Moms in Prayer

What just happened?  Could it really be that simple?

Those were the thoughts swirling around my head as I waddled out of my very first Moms in Prayer meeting. I say waddled because at that time I was seven months pregnant with my third child; my oldest daughter was just starting kindergarten at our neighborhood public school. 

I had heard that Moms in Prayer International was a ministry that impacts children and schools worldwide for Christ by gathering moms to pray.  Who doesn’t want to impact children and schools for Christ? Even from that simple mission statement alone, I knew I needed to be a part of it. I went to the ministry website www.MomsInPrayer.org  to see if there was a group praying for my neighborhood elementary school and there was! Just one problem…I was nervous to pray out loud. 

My concern for my children outweighed my fears and I entered my first Moms in Prayer meeting. The things that moms are willing to do for our kids, right? The idea was that I first would just go and observe but as I heard the moms praying in sweet simple phrases, I found myself joining in. I could do this. No eloquence was required. The prayers were simple and from the heart. The Moms in Prayer group loved and welcomed me in just the way I was.  

Fast forward over two decades later, I have had the joy and privilege of praying each one of my four children through elementary, junior high, high school, college and now on into their careers. I cannot even remember the moment it happened, but somewhere along the journey my prayer life was transformed. Instead of being nervous to pray out loud, prayer became my first resort, my passion, my joy!  What happened for me, can happen for you too.  The secret is to just get going and keep going. Perhaps this story will help.

A Transformed Prayer Life

The other day as I was heading out in my car, I saw a little girl walking her bike up a hill. I could tell by her little red face she had been struggling and was now walking her bike instead of riding it. I came to the traffic light and saw her dad at the top of the hill waiting. Stopped at the light, I watched the scene unfold. I wondered what this dad was going to do when his daughter reached him. Would she be scolded for walking instead of riding?  Would he be disappointed in her? And then it happened. The little girl reached her father. To my amazement, the father smiled and told his little girl he was pleased with a fist bump! Her smile lit up the entire block.    

Motherhood is hard and full of get-off-our-bike-and-walk-up-the-hill moments. Is our heavenly Father disappointed in us? No way!  We have a kind and loving Father. He is not a harsh Judge. He tells us even a cup of cold water given in His name will be rewarded (Matthew 10:42). Can you imagine the reward for caring and praying for the children He has given us?   

Not only that, but God has also generously provided other moms that are climbing the same hill with us. Some are ahead of us, some walking beside us and still others others coming up behind us.  That is another one of the many gifts of Moms in Prayer: connection with and the encouragement of godly moms who are on the same journey. Our time together is prayer, discipleship and precious encouragement. Best of all, it’s knowing our heavenly Father has gone before us. He is standing at the top of the hill we are climbing. He is waiting with something even more wonderful than a smile and a fist bump.   

To say Moms in Prayer has blessed our family, our schools and our community is a gigantic understatement. Only eternity will reveal the full impact of all the prayers we have prayed through the years.  I can’t say it better than the Psalmist, “Because He bends down to listen I will pray as long as I have breath” (Psalm 116:2). 

Praying moms make a difference! Moms just like you. Visit www.MomsInPrayer.org  to start praying for your children and schools today.

Looking for more inspiration about the power of a praying mom? Watch the official Paul’s Promise trailer starring Ryan O’Quinn, Linda Purl, Shari Rigby, Nancy Stafford, Josef Cannon, and Dean Cain. Paul’s Promise will be in theaters 10/21/2022. Learn more here.