Lamentations 2:19,
“Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!
Lift your hands to Him for the lives of your children.”
The secret to impacting a child’s future is PRAYER. At our Parenting Forum, Melody Merritt shared WHY we need to pray and HOW to pray for our children.
Why we need to pray?
Our kids are bombarded by the world, their friends, the internet, TV, and school. Worldly, corrupt thinking is EVERYWHERE! Kids are encouraged to be sexually active. Their encouraged to experiment in lesbian or gay relationships. they tend to define themselves by the “likes” they have on social media. Greed, lust, inappropriate language is everywhere. Music lyrics can be astonishing. What’s a mom to do counter all these worldly influences?
Pray!
Whether we realize it or not, we are in a battle – a spiritual battle for the soul of our kids. However, we have a trump card resource. The trump card resource we have at our disposal is Scripture. So, yes, pray for them – but more importantly, pray SCRIPTURE over them.
How do you pray Scripture over your children?
Click HERE to print tangible examples of how to pray scripture for your kids. (Scroll to page 7) Melody suggested that we make 6 notecards per child. When her children were young, she laminated her cards. Not only would Melody pray for her children during her quiet time, but she would take these little notecards everywhere she went.
- Sitting at a stoplight and a worry would come to mind – she’d pull out her card and pray.
- Fear over a friend’s influence – she’d pull out a card and pray.
Melody’s story: Sixteen years ago, Melody’s husband suddenly left. Deciding he didn’t want to be married anymore, Melody was left to parent two young daughters by herself. Her lifeline during those really hard years? Even during the tween and teen years? Prayer.
Because of Melody’s prayers, her adult daughters are far different than they were 16 years ago. The intense anger one felt toward her dad and life in general – gone. The anger and bitterness has been replaced with forgiveness, gentleness and contentedness. This daughter loves and serves Jesus in her job and at church. And she’s trusting God to bring the man of her dreams in HIS PERFECT TIMING. She’s not out searching. She rests in Him.
Melody’s other daughter is happily married with two daughters of her own. In fact, after the Forum, this particular daughter (who was in attendance), said to me, “I don’t know where I’d be… Or what kind of person I’d be without my mother’s prayers. I am who I am today because of that woman.”
What a beautiful legacy.
Are you in hard situation? A hopeless situation? A situation you would have never chosen for your life? All is not lost. You and I have the resource of prayer at our disposal. And the God we pray to is bigger and stronger than any situation we may face. But we can’t be lazy. We must be intentional to tap into the resource of fervent prayer.
Mom’s… we are on assignment from God to pray for our children… And discipline them! (Next post)
Resources Melody suggested:
1. The Power of a Praying Parent, Stormie Omartian
2. Fevent, Priscilla Shirer
3. Praying God’s Word, Beth Moore
Our next awesome event?
Luncheon: Next Friday February 19th
“What’s Love Got to do with it?”
Have you ever looked to other people or things to fill your love tank only to come up empty? Don’t miss next week’s luncheon!