A Mom Who Prays Specifically and Expectantly

{continued from previous post}

Praying through our house brings me to my second challenge…that we be moms who pray specifically and expectantly. I have used the Power of a Praying Parent book when it comes to this aspect of my prayer life as a mom. She goes through 29 specific things that we can pray for our children and I’ve used it as a tool to make lists of things to pray for and to find Scripture to claim as I pray. Scripture is your weapon. In Isaiah 55:11, God says “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” God’s word is living and it always has an impact when we speak it.

For me, getting specific has been the easy part. I could easily go on for pages with examples on this one. Here are just a couple ideas: When I pack a lunch, I don’t just pray that they’ll have a good day at school, I pray that God will find them a seat next to the right friend at lunch, that they will make wise choices in the words that they say and the things they laugh at, that they will remember to put their name on their paper {we've had an issue with this this school year}, that their hearts and minds would be protected from bullying or false teaching. A verse that I love for these “off to school” prayers is Psalm 91:11 “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!”

For those of you with babies, especially girls, I encourage you to, at each feeding, pray against eating disorders and food addictions. Pray it now before they’ve developed the insecurities or habits that will lead to these things. Include Romans 12:1 in your prayer…put your baby’s name in the verse. “Lord, I pray that Karis will honor you with her body because of all You have done for her. That she will be a living and holy sacrifice-one that You find acceptable.”

When you see your baby boy play with his tool set, pray that he will grow into a man that values hard work and is willing to work to provide for his family. Pray Colossians 3:23… “God, I pray that Ethan will work willingly at whatever he does, as though he is working for You, rather than people.”

When you wake each morning, pray that your children will come to know Christ as their savior. When you tuck them in at night, pray that God will reveal to you the gifts he’s given each of them and that, as their mother, you will seize opportunities to grow those gifts in them. When you wake in the night with a fussy baby or toddler, pray that they will live a life free of fear.

When you pray these specific prayers, be sure that you are praying with the expectation that God will answer them. This expecting part is important. Praying expectantly is about having faith that God is listening and trusting that He is working. All too often, I have underestimated the power of God to really answer all the little prayers I send up as I go through my day...either I have felt like He's got better things to do than pass me some extra patience for the 800th time or He’s too busy to give my 2 year old more self control in the throes of a tantrum.

I can’t give you a formula for expecting God. The thing that has made a difference to me, is reminding myself who I’m praying to. I am praying to the God who designs each snowflake, hand paints each sunrise, raises up kings and takes them out. He is the God that selected every personality trait our children have, every strength and every weakness, and He is the God that placed them into our care for a reason. He is the God that sent His son to die for me and my children. Would this God really not be attentive to the details that I pray over? I think not. He is about details and He is about the hearts of His children. He will answer these prayers.