If you are joining me from my Encouragement for Today devotion, welcome!  I am so excited you stopped by.  Today I share one of the great passions of my heart…prayer…more specifically praying for our children.

“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)

Praying for our children is a form of intercessory prayer.  It’s one of the greatest gifts we can give our children and invites God to work in and through us to affect their lives.

The Bible promises,

“The prayer of a righteous [woman] is powerful and effective.”  James 5:16b (NIV)

If you lack confidence in praying, which many women do,  I’m so glad you stopped by today!  This post is for you.  I want you to know that all God needs is a willing heart.  He does the rest.  Anyone who loves the Lord can pray!!

The key to the kind of prayer we’re talking about today is praying the Scriptures.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us that as we pray the Scriptures, we are praying God’s living and active Word into our circumstances and into the lives of our children.

Praying God’s Word is what makes our prayers powerful and effective.  Why?  Because we’re laying God’s promises before Him and and appropriating them for our children.

So as you seek to pray for your children, open your Bible and search the Scriptures.  As you gaze into His Word, you will hear His voice and find His perspective on what to pray and how to pray it.  Sit and soak and listen.  When you pinpoint the Scriptures that speak to you, pray them back to God.  I know it sounds complicated, but it’s really very simple.

Let’s try it together.

Below are some verses and prayers I have prayed for my children in the past.  Perhaps some will capture your heart.

Maybe you want to pray for their salvation because they don’t know the Lord.

Lord, please open and tender Katie’s heart and provide an opportunity for her to receive the gift of salvation by Your grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 7:10

Maybe you want your child to know and love God’s Word.

Hide Your Word in Grayson’s heart so his desire is to please and obey You in all he says and does.  Psalm 119:11

Help Betsy to trust in You with all her heart and lean not on her own understanding and to acknowledge You in all her ways.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Give Tyler wisdom beyond his years, Father, keep him pure by leading him to live according to Your word.  James 1:5, Psalm 119:9

Maybe you want your child to experience the deep love of God.

Father, penetrate Christina’s heart with Your love, help her to love who You have created her to be, and ensure that she knows how long and wide and high and deep is Your love.  Psalm 139; Ephesians 3:18

Maybe you want your child to have a thankful heart.

Give Peter a thankful and contented heart.  1 Thessalonians 5:8, Philippians 4:11, Philippians 

Maybe your child needs freedom from anxiety and worry.

Father, help Maddie to not worry about anything, but instead to pray about everything with a thankful heart.  Help her to understand that it is then that she will experience Your peace that passes all understanding in a way that will guard her heart and mind.  Philippians 4:6-7

Maybe your child  needs to learn humility.

Clothe Spencer in humility and teach him to put others first.  Help him to see that it is when he humbles himself that he will be exalted. Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12-13; Luke 18:14

Maybe your child is fearful.

Father, teach Ellen to understand that You do not give a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Father, I pray the Armor of God over Luke: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace,  the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.  Ephesians 6:13-17

Maybe your child struggles with despair.

Father, return to Ellie, the joy of her salvation.  Teach her to say, “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it,” no matter what her day may hold.  Psalm 118:24; Psalm 51:12

 And a prayer I have prayed with my children from the first day I  learned to pray God’s Word comes from Luke 2:52 and Daniel 1:

Father, grow my two precious children, Lauren and Bo, in wisdom and stature and favor with You and with man.

Every time a good report card comes home, or they receive a compliment from another parent, or they’re chosen for an honor at church or school, or I look upon the 6’3″ frame that is now my 15 year-old son, I remind them of this prayer.  I remind them how we’ve prayed it every morning together and how God is being  faithful to answer it so specifically.

I’ve included lots of examples here because I want you to see how many ways you can pray for your children.  I simply took a verse of Scripture and incorporated it in a sentence with a name to create a prayer from my heart.

Sweet friend, praying this way for your children will build your faith and your prayer life.  Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good New about Christ.” (NLT)  The good news about Christ is the Word of God.

Pray BOLDLY and CONFIDENTLY because you’re praying the mind and will of God as revealed in His Word.

You can use this same method to pray for your husband, friends, family and anyone else for whom you feel led to pray.

If you want to dig deeper into this topic, my book Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner devotes several chapters to quiet time, prayer, and abiding.  These three disciplines work together to enrich and strengthen your prayer life.  If you order Hidden Joy in the month of April from Proverbs 31, we’ll send you a signed copy of Hidden Joy.

And if you leave a comment today sharing your favorite verse or prayer you pray for your children, I will choose one name from the comments to receive a signed copy of Hidden Joy.  I’ll announce the winner on April 23rd.

Finally, remember we have a new on-line study that will begin May 8th and run for three weeks.  It’s shorter than most of my studies, but it will be packed full of wonderful lessons gleaned from the lives of two of the most beloved women in the Bible….Mary and Martha.  There is no cost for the study.  All you’ll need is a computer, a Bible, and a notebook or journal.

If you want to learn more about the study, click here. To register simply visit the right side of my blog and click on “Sign up for Wendy’s On-Line studies.”  Doing this registers you for this study and ensures you will receive invitations for all future studies.  If you’ve registered for an on-line study in the past, you don’t need to re-register.

If you would like to receive the weekly posts for the on-line study in your inbox, at the top of this sidebar, you’ll see ”Subscribe to Updates.”  Place your e-mail address in the box and click “Go.”  All registration information you share stays confidential.

Blessings,

Where is it you are calling me, Lord? What is it you want me to do?

Have these questions crossed your mind? You are not alone. We long to know our purpose.

