Lately, I feel the Lord is prompting me to spend more time in prayer. I pray daily, but I don’t usually carve out a specific time to pray over the people in my life. It’s time to not only pray in general, but to make my prayer time more specific and dedicated.
I need to be praying for each child individually. I pray for my children; all the time. At times, I will even pray for a specific child. What I don’t normally do is pray for a specific child all day long. The Lord is prompting me to do just that. Become a prayer warrior for each child individually.
I need to be praying for them on a specific day. If I don’t set myself up on a routine, I can forget what I am supposed to be doing and fail to accomplish what the Lord has set before me. I need to pick a day and dedicate that day to each of my children. For example: T is going to be Mondays, Little Lady will be Tuesdays, and so forth. This way I form a routine and don’t leave things up to my memory or chance. It is scheduled, and, therefore, it will get done.
I need to be praying for specific things. Each of our children have specific areas the Lord is showing me needs prayer. Through this dedicated prayer time, I need to be lifting these before the Lord. Here are some of the areas of my children’s lives about which the Lord is prompting me to pray:
- Their walk with Him. (Never assume your children are saved or walking right with God.)
- Their relationships with me. (That our relationship would stay strong and God-centered.)
- Their relationships with their siblings. (That they would speak with love and kindness, putting the other person first.)
- Their current struggles. (That the Lord would give them wisdom to know what to do, patience to help them work through it, and grace to understand that we all fall short.)
- Their maturity. (That Lord would grow them and make them sober minded.)
- Their future. (That the Lord would make their paths in life clear. That they would always serve Him and bring Him honor.)
- Their future spouses. (That the Lord would be working in that other person’s life. Directing them and protecting them.)
I need to be praying for my marriage. One of the best things we can ever do for our children is have a loving marriage that is Christ centered. Our children will learn more about life, love, and forgiveness from us, than from anywhere else. Praying for my marriage is essential.
I need to be praying for my husband. Praying for my husband is not the same as praying for my marriage. Praying for my marriage is important, but so is specifically praying for my man. He has his own struggles, dreams, and needs. Those too need to be lifted before the Lord.
I need to be praying for my outside ministries. We serve in a lot of different areas. In order to best serve those ministries, it’s extremely important to be in constant communication with God. If I am not in prayer, I risk overburdening myself and disobedience to the Lord. I need to constantly remember He is the one leading those ministries. I am only there to help, which I cannot do if I am not listening to Him speak.
I need to find creative ways and times to pray. Through the experience of others, the Lord is also showing me creative ways to pray throughout my day. I tend to be very busy, so it helps if I can pray while I attend to the responsibilities He has put before me. Here are some ways the Lord has opened up some time for prayer.
- I pray while washing dishes. (Lord clean the heart of —–. Make them pure before you.)
- I pray when I cook. (Lord feed —–‘s mind and spirit. That they would hunger for you.)
- I pray when I clean. (Lord remove anything from —-‘s life that doesn’t need to be there. Help them to be organized and have a clean heart.)
- I pray while I fold laundry. (Socks: Lord keep their feet on your path. Shirt: Lord touch their hearts. Etc…)
See, this could go on forever. There are many ways we can find in which to be creative about our prayer times; we just need to look for the opportunities.
I have begun to notice that as my children grow older and life seems to get more complex, I have a tendency to take on the struggles of life instead of leaving them where they belong; at the feet of Christ. My family belongs to the Lord. When I humble myself and give them over to God, I can have peace knowing He is in control. Will you join me in spending dedicated time in prayer for our families? Trust me, you won’t regret it.
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:24
John 16:24
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Fabulous! I love the idea of having a particular day to pray all day for one child. I’m going to brazenly steal this idea, as I desperately need the scheduling of it. Excellent words of wisdom, Cristina!
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Your comment about intentional prayer, “we just need to look for the opportunities,” is so wise. Being watchful about moments to pray is a wonderful way to be more present to the Father, as well. Thank-you!
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