Prayer

I was laying out by the pool yesterday reading The Power of a Positive Mom and watching my kiddos splash in the pool. I was reading Chapter 6: A Positive Mom is a Praying Mom.

Karol Ladd says, "Do you want to make a positive impact on the next generation? Become a praying mom!"

Wow!

I am not saying that I don't pray. I do. But I often forget to pray for the very people I live with...Paul, Parker and Tanner. I can tend to only pray when a situation arises--crisis mode. Like a few days ago when we were at the pool, one of my neighbors and good friend told me that I should talk to Parker about what he was saying.

It is not important for you to know what he said but let's just say.....It sounded like something you would see on Dateline.

I mean what do you do? I pulled Parker aside and immediately started asking questions to get to the root of it, of why he would say such things. I reminded him of what God thought about what he said and then reminded him of how much God loved him and desires him to reflect His character.

You better believe I got on my knees that night and asked the Lord to help Parker make better choices. But the thing is, I don't want to react. I want to be proactive.

Yesterday a friend of mine reminded me of John Wesley's mother, Susanna, who was a devoted prayer warrior. Susanna believed very strongly in daily prayer and if she could not find a private place in the house to pray, she put her apron over her head as a sign to the children to be extra quiet, mom was praying.

Makes me want to go out and buy an apron! :)

I truly want to become a woman of prayer. Not only for my family but for those that God puts in my life.

Some suggestions from Ladd's book:

1. Set aside a time to meet with God

2. Find a place to meet with God without distractions. (Buy an apron if you need too.) :)

3. Set aside a Bible in the household for use as your family's "prayer Bible." Highlight the passages and promises for which you want to pray for you and your family. You may want to use a different color marker for each family member.

Here are some suggested verses that Ladd gives to help get you started.

• Pray that they will come to know Christ and follow him (Romans 10:9-11)
• Pray that they will be able to recognize evil and hate it (Psalm 97:10)
• Pray that when they do something wrong, they will be caught (Psalm 119:17)
• Pray for protection against the evil one (John 17:15)
• Pray that they will be kind and forgiving towards others (Ephesians 4:32)
• Pray that they'll have courage to stand up for what is right (Joshua 1:7)
• Pray that they will have respect for authority (Romans 13:1)
• Pray that they will chose wise friends (Proverbs 13:20)
• Pray for their future spouse, that they will marry a godly person (2 Corinthians 6:14-17)
• Pray for them to submit to God and resisit the devil (James 4:7)

This morning I got out my "household Bible" and started marking verses for my family. AND I actually got up before the boys did to spend time with my sweet Father. It was so refreshing to sit out on the screened porch with a cut of coffee, my "household Bible," my journal just pouring my heart out to Him.
I encourage you to do the same. If you have to put a blanket over your head and tell your children that when you have the blanket over your head you are spending time praying with the Father, your children will grow to honor and respect that time. Who knows they may just grow up with a heart like John Wesley. :)
~kerry