prayers for each of these topics.  Here are just a few of those topics, and I encourage you to pick up a copy of her book to view them in more detail:

Securing Protection from Harm

Feeling Loved and Accepted

Attracting Godly Friends and Role Models

Developing a Hunger for the Things of God

Being the Person God Created

Identifying God-Given Gifts and Talents

Receiving a Sound Mind

Inviting the Joy of the Lord

Breaking Down Ungodly Strongholds

Growing in Faith

These prayers are perfect for daily use and tenderly address all types of issues, helping us to get at the heart of what we desperately long for when it comes to our children and their future.

Another book that I recommend is called “While They Were Sleeping” 

by Gary Harrell and Anne Arkins .  This is a prayer guide that takes you through 12 character traits that parents and grandparents can pray for on a daily basis, a few of them being:

Humility, Teachability, Obedience, Purity, Responsibility, and Servanthood

One of the things that I pray for most often for my son is that he will love God more than any other thing or person (including himself) and that he will stay open to God’s leading and teachable through His Word for all of his life.

We can’t go wrong when we pray for our kids.  May we always endeavor to make the time for it.

“From the moment we awake until we fall asleep, we must commend our loved ones wholly and unreservedly to God and leave them in his hands, transforming our anxiety into prayers on their behalf” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

National Day of Prayer

Family Research Council is a ministry that I respect and support.  They are an organization that has been defending faith, family and freedom since 1983.  Last night, I got my daily email from them, and this was what FRC’s president, Tony Perkins, had to say about today’s National Day of Prayer.

“[Today] marks the National Day of Prayer (NDP), which was first proclaimed by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1952.  Since that time Presidents have routinely proclaimed the first Thursday of May as a National Day of Prayer (NDP).  It has been reported that the Obama White House will issue an official NDP proclamation, but the text has yet to be released.  A presidential spokesman did make it clear that there would be no NDP event at the White House.  That, of course, is a break with the tradition of the Bush administration, which hosted an annual NDP event at the White House. 

Should we be surprised? Concerned? No and yes. While there is a long history of Presidents praying and calling the nation to prayer (dating all the way back to George Washington), a de-emphasis on prayer in this administration should not come as a surprise. What can we expect of an administration whose policies cheapen human life, increase dependence upon government and threaten religious freedoms? But just because there is no official White House event shouldn’t lessen [today's] significance. To the contrary! First, this should help us realize we need to pray even harder because leaders who do not seek God’s leading are hampered in their ability to lead others. Secondly, we must recognize that God’s call for people to humble themselves and pray (2 Chron 7:14) is not a call aimed at political leaders and those with great power and influence, but rather it’s a call to the Church.

I want to encourage each of you to participate in a NDP gathering near you.  Even if you can’t attend an event on Thursday, please make it a priority to pray for the Church, for the country, and for our nation’s leaders.”

To find a NDP location near you or to link to the source of this quote, go to Family Research Council (www.frc.org).

To read a wonderful prayer by Beth Moore, click here.

To see a list of things the New Testament tells us to pray for, visit Randy Alcorn’s blog here. 

A Prayer for My Son on His Birthday

What a beautiful adventure we are on together, my precious son.  My wholehearted prayer for you is that you will be “rooted and established in love” (Ephesians 3:17) — my deep and unconditional love for you and your heavenly Father’s inexhaustible love for you – and surrounded by loving family and friends who encourage and support you.  I pray that you dream big and become all that God has created your little heart to desire.

I pray that you stay close by God’s side even when it is the road less traveled, and that you live with conviction and stand for truth at every opportunity.  I pray that you are healthy and safe and that you feel God’s protective arms around you when you go into the world.  I pray that you never doubt your Mommy and Daddy’s deep desire to be the very best parents for you, and even during those moments when we fail, may you trust God to fill in those gaps with His unfailing love.

May your life be built on the wisdom of God and a discerning heart.  May God “fill you with the knowledge of His will  through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9), and may “the eyes of your heart be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, and the riches of His glorious inheritance” (Ephesians 1:18).

Above all, may our daily prayers for you, because of God’s mighty power, help to clearly light your path and lead you to become an instrument of His grace, righteousness and love.

Happy Birthday, Baby!