05 16 08 The Power of a Praying Parent

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
(Ephesians 1:17 NIV)

Nothing is more powerful in my humble opinion than the prayer of a parent. Our children need to know Him better day by day, if not for the first time. Many times, my wife and I have been found pleading with God in the dark of the night (even while riding in the car or truck) to protect our children, heal our children, speak to our children, care for our children, even early on to save our children. Daddy heard those prayers and still has an ear toward us. Hey, I still plea on my own behalf for my needs and wants!

Seriously though, I recall praying for my children’s’ protection from the time they were in their mother’s womb. I take nothing for granted and I realize that our very breath comes from the Lord. Each birth is a miracle in itself and every day of a child’s life needs to be covered in prayer! They face so much in this world that is in stark contradiction to the things we would have them to understand and it gets worse year by year and from one child to the next. Children need THE POWER OF A PRAYING PARENT.

I know my parents prayed and still pray for me! From the days of partying all night after college basketball games; challenges through a divorce and single parenting; and eventual remarriage to the most beautiful bride I could ever imagine, I needed to be covered in prayer! Through it all, the Lord found me and took me from the muck and mire and placed me upon solid footing in a Rock-solid church with sound teaching and biblically modeled servant–leadership! I needed THE POWER OF A PRAYING PARENT!

All of our prayers may not be answered in a way we deem fitting. Our children will make decisions we do not agree with. Like each of us, they will make mistakes and need our help and re-direction. But the time we spend on our knees, head down upon our desks, or on teary-eyed drives late at night, we find a deeper relationship with our DADDY! We learn to trust Him at His will and in His timing. We realize our children are really His and we need Him so desperately if we are to have any success at all as a parent. . We also discover just how much our Father cares for us as we feel the loving warmth of His embrace. We still need THE POWER OF A PRAYING PARENT…it’s within us and we need to use it daily!