Moms in Prayer
Prayer is such an awesome gift that God has given us. I just love being able to talk to God anytime, anywhere, and with anyone! I’m so glad He allows us constant communication with him through this wonderful avenue. My prayer life has definitely grown over the years as I’ve matured in my Christian life. More recently, it has grown even more by my experiences of praying with others and by using a certain format of prayer.
Moms in Prayer
I’d like to share about my experience with a group called Moms in Prayer. It’s simply what it sounds like—moms praying together! We meet regularly with a group from our school (or perhaps a surrounding school if your school doesn’t have one yet) and we pray together, in an organized structure, over our kids, our school, and the teachers. You can learn more about this organization here: momsinprayer.org. All MIP groups follow the same format and I appreciate the consistency you can count on.
Each week focuses on a different attribute of God, including opening the Bible and reading scriptures pointing to that attribute. We start out all together as a group, praying short prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Then, we split into groups of two or three and pray specifically for our children one at a time. It is a very humbling and powerful experience for another mom to pray for your child!
This is also the time when you plug your child’s name into the chosen scripture that week. It is such a cool way to really feel the benefit of exactly what God has intended for us to experience through his Word. This has opened up a whole new meaning of the Scriptures for me as well, when I can put my own child’s name into it and pray that God gives them exactly what they need.
An example of an attribute and scripture to pray would be:
Attribute: God is eternal.
Scripture: May (insert your child’s name) trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (from Isaiah 26:4)
This has definitely impacted and directed my own prayer life. My kids have been impacted too, as I teach them by encouraging a specific format of prayer. This is slightly different than the actual format of MIP but has many similarities. The acronym PRAY helps us remember each part of how we should pray.
P.R.A.Y.
P for Praise—Take time to praise the Father for who he is, focusing on his attributes, his name, and his character.
R for Repent—Confess (silently or aloud) your sins so that he can forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
A for Ask—Ask God for what you need and thank him for what he has done.
Y for Yield—Remember that God is in control of our lives and we need to yield to His plan and let him lead us.
Prayer Presents Possibilities
In addition to deepening my own prayer life, I’ve found that meeting with this group is a great way to meet other moms with similar values, others who desire and make it a priority to pray for their children. It has been such a joy to meet new people who also love the Lord, and nothing breaks down the “getting to know you” barriers better than praying together! I love the fact that once you have prayed with someone, you automatically feel closer to them!
This has also been a perfect opportunity to share my faith with others as well as to invite fellow Christians to grow closer to God by joining us in prayer. Having this as a regular part of my routine and a weekly opportunity to invite others to come pray with us has been a huge blessing.
And finally, being part of Moms in Prayer has impacted my own kids! I usually try to remind them on the day I go to MIP. Afterwards, I tell them that I prayed for them and sometimes even what I prayed for them that week. It is an awesome example to set for your children. When your kids realize you regularly take time out of your week just to lift them up in prayer—THAT is a powerful impact! I pray that this will carry with them throughout their life. I pray they will always make prayer a priority in their own lives, which will in turn help them stay close to God and be faithful servants of His.
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