Living the Mom Life Day 5: A New Passion for Prayer
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV)
A mom’s plate is usually a very full one. Your calendar is full of appointments, practices, meetings, and other engagements. The laundry, cooking, and cleaning never stop. You may even be holding down a full-time job as well, and at times you’re stretched so thin you wonder how in the world you can get it all done. With all the things demanding your attention, there is one item that should never be shoved to the back burner: prayer.
Sometimes it’s hard for a mom to find quiet time to complete an in-depth Bible study. It can also be hard to focus in church when you’re entertaining little ones. But communion with God through prayer can be done anywhere, at any time. Pray as you’re driving down the road. Pray before you collapse into bed at night. Pray as you watch your kids playing outside. Pray as you are nursing a baby. Any quick little moment you find during the day is a good opportunity to talk with God. Why is prayer so important? Because our relationship with God is the most important one we have, and it is the foundation for our relationship with our family.
Sharing the good news of the gospel with my children is my number one responsibility as a mom. In order to do this, I need to have a consistent prayer life. Through prayer, I realize my faults and failures, and humbly ask God to help me improve. In prayer, I find the patience, self-control, kindness, and gentleness that I need to face each day. Some days there are big things on my heart that I need to pray about. Some days it’s a simple prayer of forgiveness. But every day includes a prayer of salvation for my children. No matter the circumstance, making time for prayer allows me to love and serve my family better.
One of the best ways our children learn is through example. If we want them to eat vegetables, we eat vegetables. If we want them to spend time outside, we spend time outside. If we want them to pray, we need to pray. When praying is part of our daily lives, our children will notice and will be much more likely to include prayer in their daily lives as well. Through hearing your simple, imperfect prayers, they will realize that they too can talk to God without needing to sound perfect or rehearsed.
Motherhood and worry go hand in hand. We begin to worry the moment we realize we are expecting, and that worry continues until we are no longer on this earth. Thankfully, worry and prayer also go hand in hand. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). We pray for salvation for our children. We pray for safety, for healing, for wisdom, for contentment, for restoration. Every circumstance that our children may encounter in their lives can be, and should be, prayed for continually. Even though we may not see God’s answer to our prayers, we must remain consistent in them. I so appreciate these words from D.L. Moody: “The impression that a praying mother leaves upon her children is life-long. Perhaps when you are dead and gone your prayer will be answered.” We may never know the full impact our prayers have had on our children, but what a comfort it is to be able to lay our thankfulness, worries and requests down at the feet of Jesus.
