It's not that I don't pray. I do, regularly–for my grandkids and for their parents.
It's how I pray that I've been thinking about.
I've been thinking about specificity, about timing, and about intensity.
I've been thinking about these things because I've come to believe
prayer is one of the best gifts I can give them.
Is there anything else we can do that has such long-lasting, far-reaching results?
I want to:
- Pray specifically, without resorting to empty phrases or cliche requests. I want to think about their circumstances, their needs and the things they are concerned with. I want my prayers for them to be consistent with God's desires for their lives.
This means I need to know something about them and about their everyday lives.
I have to stay in touch with them, and ask more than superficial questions. I have to be interested in the things they are interested in. I have to think about what it's like to be a child, or a young parent. And I need to watch to see how God is dealing with them. I have to pay attention.
- Pray in a timely way, without ceasing. I want to pray-as-I-go, mindful of what my kids and grandkids might be experiencing at the moment. I want them to know that somewhere someone is keeping them in prayer, during times when everything is going well, during those boring moments when mischief beckons, during the times when it all seems too hard.
This means I want to be ready to pray all the time.
Talk about a tall order! It's easy, after praying, to think “Well, then. That's done for today.”
Except it isn't. If prayer is a conversation with God, I don't want to just talk to Him in the morning, then ignore Him the rest of the day. I want to keep my heart ready and my mind alert. I want to stay in touch with Him all through the day, to listen, and keep the conversation going.
- Pray with intensity. I want to pray with intention, with meaning. I don't want to get caught up in a habit that means little; I want prayer to be effective.
This means remembering “the prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” James 5:16 (The Message)
I don't think intensity means a hand-wringing kind of prayer, but rather a believing prayer. As I pray I want to believe God is listening and working. I want to believe He is hearing what I'm saying, considering it, and acting on my request. Intensity doesn't leave room for doubting those things.
Praying for our kids and grandkids specifically, in a timely way, with intensity — that might be hard to wrap up, but it's a gift worth giving!
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Holly and her husband John have eight kids, six in-laws and ten grandkids to pray for. You can read more on her blog at Grandma on Board.
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Thank you for this. Your words of wisdom are such an encouragement to me, a mama of little ones, to know that there are older women out there who think to pray for us.
What great thoughts! I am great at telling people I will pray for them…I am not as good at actually following through with it. I need to be better about praying with purpose. I think I need to start a prayer book or journal. Maybe that would help.
It's such a privilege to pray for other moms, Lora Lynn! Hope all is well with you. And Tiffany, a prayer journal is a great idea — but even starting with a cup of coffee and a conversation with God is good, I think!