I've always felt that my prayers were… lackluster.
Especially when I read about the great Christian men and women before me who would spend hours on their knees in prayer. Or when I read Paul's beautiful, deep prayers in his epistles. Or when I read how even Jesus would go find a quiet, secluded place to pray to His father. But you already know what my life is like with six children–it is full of constant interruptions. I can hardly find ten minutes in a row to focus on anything, let alone string more than three thoughts together!
Especially when I read about the great Christian men and women before me who would spend hours on their knees in prayer. Or when I read Paul's beautiful, deep prayers in his epistles. Or when I read how even Jesus would go find a quiet, secluded place to pray to His father. But you already know what my life is like with six children–it is full of constant interruptions. I can hardly find ten minutes in a row to focus on anything, let alone string more than three thoughts together!
And at the top of my list of "inadequacies" in prayer is the fact that I don't pray for my children as often as I should. Oh, I'll pray for that 'troublesome' child when I'm having a bad day. Or when I feel overwhelmed by the thought of my soon-to-be teenagers going out into the wide, wide world. But on a day-to-day basis, I don't pray for God's guidance and presence in my children's lives like I should.
Then, a few weeks back, I was encouraged by my sisters in Christ to rethink my prayer life. While I feel that my prayers are lacking because I don't feel inspired, or keep a prayer journal, or have a set time of solitude, the Bible doesn't say that those are the requirements for prayer. Prayer is about my heart connecting with God's heart. A journal can help with that, or a "quiet" time, but those things don't give my prayer more or less worth. What is more important is what I'm asking for–is it in line with God's will? Am I asking God for things of real worth, for myself and my children?
In Walking With God in the Season of Motherhood, Melissa Kruger writes:
Often my prayers for my children are simply about the day-to-day circumstances of their lives. While we can talk to God about all our needs, we often forget to pray about the deeper matters related to their spiritual growth. Using the examples of the psalms [see footnote], the Lord's Prayer [see Luke 11], or Paul's prayers helps us to guide our prayers for our children.
In Walking With God in the Season of Motherhood, Melissa Kruger writes:
Often my prayers for my children are simply about the day-to-day circumstances of their lives. While we can talk to God about all our needs, we often forget to pray about the deeper matters related to their spiritual growth. Using the examples of the psalms [see footnote], the Lord's Prayer [see Luke 11], or Paul's prayers helps us to guide our prayers for our children.
Which is a wonderful idea! What would be better than to use God's Word to give me the words I need! And I've always especially loved Paul's words to the early churches…
"I thank my God every time I remember you…and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight…" (Philippians 1:3-11)
"...since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding…" (Colossians 1:9-12)
"…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…" (Ephesians 3:14-21)
(Other great prayers are found in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, Ephesians 1:15-19, and 1 Corinthians 1:4-9.)
Now, you may think that I'm cheating to "borrow" these prayers, rather than to wait for "inspiration" to hit me in a sudden burst of emotion and words, but again, prayer is about our hearts connecting with God's heart. I don't need to be "in the mood" to pray; I just need to be a willing vessel. And why wouldn't I want to pray these words for my children? They point directly to everything in God's will, everything He finds of worth! And so I chose the passage from Philippians (one of my favorite books) to pray over all my children. Some parents choose a different passage for each child, as a sort of creed or anthem for his or her life.
And because I need a little more help (especially on days when my brain cells feel fried by lunchtime), my friend Elizabeth suggested devoting one day of the week to praying for one specific child. And this works out perfectly for me! Seven days, seven children! If I start with my oldest on Sunday, I will cover ALL my children in prayer by the end of the week. I wrote the days of the week and my children's names on an index card and taped it to my bathroom mirror. Then, even on the craziest days, I will still see the card and find the time to pray as I'm brushing my teeth.
So now, whether I am standing at the sink or sitting reading from my Bible, whether I am alone or surrounded by my ankle-biters, whether my spirit overflows or my spirit is dry, I can pray. I can connect my heart with God's heart. And that is always a good thing, for me, and my children.
(One more thing about the prayers in the epistles: in most of them, Paul writes that he is thankful for these churches, though these churches were far from perfect. In fact, Paul was often writing to correct them of false teaching or practices. But he was still thankful and encouraging. He didn't shy from speaking truth in their lives, but he also spoke in love. Isn't that what we all want for our children?)
*A great resource for praying through the Psalms is The Songs of Jesus by Timothy Keller.
"I thank my God every time I remember you…and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight…" (Philippians 1:3-11)
"...since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding…" (Colossians 1:9-12)
"…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…" (Ephesians 3:14-21)
(Other great prayers are found in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, Ephesians 1:15-19, and 1 Corinthians 1:4-9.)
Now, you may think that I'm cheating to "borrow" these prayers, rather than to wait for "inspiration" to hit me in a sudden burst of emotion and words, but again, prayer is about our hearts connecting with God's heart. I don't need to be "in the mood" to pray; I just need to be a willing vessel. And why wouldn't I want to pray these words for my children? They point directly to everything in God's will, everything He finds of worth! And so I chose the passage from Philippians (one of my favorite books) to pray over all my children. Some parents choose a different passage for each child, as a sort of creed or anthem for his or her life.
And because I need a little more help (especially on days when my brain cells feel fried by lunchtime), my friend Elizabeth suggested devoting one day of the week to praying for one specific child. And this works out perfectly for me! Seven days, seven children! If I start with my oldest on Sunday, I will cover ALL my children in prayer by the end of the week. I wrote the days of the week and my children's names on an index card and taped it to my bathroom mirror. Then, even on the craziest days, I will still see the card and find the time to pray as I'm brushing my teeth.
So now, whether I am standing at the sink or sitting reading from my Bible, whether I am alone or surrounded by my ankle-biters, whether my spirit overflows or my spirit is dry, I can pray. I can connect my heart with God's heart. And that is always a good thing, for me, and my children.
(One more thing about the prayers in the epistles: in most of them, Paul writes that he is thankful for these churches, though these churches were far from perfect. In fact, Paul was often writing to correct them of false teaching or practices. But he was still thankful and encouraging. He didn't shy from speaking truth in their lives, but he also spoke in love. Isn't that what we all want for our children?)
*A great resource for praying through the Psalms is The Songs of Jesus by Timothy Keller.
Nice post! Yes, prayer is so important in raising our little ones. I love how you figured out a solution for 7 children! :)
ReplyDelete