When my children were young, an older friend of mine named Carol told me a story I’ll never forget.
Carol said, “Last night John was out on a date with a particular girl he had met at church. As the evening wore on, the Lord impressed upon my heart to turn off the television and get on my knees to pray for my son’s purity.”
Carol went on to describe how she could not shake the burden she felt to pray for her son. So on her knees she went––and she stayed there until John walked in the door after his date.
The next morning at breakfast Carol shared with John the experience she had the night before. John just stared at his mom in disbelief.
At first Carol was concerned that John was angry with her for questioning his integrity, but then John said, “Oh mom. Thank you so much for praying for me last night. I knew I was getting in over my head when I began to kiss this girl. As one thing led to another, all-of-the-sudden I experienced an incredible conviction from the Lord.”
John went on to explain to his mother how it was the girl who spoke up and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this.” Sensing incredible relief, John agreed with the girl and walked her to her front door.
I remember being a bit taken aback that Carol was sharing with me such intimate details of her son’s dating experience. However, her vulnerability was not wasted upon me as a young mom, the story made upon me an impression I will never forget.
I thought to myself, If I am not willing to drop everything to pray for my children, then who is going to do it?
IF NOT YOU THEN WHO?
The prophet Ezekiel gives insight into how diligently God seeks those who will stand in the gap in prayer over their generation.
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge,
and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it:
but I found none.
Ezekiel 22:30
When God looks for people to pray over this generation, does He find you on your knees? When the Lord impresses upon your heart to pray, do you make it your number one priority––no matter how busy or distracted you may be?
Prayer is an avenue for you to obtain strength from the Lord. James 5:16 promises, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous [person] avails much.”
In the 18 years that my husband was a youth pastor, we learned no matter how different the parenting styles of the parents of the teens in our youth ministry, the students who had Christian parents praying for them were by far the most grounded in their faith.
I am convinced that prayer is the most neglected resource
that parents have at their disposal.*
In this age of always doing something, prayer can seem like a waste of time. Sadly, for many of us, prayer is an afterthought. When it comes to seeking a solution for a situation, after all other avenues have been exhausted, how often have you heard someone say, “All we can do now is pray”?
Learn to make prayer your first, central, and last resort.
Or else, in all your doing, if there is no praying, your best efforts will be in vain.
Billy Graham’s mother was so devoted to praying for her son that she set aside a period of time every day to pray solely for Billy, and the calling she believed was his. She continued praying for seven years–never missing a day until Billy was well on his way as a preacher and evangelist.
And then Billy’s mom changed her prayer to ask God to help Billy’s preaching meet God’s approval – based upon the scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15.
Over the course of Billy Graham’s lifetime, how many hundreds of thousands of people have heard him preach the gospel? Every soul who has come to Christ as a result of Graham’s preaching is a fruit of his mother’s prayer ministry. Isn’t that exciting?
Have you ever considered that your prayers could
set in motion a chain of events
for a spiritual awakening?
It’s no wonder Satan tries to keep us too busy to pray. Every woman who has raised children for God’s glory has found her effectiveness not in her own abilities, but in her relationship with the Lord.
Second Corinthians 3:5 reminds us that only God can make us adequate to do His work. For the ministry of motherhood, the Lord has given you everything you need for life and godliness in Christ Jesus (2 Peter 1:3).
And He has given you His treasured resource, the Bible, to direct you because “it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).
To raise godly children does not require you to know everything about the Bible, but it does demand prayer. If you are not on your knees for your children–and for this generation, than who?
So, what’s the key to being an effective prayer warrior? Knowing God’s Word will make your faith strong and your faith will make you a courageous prayer warrior.
Rhonda Stoppe is the NO REGRETS WOMAN. With more than 30 years experience of helping women live life with no regrets. Rhonda Stoppe’s book Moms Raising Sons to Be Men is mentoring thousands of moms to guide sons toward a no-regrets life. Her new book IF MY HUSBAND WOULD CHANGE I’D BE HAPPY-And Other Myths Wives Believe (Harvest House Publishers) is helping countless women build no-regrets marriages.
To book Rhonda for your next event visit: NoRegretsWoman.com
*Excerpt Moms Raising Sons to Be Men
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