Prayer is the Key

Last Updated on March 11, 2024

Prayer is so important on this faith walk journey. It’s how we communicate with God.

I firmly believe that prayer is the catalyst for change and the movement of God. God hears us when we bring our petitions before the throne of grace. He begins to move on our behalf and go before us. Then, we begin to see those prayers manifest right before our eyes.

Prayer is knowing that in our weakness (our human ability), we can’t, but in God’s strength (divine power), we can and will. 

 

Prayer in new seasons

Prayer is also crucial to this motherhood journey that we live every day.

I always joke, “If you want God to increase your prayer life, have some children.” Being responsible for a tiny human is a big deal. There is no way I could do it on my own. I pray to God daily, sometimes multiple times a day, concerning my children. My prayer life became even more intense when my oldest, now 8, first started Preschool. 

Initially, I was so excited. I was in school and working, and I didn’t want to burn out those already helping me with my one-year-old. I thought it was the best decision for everyone involved. I checked the mail every day, awaiting the acceptance letter. When the letter finally arrived, I was overjoyed; it lasted all of 48 seconds. I started to feel overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Then suddenly, my mind became the playground for anxiety, worry, fear, and doubt. I could count on one hand how many people were allowed to watch my children, so the thought of me leaving her with complete strangers made me physically sick. One of my biggest concerns was that my daughter did not communicate well and had a heavy lisp. She understood perfectly fine. However, at times her speech was unclear. I was ready to pull the plug on the whole operation. 

Later that day, I spoke to my mom. I told her how I was feeling, and she acknowledged my feelings. She also assured me that what I was feeling was normal. She told me she had experienced the same feelings when my brothers and I attended school for the first time. My mom said, “Janee, you’re going to do the same thing I did when you were going to school. You will pray and ask God to give your children the teachers he wants them to have.” It was simple yet so profound.

I held on to my mother’s words, and I believed them. I started thinking back to my childhood and when I was in school. My mom was always at the school and was well known by teachers, parents, and faculty. My mother found favor with all my teachers. It didn’t matter what school or grade I was going to. Now that I am an adult, I can see that it was the favor of the Lord and her prayers. 

 

Back-to-school prayers

I followed my mother’s counsel and began to pray that God would give my daughter a teacher that loves the Lord. In addition to my initial request, I prayed she would have a successful school. I prayed for her protection and asked God to keep her out of harm’s way. I prayed that my daughter would have favor with every teacher and staff responsible for her education. I asked God to give my daughter’s teachers the strength and endurance to care for and educate each student. I prayed for her future classmates, their parents, principals, and staff. I prayed God would give her the heart to do the right thing, even if the right thing doesn’t look fun. I asked God to shield her from being influenced by students whose behaviors did not align with the values and principles I was instilling in her.  

Now that I’m a mom of 4 and all my children attend school, I write a back-to-school prayer for each of them and post it on my wall. God has honored those prayers.

My children were blessed to have the same teacher for pre-school, who loves the Lord with all her heart and treats my children like her own. My children have had teachers that would go above and beyond for them to succeed.  

What I learned from the first year of my daughter being in school goes beyond praying for the right teacher.

For the first time, I realized God cares about every aspect of my life. I can pray to him about anything, and he will not only hear me but also respond.

The times we live in are terrifying, especially for our children going back to school. I just want to encourage you that you don’t have to live in fear of the unknown or let anxiety consume you. Take a moment, go into your place of prayer (mine is the car), and cast your cares before God. He is always listening and ready to respond.