Dear Lord,
Please watch over him; I don’t know what I did to deserve this perfect little creature. Please help him breathe all night. Please keep him safe. Let him grow up to be happy and successful no matter what he chooses to do, but let him always love Jesus. Thank you for letting me be his momma.
Thank you, Lord Jesus,
In Your precious name,
Amen
I prayed this prayer over and over repeatedly every night, probably the first year of my son’s life. It was the same exact prayer. I was terrified that he would stop breathing in the middle of the night. So, I would lay my hand on his little tummy and pray. When I was nursing him, I would pray. I would lay him back down. Then I would doze off a bit, wake up again, reach over to the bassinet beside my bed, and pray again. (I had a little postpartum depression that went undiagnosed!) However, God got us both through it. 19 years later, my prayers for that boy aren’t any different. I still say nearly the same prayer every time he drives off, before every football game, and every time I know he is facing a battle that only Jesus can handle. Now, he has an (almost) 14-year-old sister who gets just as many prayers; sometimes, she even needs a few extra!
Don’t ever stop praying for your kids.
This week, I felt like the devil was coming at me from all directions. I can handle it, pray, cry it out if I need to in my bathroom, regroup, and pray some more. God has got this.
But the devil- well- he better back off my kids.
A week went by, and I had a completely different blog almost finished, and boom, per usual, God said, Sis, you gotta tell the enemy that you little mommas are not going lay down and let him think he gets any power over your children.
Our God is Greater, Our God is Mighty, and we are covering our babies in the blood of Jesus Christ when we lift their names to Him.
The Power of a Praying Momma
Isaiah 66:13: “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.”
One time, Mary lost Jesus. (Well, not really, because He was in the temple the whole time teaching the Pharisees.). Can you imagine the panicky prayers going up to Heaven? “Dear Lord, please don’t let me have lost my –ere- Your Son. Please help me find Him! “ The Lord Himself already knew where Jesus was, but He still led Mary and Joseph back to Him. Okay- this was to lighten the mood a little bit on the heaviness of all the evil I’ve already brought up. However, you know that Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was probably on her knees daily even though she knew the plans in store for her Son.
Jocebed, the mother of Moses, had to make a choice to keep her son alive; evil was after him; she prayed fervently over him, placed him in a basket, and put him in the river, knowing God would keep him safe. I am certain she never stopped praying. Moses went on to lead the Israelites to freedom.
In my notes, I had written down times a mom should pray for her kids; I think (maybe) this came from a War Room article ten years or so ago. If you really need a lesson in praying, go watch the movie War Room! I have also looked up some scripture to back up these times.
1) When their dreams are big.
Let them dream. And pray for them while they do it.
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
2) When their hearts are hearting.
Psalms 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
3) When there is evil among them.
We must stand in the gap.
This is the most crucial of all the prayers you will use to cover your child.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Matthew 18:20 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Continue praying daily.
Pray for their safety.
Psalm 121:5-8 The Lord watches over you-- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm- He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Pray favor upon them.
God wants to do great things for your children, you need to ask Him.
Psalm 5:12 Surely, Lord you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
If something tragic were to happen, like a crazy accident, you would immediately step in and try to save your child, right? It is a mother’s instinct. Sometimes, praying for ourselves, other things and other people is hard, but for my children, that comes naturally. I think that is why God hears us so clearly when we come to Him, pleading on our children’s behalf. When I am on my knees for them, I have a direct line to Jesus in the quiet. I know now that my life in this moment is walking proof of my own mother's many prayers for me.
As my children are now teenagers tonight, my prayer is slightly different, but still the same.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for my children, thank you for their salvation, and thank you for your goodness. Please protect them from all evil and keep them safe. Let them be a light to others and show them the way to your kingdom. Please continue to surround them with good people and let them keep their eyes on Jesus in all they do.
I love you so much Lord!
Amen
Praying with you,
Erica
PS- Stay tuned later this week; Michelle has more on the power of prayer coming up! You don’t want to miss it.