Why You Need To Be A Prayerful Parent

Parenting is stressful, but prayer should never become a chore. Rhonda Stoppe shares why you need to be a prayerful parent for your kids!

When I was growing up, each morning my father would put on a pot of coffee, go for a jog, and return to our living room to pray. Every day that I woke up for school, as I staggered toward the kitchen for my breakfast, I would smell the coffee and, in the living room, see my father in his jogging attire, on his knees in prayer.

I cannot begin to tell you the security that washed over me each morning when I saw my dad interceding before the Lord.

To this day, there are times when the smell of early morning coffee brings back the peaceful feelings I experienced as a child when I saw my father praying. (Maybe that’s why I love coffee so much!)

In the same way, if your child observes you praying, he will gain a quiet confidence from knowing that his mother is going to the very throne of God for strength and wisdom to face the day. And as you continue in communion with the Lord, your relationship with Him will grow deeper and your faith will grow stronger.*

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He began, “When you pray…” Notice He said when, not if. Jesus’ word choice presupposes that His disciples will be characterized by prayer. Would your children say that prayer characterizes your life?

It has been said, “No prayer, no power; much prayer, much power.”

I am convinced that spending time in prayer

 is essential to becoming the mother your heart longs to be. 

I realize as a parent there are numerous pressing needs to care for each and every day, so it is easy to push prayer off of the “to-do-list.”

But don’t beat yourself up if you can’t wake up an hour before your kids to pray––with the lack of sleep most mothers face, this can seem like a daunting assignment, and make a prayer life seem unattainable.

Rather than guilting yourself that you’re not spending long periods of time on your knees, realize that even a few minutes a day on your knees can be more effective than you can imagine.

Realize this, Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John chapter 17 is one of the most effective and passionate prayers ever prayed, and if you read it aloud it only takes about three minutes.

Observe this short and powerful prayer of the Apostle Paul for the Thessalonians:

Therefore [I] also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

So, don’t get hung up on how long you’re praying––just pray!

So, tomorrow morning as you brew your morning coffee, remember––when you make even short intervals of prayer a priority, your kids will rest secure that you’re interceding before The Throne.

*Excerpt from Rhonda Stoppe’s ‘Moms Raising Sons To Be Men’

Click here to learn more about Author & Speaker Rhonda Stoppe!