One of God's Gifts to Us

Children are God’s gift to us!  We are simply the caretakers!

As I conclude this month’s topic of prayer, I want us to ponder this question.  When should a mother begin praying for her child?  (Continued from Coincidence? I say not! & Commit in 2011)

In Jeremiah 1:5 The Lord says “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you.”
Psalm 139: 15-16 "My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was wove together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

These scriptures lead me to believe that it is never too early!  If you are planning to have a baby, now is the time to begin praying.  I began seeking God’s will for me to have children before they were conceived.  I continued praying for my children when they were in my womb.  Since my children were born, I have prayed aloud for them.  Touching their feet, I pray for God to go before them wherever they are led to go.  Touching their bodies, I pray for good health.  Touching their eyes and ears, I pray for the things they will hear and see to be good influences.  Touching their mouths, I pray that their words will be glorifying to Christ.  Touching their hands, I pray they will use them to be servants and the hands of Christ.  Touching their heart, I pray for their salvation.

It wasn’t long ago that I wondered if my children ever became tired of hearing me pray.  I routinely pray for them before I drop them off at school.  On one particular morning, I had the thought that maybe I should just pray silently for them.  I decided otherwise.  When I finished the prayer, my oldest child looked at me and said, “Mama, thanks for praying for us.”  God confirmed to me that my children covet my prayers!

INTERESTEING FACT:  The first recorded prayer of a woman in the Old Testament was Hannah praying for a child (1 Samuel 1:11).

God has entrusted our children to us…pray earnestly for each of your children all of their lives!  Pray for their salvation, health, safety, temperament, friends, future (or current) spouse & many other areas of their life.

**If you do not have children of your own, pray for those you influence.  One of my very best friends does not have children of her own.  However, she spends a lot of time with mine.  They love her more than she will ever know.  Many times I think what she says and does influence them more than me!  (Thanks Julie for your love and prayers for my children!)

Lord, Thank you for granting me with 2 miracles of life.  Empower me to effectively pray for my children and encourage and discipline them with words of love.  I thank you for Tad’s salvation and continue to pray that Dawson will come to know you as his Savior and Lord.  I know that I am not perfect, but I am submitted to you.  I ask that as I follow your example, they will follow mine and become men of prayer.  Amen

Commit in 2011

(continued from "Coincidence?  I say not!")

When my husband, Dennis, and I joined the Watchman Prayer Warriors Ministry at church 6 years ago, we had no idea how God would use it to strengthen our marriage.  We decided to take a prayer hour together.  I’ll never forget the first time Dennis held my hand as we knelt by the couch to pray.  Again, God took my prayer life to a deeper level.

We soon began having family prayer time every night.  A little over a year ago, after kneeling beside my son’s bed for prayer, I looked up and huge tears were coming down his face.  I immediately panicked, asking him what was wrong.   He replied, “Mama, if I died tonight, I don’t know if I would go to heaven.”  Wow!  I had no idea that God would use a routine prayer time to convict my child’s heart.  He gave his life to Christ.

Do you want to know what God’s plan is for you? Ask Him.  Spend time with Him.  Spend time in His Word.  It will give you victory in many battles that you face.  May I ask you, why would you not want to strengthen your prayer life?  Do you realize that God gives us 168 hours every week to use as we please? Why not spend a few of those with Him?

May I suggest you use a prayer journal?  Write down your prayers and your praises.  Look back and see where God has answered your prayers.  I think so often we pray about something and never give Him the praise when He answers.  He doesn’t always answer the way we want, but He does always answer.

I’m challenging you to strengthen your prayer life in 2011.  I believe that by committing to this you will experience God like never before.  Prayer will empower you to accomplish the will of the Lord in your life.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks find, and to him who knocks, it will be opened.” Matthew 7: 7-8

Coincidence? I say not!

It was an ordinary afternoon when I buckled my children into their car seats and left my mother’s house.  I was headed home.  After being on the road for only a few miles, the winds began to blow.  The lightning began to strike.  The rain began to pour.  I could feel my car swaying with the wind.  I could barely see the road.  I turned off the radio and Tad and I began to pray.  Only seconds after we said amen the winds, the lightning and the rain ceased.   Now the world would say it was a coincidence…I say our God hears our prayers!

Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

God wants us to call out to Him.  Yes He knows our heart’s desire and yes He knows what we need, but He still wants us to call to Him.

My Grandmother Creel has always been my prayer warrior.  She taught me to pray at a very young age and I can’t ever remember a visit with her when she didn’t pray with me.  Ten years ago, I was dealing with an issue in my life and I called my grandmother to pray for me.  She responded by saying, “Kristie, have you prayed about this?”  I hadn’t and my heart was convicted.  I knew I needed God’s help with this issue, but instead of taking the time to pray myself, I called her to pray.  That day my prayer life changed.  I knew I needed to take it to a deeper level.

1 John 5:14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”  

The key there is “according to His will”.  How do we know what His will is?  The more time you spend with Jesus, the more His desires will become your desires.  And may I say that sometimes we don’t know His will.  

As I watched my best friend die of cancer, I will never forget falling on my face before God and crying out to Him.  Only I didn’t have the words to pray.  I felt the Holy Spirit interceding for me.  

Romans 8:26 says “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.”  

Aren’t you glad we serve a Lord that intercedes for us according to the perfect will of God?

Check back next week for more on strengthening your prayer life and don’t forget to follow me!