Last Updated on March 11, 2024
If there’s one thing that I believe wholeheartedly, power and freedom lie within the intentional act of prayer.
Nothing will keep you on your knees and in constant conversation with your Heavenly Father more than being a mama of five! The world we live in is busy and ever-bustling with activity, and as moms, we often feel the silent pressure of attempting to “perfectly” raise our children. When in reality, we are imperfect, as are our beloved babies.
If you’re anything like me, you may be striving tirelessly to feed and clothe your children, impart the knowledge of right and wrong, provide experiences to stretch their perspective, and enforce expectations to build their character. And yes, mama, those lessons are needed. Yet there’s another desire that is likely brimming on the surface of your heart – you want the children in your life to learn and possess a Kingdom mindset.
Powerful Prayers
One of the most valuable gifts you could ever offer to your children is a front-row seat to your relationship with Christ.
But how do you get started? How do you balance between demonstrating your faith and allowing your child to form their own meaningful connection with God?
For me, the habit of conversing with God didn’t begin with the birth of my first child. Instead, I’m reminded of and drenched with the countless memories I shared with my own mother. So often, Mom would share bite-sized pieces of wisdom throughout our normal everyday interactions. In fact, I’m reminded of a talk that we shared years ago. A talk centered on my parents’ preparation for my own birth.
My mother told me about the pointed prayers both she and my father prayed over me while I was still in the womb. She asked the Lord to draw me to Him, to give me a heart to obey Him, and to live a life that would bring Him glory.
Mom didn’t just pray that prayer one time either. She, along with my dad, prayed those prayers for me over and over again – before I was born and after.
As I grew, she added to those prayers. As I matured, some prayers stayed the same, and some prayers changed; however, over the years, the prayers never ceased.
The Bridge Between Panic and Peace
So let me encourage you as you mother your own children and even grandchildren through their various seasons of life. Lean into God and submit your cares and requests to Him regarding the children that you love so dearly.
Sometimes, the words will flow easily, while at other moments, you may not feel as if you have the needed vocabulary. There will be times that some concerns may even pain your heart to mention as you talk to God. But don’t stop praying.
Prayer is the bridge between panic and peace.
I should know. I’ve needed prayer to bring peace in my life instead of panic as I’ve prayed for my children. While I’ve definitely done my best to be highly intentional about praying for each of my children, I do particularly recall the numerous prayers and concerns I shared with God about my middle son.
When he was born, he had a difficult delivery and sustained a birth injury; I couldn’t help but cry out to God often about my concerns surrounding my son’s physical development, mental and emotional growth, and journey into being a young man.
Now, in retrospect, as I look at my now seventeen-year-old son, I can clearly see the ways God has been tremendously faithful. Not only has He answered so many of my prayers, but His gracious answers have also served as gentle reminders that my prayers for my son were so small in comparison to what God has done in my son’s life. What I saw as physical limits, God used to create opportunities for my son to excel in other ways. What I saw as social struggles, God used to create a hunger in my son’s heart for a relationship with Him.
Pray with your kids.
Pray for your kids.
Pray scriptures over your kids.
Just keep praying…
Prayer is key. It is the tool at our fingertips that offers unlimited connection and relationship with the Most High. I’m reminded of the wisdom of prayer shared in Proverbs. Scripture teaches mothers to direct children toward Christ by purposely praying for them, modeling faith, demonstrating character, and training them in wisdom (Proverbs 1:8, 29:15).
Proverbs 22:6 calls us to “Train up children in the way they should go; even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Continue to set aside quiet moments to live out your faith on purpose, in front of your kiddos. Whether it’s through whispered phrases as you load everyone into the car, weekly family devotions around the dinner table, or singing God’s promises aloud, choose to model the kingdom mindset before your child. God is never blind to your tears, never deaf to your prayers, and never silent to your pains. He sees, He hears, and He will deliver.
And everything that God can do, He can do for you and for the children He has deposited in your care.
