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The
Mother Who Prays
By Danna Appleby
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Some years ago when
our two children were in their early teens, I became very
concerned about them, especially my son, who is our oldest. One
day when he was at school, I decided to pray earnestly for him.
I went into his room and prayed and cried out to God to help
him. I was determined that I wasn’t going to let the enemy have
him as I turned everything over to God.
At another time, some
years later, I was again earnestly crying out to God, but this
time it was for both my son and my daughter. I wanted more than
anything for God to help them and knew that their father and I
were doing the best we could as their parents, but only God
could do the work within them. I wanted God to do something
very special with them and wanted them to be great workers for
Him. Later, when I went to the Word, here is what the Lord gave
me:
This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,”
declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the
enemy. So there is hope for your future,” declares the Lord.
“Your children will return to their own land.”
Jer.
31:16-17
I still look back and
marvel at the greatness of God and how precious He was to give
that Word to me and it is cherished still today. I remember
feeling hopeless as a young mother, but the Lord gave me renewed
hope. What a joy to know that we as mothers can go to God to
pray for our children. When times are difficult and we can’t
seem to find our way, we can always pray and God will shed light
on our path. Our children are grown now and are strong
Christians and fine workers for God.
Sometimes there may
be sickness and we can always depend on the Lord to help us get
through those difficult times. Romans 12:12 tells us to
“rejoice in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in
prayer.” We can be assured that God will meet us right where we
are and will not let us down for He indeed hears us when we pray
(1 Jn. 5:14). Other times we may
need answers because we have no idea which way to turn. In
those difficult times with our children, we need the Lord to
stand by us and help us. As the old song says: Where could I
go but to the Lord?”
You may feel like
you're all alone, but you're not and God waits for you to call
on Him. He loves to be included in your family’s affairs when
there are problems. You see, God is a great problem solver and
I have to tell you that I can vouch for that one. God has come
to the rescue many, many times over the years.
A song came to me the
other day when I was thinking about what I would write for this
devotional and the words are: “I found the answer – I learned to
pray.” You see to get the right answers for knowing how to deal
with our children, we must be praying mothers. We must go to
God to help us. Mothers, you need to be praying for your
children. Grandmothers, you need to be praying for those
precious grandchildren. Turn everything over to God and He will
light the way. I remember praying hard for God to help me know
how to be a better mother as I was raising my children because I
did not know how and He answered me but I had to continue
praying that prayer all along the way.
We must believe that
God is going to help us when we go to Him in prayer about our
children. We must believe and not doubt – no matter how bad
things may look at the moment. God isn’t finished with them yet
so don’t get discouraged. Keep your chin up, keep praying and
believing that God is working on your behalf. God loves your
children more than you do and wants the best for them and wants
to see them do well. It grieves His heart to see them do the
things they do, but remember what I said – He isn’t finished
with them yet! Just keep believing and trusting in God to do
the work. Keep thanking Him that the answer is on its way.
Another thing, be an
example in front of your children. Let them know you're a
praying mother. When your children are sick or in trouble, tell
them that you want to pray for them. Pray out loud so your
children can hear their mother praying for them in their time of
need. When healing or deliverance comes they will be encouraged
that God still does miracles and they will learn to pray from
your good example.
I’m reminded of a
time when my daughter first got her braces when she was in her
early teens. The first night she had them she asked me to pray
for her because she said her mouth was throbbing with pain. We
sat down together on the couch in our living room, joined hands
and I prayed a fervent prayer for her and she was instantly
healed. You see our children need to hear us praying so they
will know how God answers prayer and their faith will grow.
Hopefully, your children will learn to do the same thing as they
watch their mother pray. Children learn from the example we set
before them whether that be bad or good. My daughter has
followed my example and now prays for her own children.
We must also realize
that we must have faith and not waver in believing God to help
us. James 1:6(a) says:
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering."
Many times, we allow
the day to go by without asking God to help our children and
then wonder why our children are getting more difficult to
handle! But James 4:2(c) says: . . . “ye have not, because
ye ask not.” You can have what you need by going to God and
telling Him what your need is and watching Him take action on
our behalves. After all, He is a merciful God and loves to help
His children.
Waiting can sometimes
be trying, but we must realize that it may take time for some of
these things to work out with God’s help. Many things which need
changing in our children’s lives may not happen overnight. In
fact, it may take years for certain situations to resolve
themselves, but don’t give up and don’t forsake praying for your
children. Remember God is working things out, but it takes
waiting and it takes faith.
Our children are like
valuable crops that we’re hoping and praying for and we must
never give up believing that God can do a miracle in their
lives.
Be patient . . . until the Lord’s coming. See how the
farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how
patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be
patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:7-8
I am very thankful
that I have a praying mother who never stopped praying for my
siblings and me. She still prays for all of us even though
we’re grown. We are what we are today because of her
faithfulness in prayer for us. I thank God for the praying
mother she has been. Thank you Mom! (I have to tell you that
she’s my biggest fan!)
For Mothers -- From Psalm 20
May the Lord answer your prayers when you’re in
distress.
May the name of God of Jacob protect you.
May He send you help from His sanctuary and grant you
support from Zion.
May He give you the desires of your heart and make all
your plans succeed.
May the Lord grant all of your requests. |
