As a mom of two adult sons, I have had all sorts of issues to pray about. My children are not perfect and I am not the perfect mom. There are ups and downs, doubting, and the devil certainly likes to poke at me and make me question my calling and mission.
One vivid memory I have when the children were toddlers, was our babysitter named Dawn in Illinois. As a military family, we usually pulled up stakes every three to five years. On our final night with Dawn, she left me a letter telling me that babysitting our sons and watching their Christian videos was a great influence and one of the reasons she came to the Lord and was later baptized at her church. Letters like that, though they may be few, sure spurred me on as not only a mom, but a person with a huge responsibility to emulate Jesus.
Always remember your children are ‘reading’ you too:
- Do you live out your faith in Christ or do they hear you mumbling, grumbling, breaking promises, talking badly about their dad, or judging?
- Do they see you serving and giving to others?
- Are they aware of being a good citizen and one who loves their country?
- Are they aware that mom goes to her ‘prayer closet’ in times of need?
Prayers change as our children go through life’s stages.
Elementary School
In their younger years, I prayed for godly friends, safety on the playground, trustworthy babysitters, protection from wrong education methods in public schools, manners, physical and mental health, emotional well-being, and paying attention in class.
Middle School
Then in middle school, I prayed for my sons for things such as making prayer a priority, staying alert to friends who could drag them away from Christ, purity, humility, putting others first, honor and respect for parents and authority figures, alertness to danger, protection over their thinking, and safety in sports. Notice I didn’t include making straight A’s since yes, that is nice, but not all encompassing.
Things that seem so major at one phase of life quickly change, but every prayer is important. I recall a prayer for my younger son moving to a junior high in a new state across the country and he was only going to be allowed one elective. He loved instrumental music and art and I couldn’t imagine him giving up either. He ended up in art, but only after I called Focus on the Family counselors to talk to them. That seems funny now, but issues will impact your kids at every stage of life. I was thankful that Jon continued to develop talent in visual, musical, and dramatic arts, he almost majored in Art in college, and he won an art contest while in medical school.
High School
God answered many other prayers, including providing friends at my sons’ new high school when they felt lonely and isolated. And the good health of my younger son who had a cancer scare that turned out to be a false alarm.
College Years
It was Mother’s Day 2009 when my sons were college students at UAB in Birmingham, Alabama. We went to lunch after church and there was a license plate that read ‘3John4’ which is “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Talk about a powerful message, and on Mother’s Day! I have that personalization on my car now because I think that is all of our wishes as moms, that our children would follow and walk in truth.
The world has changed immensely since I was raised in the 50’s and my sons in the 80’s. You may fear things you hear coming down the pike, but know that your children were born ‘for such a time as this’ (Esther 4:14) and your prayers and that of other moms is a shield around them and a lifter of their heads (Psalms 3:3). Claim God’s promises for your children.
One of my favorite parts of Moms in Prayer is how we personalize scripture with our child’s name, praying specifically for their relationship with God. Also, the deep, lasting bond with other moms who share prayers each week. As a mother, you’re comforted by lots of moms praying in agreement for your children.
Lamentations 2:19 says “Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”
Now go and remember how grateful and blessed you are, even with the minor frustrations of motherhood. God has not only blessed you, but given you a significant responsibility for seeing to it that His kids know Him.
If you are reading this and not yet involved in a Moms in Prayer group, be bold and join a group or start your own.
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Becky Juett Miller has been a part of Moms in Prayer (MIP) since 1996, first in Mesa, AZ where she was as group leader for Poston Junior High as well as Contact Person and later East Valley Area Coordinator. After moving to Madison County, AL she joined a MIP group praying for her sons’ high school then started the first college/career/military group. During Covid, an unexpected move took Becky and her family to Idaho to be closer to her granddaughters. Becky is the wife of a retired Army Colonel and she herself served in the Army for six years. Her son Matthew is a First Officer with American Airlines and her younger son Jonathan is an ER doctor married 10 years to Amber. They have two beautiful daughters, ages 5 and 2. Becky has self-published one book and is a contributor to another. Her daily devotion entitled, ‘God’s Lemonade Stand’ appears weekly in the Americana paper in Pulaski, TN and the Madison Record in Madison, AL.