I love to listen to this podcast called God Centered Mom. If you don't already listen, or are looking for some real encouragement and accountability from fellow women of faith, I strongly encourage you to check this out. I discovered Heather's podcast back in December 2016 and I have loved it every since! I have heard so many things that have changed my walk with the Lord and started conversations with my husband that otherwise I wouldn't have known how to start. I love that this is a place I can go to hear from Godly women about their journey with Him and with their families. Even if you aren't a mom yet, this is an amazing resource for Godly info and encouragement.
A recent episode featured author, Jodie Berndt. Her books, Praying the Scriptures for Your Children, Praying the Scriptures for Your Teenagers, and Praying the Scripture for Your Adult Children are packed with stories followed by scriptures to practically pray over your children. I look forward to getting her book this month, but in the meantime I have been using the verses she talked about on the show, and looking for some of my own. I want to apply this practice not only to my kids, but to my husband, my family, my friends, and the world.
Recently in Sunday School we talked about the power of prayer and the model of prayer Jesus left for us in His Word. He also instructed us how not to pray,Â
"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words." [Matthew 6:7 NKJV]
The Holy Spirit has recently convicted me of having a shallow prayer life and like the heathens, vainly repeating the same phrases as if they had power or if I ask enough times, God will make it happen. The encouragement I found in Jodie's episode was to pray with the power of God's Word. What better words to put in our hearts and minds so that we can pray them over our children and families and especially the world? Two verses in particular stuck out to me as a good place for me to start. [Psalm 121:7-8 and Acts 26:18.]
One of my biggest fears in life is something terrible happening to my children. Every night as I'm getting ready for bed I go in and check on my precious boys and pray that God would keep them safe and healthy. I convince myself that if I ask God to grow them into strong men that have a passion for Him, that those words somehow protect them into adulthood and that if I pray for that, God has some sort of obligation to not let any harm come to them. I see and understand the error in my thought process there, but isn't it sad how Satan uses fear to so twist our perspective on the power of God? How are my vain repetitions going to stop God if his plan is to call my children home? (The new song by Zach Williams has been on my mind a lot lately.)
This is where another verse Jodie mentioned comes to mind, and this is probably the first one I need to memorize. Philippians 2:13 says that God is the one that works through me (and my kids, and my spouse, and my family) in order to fulfill his purpose as He wills it. At first, Satan tries to use this verse to scare me, but then through Jesus, it gives me peace. How am I more powerful than God in keeping my children safe? Who am I to demand that God keep them right where they are if He has a greater purpose for their lives? After all, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a plan and it isn't for evil, but for our welfare. And Jeremiah 1:5 says that before we were even a though in our mother's heart or a twinkle in our daddy's eye, He, God, the creator of the universe, knew me and set me apart for a purpose. He knew each of my children and consecrated them for His purpose. That word consecrate is 'qadash' in Hebrew and it means to sanctify, to prepare and to dedicate.
A few months ago we had the privilege of dedicating all three of our boys to the Lord in front of our church family. As we wrestled all three of them and my arms slowly started to fall asleep from holding the twins, it was hard to focus on the words our pastor spoke to us. AS I reflect on verses like Jeremiah 1:5 I see more and more what my call as a Christian mother is and am thankful for the symbolic gesture of a baby dedication. Now, a baby dedication does not save my children, but rather is a public profession of Kyle and I's commitment to raise our children under God's Word. God has said that He has set apart my boys before the beginning of time. Who am I to question that He loves them and has a plan for them?
This is such a difficult concept to grasp sometimes because we as Moms have such a strong maternal pull to guard and protect our children. I mean I am a Mama bear right along the rest of them, but I have learned day by day and am still learning how to surrender my children to the Lord. When I was pregnant with the twins and we didn't know if they were Mono/Mono or Mono/Di, I remember just sobbing to my best friend over the phone because I had allowed my self to be overcome with fear for my children. I didn't know if they would be healthy, or even survive. We didn't find out we were having twins until almost 20 weeks and I was terrified that something would go wrong and I could do nothing about it. I see now, that it was God's grace that hid little Asher-man until our anatomy scan so that I wouldn't be so overcome with worry the entire pregnancy. It was during that time, that God started drawing me nearer to Him to trust Him with my children and to give Him my everything. Sometimes, it was a daily or hourly surrender, but the peace of God flooded my soul when I did surrender to Him.
I am thankful that God put in Jodie's heart to record these verses and bit of encouragement for Moms like me who need help getting started. The verse I now pray over my boys at night reads, "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." – Psalm 121:7-8. I love the way to make it personal, there is such power in the Word of God. It goes something like this,
Lord, keep Raylen, Leland, and Asher from all harm-- watch over them; watch over them and keep them wherever to go.
When I am afraid and worried about my kids and their future, I remember this verse: Jeremiah 29:11.
God, You know the plans You have for Ralyen, Leland, and Asher. You have declared it! Your plans are good, not evil. Your plans are to give them a future and a hope.
The other verse Jodie mentioned that is now on an index card is a prayer for my children's salvation. [Acts 26:18]
Jesus, Open Raylen, Leland, and Asher's eyes. Turn them from darkness to light. Turn them from Satan to God that they might receive forgiveness of sins and have a place among those who are sanctified by faith in You.
Is a prayer that says, "God keep them safe and save them" any less effective than praying these desires through scriptures? No, I don't think so. But, this all goes back to what Jesus said about empty prayers and vain repetitions. For me, I have found finding scriptures to pray over my family have put into words the desire of my heart in a way I couldn't express before. It also keeps my desires in line with God's will. How can I pray HIS WORDS and not be praying HIS WILL? I have to acknowledge that in all of these things, His will be done.
I don't really know how else to wrap this up other than to say thank you and I hope this has brought you some encouragement. And here is a picture of our little monkeys at the baby dedication. <3
