Write 31 days is a writing challenge hosted by Crystal Stine. During the month of October, I will write one blog post daily. After much prayer, the topic I chose is praying for your children. I am extremely excited about this challenge; excited about writing every day and most importantly excited about what God wants to teach me. Even though my children are adults and I’ve prayed for them since they were in the womb, they still need my prayers and I still have lots to learn on the topic of prayer.
Martin Luther once said,
“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
I would also add that to be a parent without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Parenting without prayer is like walking in a dark forest with no light. You stumble and fall with no direction. How many times do we parent without our light? We parent from crisis to crisis, walking in our own power when things are going well and asking everyone to pray when things get crazy.
There are over 650 prayers written throughout the Bible;prayers for every area of our lives and every circumstance. There are 45 recorded prayers that Jesus prayed.Praying through the Bible is probably the best way to pray. When our prayer is a Bible verse, we pray the exact words that God spoke. God’s word is true and if we pray his word, it will also build our faith.
I was raised in a Christian home and when I was in college, I struggled with my faith. I knew my parents were praying for me every day and had been all my life. And that prayer made me uncomfortable because I knew I was not living the way the way I should. My parents were persistent and those prayers worked. I re-dedicated my life to God on the day I graduated from college and haven’t looked back.
Today, I would encourage you to follow God’s lead and pray.
“Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children.” Lamentations 2:11
Open your Bible and begin reading. Ask God to lead you and say a simple prayer. He knows your heart and hears your every word.
Emily says
I have 3 young children. I am looking forward to this series. Thank you.
pcobb04@gmail.com says
You are welcome. I have 3 posts written and ideas for about 40 additional posts. I am also looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me as this comes together.
Tiffany says
Hi, Pat.
I want to say, “Thank you for writing your series on this praying for your children!” …but that seems strange… 🙂 And, since I have just been awakened in the middle of the night here, I will, instead, say what a wonderful subject that my heart needs. I often pray for my two great children; prayer is truly one of my favorite things. *Still, last night I was urging my 17year old son to pray about something that is deeply discouraging him– and your words here are the encouragement *I* needed. I will, now, be praying some new things– some Scripture!— for the encouragement he needs.!! Thank you for *that!~ *I truly thank the Lord for whatever happened with your system earlier to make it disappear… because your post on the fb 31-dayers group is what brought me to you at just the right moment.~ 🙂 {This little love note from God is, also, a comfort from Him to me that blogging– writing-and-sharing– serves a fuller purpose than just being an online diary. Something I knew, already, of course– but He is reiterating it to me. Sincerely, thank you, again, for sharing your wise words, felt they were written just for me…~} |Apologies for my middle-of-the-night gushing…!!! Blessings to you this October~ I will be back daily, LW~~
pcobb04@gmail.com says
Your comment blesses my heart. Just said a prayer for you and your son. May I suggest that you pray Romans 15:13 over your son? It is so good to see that you are encouraging him to pray. It is so important that our children learn to pray and not depend on their parents to pray for them. Good job mom! I just posted today’s post on “I don’t have time to pray”. I will be out of pocket the next couple of days. I’m heading to Dallas to attend Women of Faith!!!! So excited, can’t wait.