Guest Post

I am honored to have Cherry from Pursuing Heart share her heart with us this week. She is a godly lady who I admire. Being in ministry, I have gone to her with questions about balancing family life and ministry and her wisdom has been a blessing to me. Thank you Cherry for sharing with us.

Mother Prayers

There are many things that call for our attention as mothers, and one that needs to be top on our list is one simple word - to pray. Ranking right up near the top, along with the word love.

Of course, we do pray for our children - spontaneous prayers all through the day, prayers of thanks, of joy, prayers asking for help with the challenging moments of mothering.

But do we comprehend how important it is for us to fervently, consistently seek God for the lives of our children? For what we long for in our children most of all, above everything else, is that they will seek after Him, and that they will live their lives totally abandoned to Jesus. And this is beyond our grasp. This is in the realm of miracles. 


Ruth Bell Graham explains it so clearly:

"We mothers must take care of the possible and trust God for the impossible. We are to love, affirm, encourage, teach, listen, and care for the physical needs of the family. We cannot convict of sin create hunger and thirst after God, or convert. These are miracles, and miracles are not in our  department."

 
Are we willing as moms to give ourselves to praying for our children? Humbly, depending on God for miracles. Or do we think that we can accomplish the impossible? Thinking that miracles are in our own department.
 
There have been frustrating times in my life as a mom when I attempted, though unknowingly at the time, to accomplish the impossible in my own strength. We are to give our lives for our children, doing all we can possibly do to cultivate their hearts, but we must depend on our Creator to cause the seeds to sprout and grow. We are to take care of the possible, and depend on, and ask God to do the impossible.

The miracles come (and I have witnessed them in our own family), and in the process, another amazing miracle is done. A miracle which affects our own hearts in the process of mothering, of loving, and of praying. 
 
Jennifer Kennedy Dean says in her study book on prayer, Live a Praying Life, "During the process, God is at work in us shaping us into the image of Christ. The process of prayer results in change in us. During the process of prayer, he is fashioning a heart like His."
 
As we give our lives to pray for our children (and for others), our hearts become in tune with God's heart. And we are given the incredible opportunity, through prayer, to be part of what He longs to do.

"Rise during the night and cry out.
Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord.
Lift up your hands to Him in prayer,
pleading for your children ... " 
(Lamentations 2:19 NLT)


"When you call on Me, I will answer ..."

 (Psalm 91:15)


 Thank You, Lord, for mothering, for giving us this great responsibility and privilege of being molded to Your heart as we pray for our children, depending on You alone. By Your grace and mercy, and for Your glory alone.  

A few excellent resources to use as we pray for our children:

 The Power of a Praying Parent -
by Stormie Omartian
 
While They Were Sleeping
- 12 character traits for moms to pray
- by Anne Arkins and Gary Harrell

 A Mother's Heart
- by Jean Fleming

 The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children
- by Stormie Omartian

Cherry's main pursuit is to know God more closely, and to be part of what He is doing in people's lives. Her other passions are her husband of 40 years, six grown children, four sons-in-law, and nine sweet grandchildren. She writes over at Pursuing Heart.

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