When Your Children Are Traveling and You Are Not…(The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian is a Relief-Infused Tool.)
Any of you Fearful Fretters out there? Worry Warts? I’ve been known to rekindle worry as if it were a lost art.
Now that our three boys are grown and, as most of you know, almost all married, I feel somewhat of a responsibility for all five children.
Growing up as an only child, where the world did ever-so-slightly tilt my way (!!!), my toughest lesson was sharing. Chuckle you may, my own Mother would tell you I was spoiled. Confession: I rather relished it.
My sweet husband still spoils me. I keep telling him he’s creating a monster….not stoppin’ him tho’!!! Forgive me, Lord.
This leaves both of us trying to divert and direct attention five ways for our five children. Easiest way, of course, is to feed them. They tend to love to come around during mealtimes.
Besides feeding them, the BEST THING any of us can do for our children is to simply PRAY.
Why do we so easily forget to pray?
I suppose the worst memories of our children traveling on their own were the years of college when they’d hop in a car full of kids and drive thru’ the night for Spring Break. Rather than sleeping soundly and trusting our Sovereign Lord, I’d stew and toss and turn, consequently looking like a truck ran over me in the morning. Forgive me, Lord.
As of this post, our middle son and his fiancée just drove to Dallas, Texas to stay with friends and attend a commercial real estate class this week. Happy to report they made it there, but come Saturday, you can predict John and I’ll be back in prayer mode!!!
Last night we were blessed to have dinner with my in-laws and our newest married child and his wife. (See what I mean about mealtimes???!!!) Woody’s wife, LT, will begin a new teaching job this week, so mega prayers will be going her way as well. Prayers for her students, their families, her strength, stamina and patience, for Woody to be extra attentive to her, etc., etc., etc…
Do we realize we could pray 24/7 and never run out of things to pray for? Shouldn’t this fact make us more in awe of our Awesome God who never sleeps, the very One who created and runs this universe??? Forgive me, Lord.
Stormie Omartian has authored numerous books on prayer. One I return to over and over again is The Power of a Praying Parent. Stormie offers thirty chapters on thirty topics to help us parents navigate the parenting world.
The design of each chapter is ultra effective. Each one offers helpful information, a prayer, and my favorite: “Weapons of Warfare” which are Scriptures pertinent to the chapter’s topic.
These “weapons” are where the rubber meets the road. For example, Ephesians 6:14 and 15 show us what three of the many pieces of the Full Armor of God do: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
A favorite chapter is “Releasing My Child into God’s Hands”. She discusses the numerous fears and worries she had after having her first child. She feared he’d drown in the bathtub, be injured from dropping him, be kidnapped, and the list progressively increases with paranoia.
We laugh at such, but I for one, have been gripped by fear even as our boys are now young adults. Stormie adds, “In an act more of desperation than obedience, I cried out to God concerning this.
He immediately reminded me that my son was a gift to us from Him and that He cared even more about our son than we did.” Stellar reminder!!! Forgive me, Lord.
Stormie recounts, “Whenever I had fear (or worry) about anything, I immediately took it as a sign to pray until I felt peace. Daily I released my son to God and asked Him to be in charge of his life. This took the pressure off me and parenting became much more enjoyable.” We’d better re-read those last three sentences!!!
My friend Cynthia Kragthorpe said something when she lived down the street from us I’ll never forget. She said this during a time of huge trials (yes, plural) she and her family were undergoing. She said, “Last time I checked, God was still on the throne.” Yes Ma’am, He is.
Thanks be to God.
Let’s close with one of Stormie’s beautiful prayers:
“Lord, I come to You in Jesus’ name and give (name of your child/children) to You. I’m convinced that You alone know what is best for him (her). You alone know what he (she) needs. I release him (her) to You to care for and protect… Teach me how to pray and guide me in what to pray about. Help me not to impose my own will when I’m praying for him (her), but rather enable me to pray that Your will be done in his (her) life.
Thank you that I can partner with You in raising him (her) and that I don’t have to do it alone….
Thank you Lord, for the precious gift of this child (children), because Your Word says that every good gift comes from You…
Show me places where I continue to hang on to him (her) and enable me to release him (her) to Your protection, guidance, and counsel.
Help me not to live in fear of possible dangers, but in the joy and peace of knowing that You are in control. ..This day I trust my child to You and release him (her) into Your hands.”
‘Til next time!
P.S. This book can be read one chapter a day for one month or one chapter a week to get you thru’ more than half a year. You’ll enjoy praying for your children covering all the wonderful topics Stormie writes about. (Then you can start all over again!)
Yet another book for those of you with grown children I highly recommend is The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children.
And if you have children headed off to school, visit Lysa TerKeurst’s website, Leading Women in the Adventure of Faith. Her August 8th post, Before They Go To School…Have This Conversation, has some wonderful scripture to reflect on.