For years I have functioned from this warped thinking that it’s all up to me!
I’m not sure where I came up with this idea but it was leaving me exhausted and unhappy.
God did not design for us to do motherhood alone and on our own. He has given us 24/7 access to Him through prayer. If we stop to think about that for a minute it’s pretty amazing–we always have direct access to Him. He has given us His Spirit to guide us, comfort us, exhort us, and teach us. He has given us His people to come alongside us so we don’t go at it alone.
I’m reminded of something Priscilla Shirer said in her book Fervent,
He wants you miserable and exhausted and joyless and undone. He wants that picture of the gospel–the one you call your marriage and your family–he wants it tarnished. Ripped up. Smeared in the mud of failure. Wherever discord is present, he’s never too far away…
But maybe he wasn’t counting on this; a woman who’d had enough, enough to start taking some prayer action. For her marriage, for her husband, for her children–for all her family.”
In my 16 years on this motherhood journey, God has been teaching me how parenting strategies and plans are helpful with behavior change but it is Him who does the heart change.
We are not meant to carry the burden and weight of the souls, lives, emotions, actions, hearts, and words of our children. Yes, we are to train them, guide them, love them, and coach them through life but it is God who does the heart work. So we go to Him on behalf of our children, our spouse, and our family.
Prayer is not a tool to fix our children
My mama’s heart wants to “fix” their weaknesses but I also know that in their weakness His power is made perfect. Prayer is not a tool to fix our children. Prayer aligns my will to His, not His to mine– God’s will for my children. Prayer reminds me that God has a purpose for my children for they are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for the good works HE has prepared in advance for them to do. (Eph 2:10)
I’m learning that I don’t need to save or fix my children. My mama bear heart wants to save them from hurt, pain, challenges, and bullies but I also know that God can use that pain to strengthen them, redeem them and draw them close to Him.
God didn’t make me a mother so I could fix or save my children but to love them, guide them and pray for them.
So today I want to focus on the honor and responsibility we get as mothers–to pray for our children. Prayer gives us the strength to battle against the enemy’s plan to steal and destroy our families and homes.
Prayer is an invitation from God our Father to connect and we accept the invitation when we allow Him to enter into our heart, our pain, joy, and worries.
Praying For Your Children From Head to Toe
There’s strategy to this combination of the Word and prayer. From Scripture, we receive written proof of what God has done for us, what He’s created us and called us and empowered us into becoming. Then in prayer we cooperate with Him to stamp these truths repeatedly into our hearts. And then, more than that, we access them and engage them and draw down their power into our everyday experience.” P. Shirer
You can download this printable by clicking—-> Praying for your child from Head to toe but the longer version is below.
We are going to pray for our children from “Head to Toe”.
Pray for Their Mind: Lord, I pray that you would help ___ catch every thought and make it obedient to you. Help ___ not be conformed to this world but that __ would let you transform ___ into a new person by changing the way ___ thinks so he can discern what is good, acceptable and your will. (Romans 12:2, 2 Cor. 10:5)
Pray for their Eyes: I ask that you’d give __ eyes to see the wonders and goodness of who you are in and around him. Help ___ really see people for who they are and respect them. Give ___ the ability to turn his eyes away from evil and focus them on you.
Pray for their Ears: Heavenly Father, There are so many voices out there that want to influence our children but ___ tune those out so ___ can hear your voice above all of them. Help ___ discern evil from good and choose truth in the midst of it all.
Pray for their Mouth: Lord may ___ words be pleasing to you; filled with truth, gratitude and kindness so that others may see You through ___. Remind ___ to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. (James 1:19)
Pray for their Hands: Lord, May they use their hands to work hard, and may they be willing to serve those in need. Let the beauty of the Lord be upon them, and establish the work of their hands. (Psalms 90:17)
Pray for their Feet: Let ___ throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let ___ run with perseverance the race, fixing __ eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2) May ___ walk with the wise and not the foolish. Give ___ the courage to stand fast and to remove those stumbling blocks from ___ path.
Pray for their Heart: Heavenly Father, May ___ desire to be in your presence above all else, draw ___ close to you. May ___ trust you with all ___ heart and not rely in __ own understanding but in all his ways acknowledge you. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Teach ___ to hide your word in __ heart.
If he can get you to believe his lies, you won’t feel equipped or entitled to stand up against him. You’ll be weak and helpless, and then he can run roughshod over you and over the things and people you love…
He can wedge himself into the space between the two and short-circuit the free-flowing effectiveness of your influence as a wife, a mom, a friend, a daughter, a sister… That’s why you and I need to be praying–to keep the truth about our real identity in constant, unbroken focus before us… ~P. Shirer
Earlier this year I decided I was going to go through 31 Days of Praying the Psalms for my children. I shared it on here because I needed the extra accountability to pray (beyond take care of them Jesus prayers) and encourage my children on a daily basis. I loved it so much and I could see my kids connecting to me and softened their hearts in the midst of hard conversations. You can find it HERE in my shop if you want to look over the cards!
Let’s pray! Even though this year may look different for you and your children we can still pray that the Lord will work in them and through them in a might way.
