Mama Prayers—and Two Books You Should Know About

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the power of mama-prayers. These are not new thoughts. For me as a mom, prayer is a way of life. I begin my day—every day—praying for my kids. And their spouses. And their kids. And at Mom to Mom, we constantly encourage moms to pray for their kids. Prayer is, as we often remind one another, “the main event.” But recently I’ve been reminded how very powerful, and how very long-term, praying for our kids must be.

The other weekend I had the privilege, at a retreat where I was speaking, of renewing friendships with a number of women I had not seen in many years. I heard stories of the wonderful work God is doing in the lives of many of their children. We rejoiced together.

But there were other stories of children, many now young adults, who are struggling. Some because of what life seems to have dealt them, others seemingly because of their own poor choices. Kids who seem to be taking the long way around to faith—or back to faith. I came home with many of these stories on my mind.

And I thought of you—any of you reading this blog—and wondered what your stories are just now. I also thought of two books I’d like all moms to know about than can provide great encouragement to us as we wear out those “knee pads” for our kids.

The first is a long-time favorite: Prodigals and Those Who Love Them, by Ruth Bell Graham. It is a beautifully written book full of encouragement for moms who (as the inscription to the latest edition quotes a prodigal’s mom saying) “wake up every morning not from a nightmare, but to one.” It may not be that dramatic for you. But the hope-filled authenticity of this mom, wife of Billy Graham, as she writes about her years of waiting for prodigals to come home, will encourage any mother to take heart, hold on to hope, and keep praying for her kids.

Then I just finished reading When Moms Pray Together, by Fern Nichols and others. Many of you may recognize Fern’s name because she is the founder of a marvelous organization called Moms in Touch International. The book is filled with stories of different moms who prayed for their kids with a Moms in Touch prayer group. The stories are tearful, sometimes triumphant, sometimes still waiting—but all faith-filled because of the hope we have in Jesus. He never gives up on our kids!

You may find this book to be just the encouragement you need right now. But even more than any book, I encourage you to keep praying for your children. It may help you to seek out a Moms in Touch group you can join. You can search for one in your area at www.momsintouch.org. A few months ago, I had the privilege of joining my daughter-in-law in praying with her Moms in Touch group. It was a powerful experience.

But even if you cannot join such a group right now, God is ready to hear your prayers for your children no matter where you pray them. And no matter how long you’ve been praying them! As I read in Streams in the Desert for March 5, “The greatest challenge in receiving things from God is holding on for the last half hour.”

Remember, He loves them more than you do. And he never, never lets go.