Hi friends, it's Leah F! One of my dearest friends recently wrote about journaling and praying for your children, and I thought it would be a blessing to our Prayer of Hannah readers. Thanks for reading.
"So train the young women to love their husbands and
children." - (Titus 2:4 ESV)
I learned this very well from my mentor, Phyllis, through the
years as I've watched her diligently and passionately pray for her husband
and children, and their spouses, and now her grandchildren. As I've
started my own for my husband, and now my Baby Boy Campbell coming in
September, I wanted to share some thoughts and how-tos that I've learned from
her over the almost 20 years of knowing her.
1. Get
paper. I remember after my second date with my husband, I
went to B&N later that night and got a moleskin notebook and started
journaling and praying for him, knowing one day I would give it to him at our
wedding. And I did. He is reading through it now. But,
really, ladies...you don't need a moleskin or fancy notebook. You can use
a journaling Bible (like this one from
Crossway) and journal through your reading in there or just grab some
loose-leaf paper and stick it in a folder (like we did back in high school,
before everything needed to be turned through a computer). The paper
doesn't matter, the action does.
2. Get a
pen/pencil/crayon. I have tried to steer away from pens
that will bleed through the pages of my moleskin (almost done with a #2 right
now) but sometimes a bleed pen is the only one around. I would also
challenge you to get a real pen and paper (not a computer) because you'll be
able to cherish these notebooks for years to come and your children and husband
can read them as well! I know we are a techno world now, but I truly
believe that some things are better hand-written.
3. Get a
Bible. One of the MUSTS for this type of praying is that
you pray Scripture over your spouse/children. What Phyllis taught me is
that I don't need books or even to be really creative, I just need God's
Word. She trusts in its sufficiency, and so do I. You don't have to
start a new reading plan - just read. If you want to, start with
the Psalms or one of Paul's epistles or (gasp!) even the book of
Deuteronomy. Pray these Scriptures for your husband/children. Here
is an example from Psalm 112:
Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
(Psalm 112:1-8 ESV)
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
(Psalm 112:1-8 ESV)
"Father, I praise you and thank you that you have given me a
Psalm 112 husband. Thank you for answering that prayer. I thank you
that E fears you more than he fears man and that he takes great delight in your
word each morning, even as we are going through James this year as a
couple. I pray that our children, even this little one in my tummy right
now, will be blessed to follow and know you and dwell richly and mightily in
the land as they seek you wholeheartedly because of your grace and the display
of faithfulness of their earthly Father (all because of grace). Thank you
for allowing my E to show me grace and mercy when I fail, and fail miserably at
times. Thank you also that he pursues you and righteousness.
Continue to weigh in his heart and his actions so that they might please
you. I praise YOU that E is a generous man who does not hoard the money
that you have blessed us with but wants our giving and our home to be a place
of blessing for others. May we continue to live in that way. I pray
Lord, that even in difficult times, that you would make his heart strong and
firm in you - knowing that you never change and that you will lead him in
righteousness (Psalm 23). Do not let him coward and be afraid, but be
bold and know that you are God until the day that you make him triumph over his
enemies for the glory of God in the world."
And you can take the same chapter and pray it for your children,
as I will for baby Campbell.
4. Pray.
I know this may seem like the easiest one to do, and I do pray for E all the
time and pray for baby Campbell as well (honestly mostly in the shower), but do
this. I remember living for a time with my mentor and her family. I
remember waking up early in the morning and walking downstairs, and Phyllis had
already been there for hours praying and reading for her soul and the soul of
her family. This was such a testimony to me. I fail in this so
much. I need more grace to make it happen and to make it a glorious
habit.
5. Save.
Save your journals. I will save mine. Got an email from Phyllis
this morning even that she has bookshelves and a chest full of these journals.
What a legacy for your children and spouse as they see a wife/mother who first
loved Jesus then prayed and loved them as well all the days of her life.
6. Side
note: I sometimes read these journals to E as a way to
encourage him. I let him read the first one (I gave it to him before our
wedding). I use it as part journal of our marriage too. So for part
of the journal I'm talking to God and part of it I'm talking to E, or baby
Campbell in his. I've already seen how encouraging this can be and how
much fruit can be harvested from this daily duty of delight (see John
Piper).
7. Baby Boy Praying: When I found out we were going to be blessed with
a little boy, I immediately wanted to know how I could pray, as a mother, for
him to grow into a young man who loved Jesus.
A former boss of mine suggested Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schulz. I purchased it and have been reading the
short chapters and prayer journaling my thoughts on the gospel and manhood for
baby Campbell. I hope it will be a
blessing to him one day.
PS...You can definitely read through books and pray those for your
husband or children. I remember reading through A Guide to Biblical
Manhood written by SBTS Profs Dan
Dumas and Randy Stinson and praying through those traits for E before we got
married. By all means, use other things, but let Scripture be your
guiding principle!
May I encourage you to begin today to be a wife and mother who
lives, has daily dependence on God and His Word and by communing with Him in
prayer. We fail miserably when we try to
survive on our own! Thankful the Holy
Spirit works His Word in us and shapes and fashions us according to His Plan
and for His glory!
Phyllis - thank you for praying for Billy, Jeremy/Katie, Jill/Matt
and all your beautiful grandchildren - and for me. You have truly been a
Scriptural blessing in my life and continue to be so! Proverbs 31 by
grace, you are! And if you have anything you would like to add Phyllis,
please add it in the comments: I still have much to learn!
No comments:
Post a Comment