Day IV. Moms and Prayer

I once met a woman who had questioned her faith during her college years. She had actually tried to walk away from the Lord. Yet, her parents had raised her to pray before every meal, and she could not quit doing that. God's answers to her prayers at mealtimes during her period of struggle saved her faith. Even though she was going through the motions, it connected her heart to God's.

It's vital that we teach our children to pray. It's also vital that we, as moms, stay connected to God in prayer, as well. Here are some ideas for praying Moms.

1) From birth, bathe your baby in an atmosphere of prayer. Sometimes, you may find it a struggle to find a quiet moment. Yet, you can always pray when nursing or feeding baby a bottle, changing baby's diaper, taking baby for a stroll, etc. If you develop a practice of praying for your baby as you go about your day, you'll find it more natural to teach your child to pray along with you at times.
2) Begin to pray early for your child's future spouse (or for the Lord to make it clear if your child is to serve him as a single person). Pray for the family of your child's future spouse. When the child becomes old enough, you can teach your child what to look for and pray for in a mate. You can also teach your children how to surrender the time of waiting or even lifelong single-hood to the Lord.
3) As soon as your child is old enough to say even the simplest of prayers, pray with the child at meals and at bedtime. Pray together as a family before leaving on a trip. Pray together for relatives, people at church, people in your neighborhood, people in need. Pray and thank God when happy things happen. Pray prayers of rejoicing for your family and also for the good things that happen to others. Use different occasions as times to pray.
4) Set up a world map somewhere in your house and pray for the people in different countries. Select a country for each day, or pray about a country for a week or so in order to have time to study and learn about the country you are praying for.
5) As is age-appropriate, help your child memorize portions of the psalms, especially portions of praise and thanksgiving. Look for great prayers of praise and thanksgiving throughout the scriptures and memorize those portions.

Enjoy!
elizabeth