Looking back on my own journey, I realize that  sometimes we make what is simple complicated.  In today’s Encouragement for Today Devotion, I share  the practical steps God took me through to discover my calling.   They are not hard, but they require a H.E.A.R.T. exercise.

We must…

humble our hearts,

examine our life experiences and current circumstances,

apply our gifts and talents,

read, study and pray the Word of God, and

trust in God’s timing and His answer.

The devotional expands on each of these steps.

God also gives direction in His Word.  Here are some of my favorite Scriptures …

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  Proverbs 16:3

For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, “plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

God wants each one of us to discover His plan for us. Prayer is a huge part of discovering His plan. As you pray, God will lead.  Look for signs that He is at work in your midst. When you sense Him leading, take the next step.  When you take the next step, trust and obey.

Are you hearing something from the Lord and aren’t sure what? Keep a notebook or journal. Write down what  you hear. Pay attention to what God is doing. Listen to the words spoken by others about what you are doing. Note any verses that capture your heart. Write your prayers and incorporate those verses. Personalize each and every one.

In the 4 minute video below, I share a short prayer for you. If you would like a copy of the prayer, please visit my free resources page or click here for copy.

The Lord wants to accomplish great things through you, my friend. What is God asking you to do in response to what you have heard and read today? What  ”next step” will you take today? Do you need to…

Change your prayers?

Surrender your agenda?

Abandon your own plan?

Take one step of obedience?

Accept His timing?

In my devotional, I share how I walked into the house in which I now live  and heard God whisper, “This will be a house of prayer and teaching.” In that moment, I had no idea what the Lord meant.  In fact, I had never really even been in a Bible study, so how could I teach one??? But whisper by whisper, verse  by verse, step by step the Lord led me.  He led me to the day I opened my home to lead a Bible study, nearly 5 years after that first whisper.  And what a precious day it was.  And  our small group of 12 who met that day has grown to a study of over 130 women!!  We have outgrown my home and meet at my church.  We are in our ninth year and have six small groups.  

If you would have told me that was God’s plan for my life when I moved to Charlotte, I would have laughed hysterically as Sara did when she heard she was to have a child.

But  we have a faithful God Who honors His Word and every promise in it. Our God promises Ephesians 3:20 work in our lives. He promises to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine. He has done that for me.  And I know He will do that for you!

Thank you for stopping by today.  I would love to connect with you in two ways today.

First, if you need prayer about your calling or about taking your next step, please share it in a comment below, and I promise to pray for you.

Second, we are forming a new group called Wendy’s Street Team.  I would love for you to team up with me for the publication of my very first Bible study!!  This group will be part of promoting the  ”Living So That” Bible study and future Bible study projects. We will have many fun ways for the Street Team to participate and help promote new projects, including sneak peaks at new studies and special perks as the time for publication draws near. To become a member, e-mail me at deuteronomysix@aol.com and put “Wendy’s Street Team” in the subject heading and include your name, e-mail address, cell phone, city and state.  My dear friend and assistant, Lisa Sheltra, will be helping me coordinate this effort.  

Sweet Blessings to you,

 

My last blog post, entitled Resolve to Rest, elicited an amazing response from you.  Thank you for stopping by to share your thoughts, comments, prayers and verses.  The great number of responses led me to write this follow-up message.  Today, I will provide a practical way for us to “Resolve to Rest.”  To encourage participation, I will choose two names from the comments shared to win a daily devotional.

I read through your comments, prayers, and sweet notes of encouragement. So many of you honestly shared how you too struggled with the very same issue.  It seems I am not alone in struggling to find a place of peace and rest in the midst of every day life.

One of the places I most experience rest is at Ocean Isle Beach, NC.  We go there often as a family. Something about the sounds and sights of the ocean and the beauty of the sunset bring me great peace and an incredible closeness to God.  Below is a picture of one of my most favorite places at the beach to sit and enjoy God’ creation.

Why is it so hard to replicate this feeling of rest in the busyness of the “real world?”  As I sat with the Lord with this question, He gave me a wonderful acronym for the word “rest.”  And I realized that it followed exactly the steps I followed to find my rest in late December.

RESOLVE TO REST

 

Recognize Symptoms

What is going on that feels different, “not normal,” in your life/relationships/health?  List what you discover.

 

Evaluate Cause

Is there a specific cause or is it a general feeling?  Identify it and write it down.

 

Search Scripture

What promises or truths from God’s Word address what you are feeling? Write each one down.  Personalize them with your name.

 

Trust God

Do you trust someone or something more than God?  If you do, identify what or who it is.

 

Proceed through each step and spend time on each one.  Use a journal or notebook.  Begin with prayer.  Ask the question.  Listen and pray.  The Lord will direct your every step.  Write what you hear.

Remember as you begin, the Lord promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts, He will be found by us!  He will be faithful to show up in your time alone with Him.

God does not want us to stay in places of uncertainty, worry, anxiety, restlessness, confusion, doubt and emptiness.  He is Jehovah Rapha, God the Healer.  He wants to bring healing and wholeness to our hearts, minds, and bodies.  Because it is in the healing we will become productive and useful for God, able to live out the purposes for which He created us.

This is a conscious decision you and I have to make.  We must RESOLVE to REST.  Resolve means “to come to a definite or earnest decision about something.”  Make up your mind today!

Resolve to Rest.

I will be praying for you.  Stop by and share how God is at work in your time with Him.  We would LOVE to hear your stories.  And share this with your friends and Bible study small groups.  Committing to new resolutions is always easier when you do it with friends!

And as an incentive for making this resolution, I will choose two names from the comments left to receive a daily devotional.  I will announce the winners the end of next week.  This will give you time to really listen to the Lord and take active steps toward what you hear.

Blessings to you,