Call a Time Out!

“Mom, what if I fall off the beam in front of everyone?”

“Mom, I need you at my first out-of-state gymnastics meet!”

“Mom, if you don’t go, who’ll make my hair bun? Dad can’t.”

Motherhood

The gymnastics meet was seven hours away. I did the math. It was impossible. Two kids, each with paramount events, and I couldn’t swing her gymnastics meet and her sister’s volleyball tournament and pageant. I didn’t want to disappoint our gymnast, but I was also needed by our high school freshman.

I often feel like I’m the one on a balance beam. I wobble while trying to remember to look forward, keeping my eyes focused on Jesus. My children need me to stay calm through the unsteady moments. Sometimes it’s fear that threatens my balance, other times it’s an over committed calendar. Simultaneously, I’m supposed to help build their faith, answer questions, discipline behavior, and navigate hormones.

Can I just call a time out?

The answer is yes, I can. You can, too.

Prayer

I needed a timeout. I needed to ask God how to make this upcoming, stressful weekend successful. He met me right where I was, turning His ear to me. Prayer isn’t complicated. I didn’t have to do back handsprings to find the perfect, quiet place. I just needed a moment. I love David’s prayer in Psalm 17. There is a simple truth tucked within the verse – when we call on God, He answers.

I call on You, my God, for You will answer me; turn Your ear to me and hear my prayer.
(Psalm 17:6, NIV)

You see, our praying habit kicks in as we choose to lean on Scripture and claim the promises that our feelings can’t always conjure up. Prayer is the key.

As moms, we cannot and should not, face this motherhood calling without daily, fervent prayer.

Moms in Prayer

Every Tuesday morning, I lead a Moms in Prayer group. Like warriors stepping onto a battlefield, we fight for our children. I imagine the enemy’s face defeated as we begin to praise and walk in obedience to the Lord’s command to pray. Satan’s plans are thwarted with each word of life we speak according to our authority in the Lord.

Tuesday, I awoke knowing I would have one-on-one intercessory prayer time with another mom. To win the battles we face as moms, we must be on the battlefield and armed with prayer. Using the Four Steps, we prayed scriptures over our children. Confidently, we inserted their names into the very promises of God. I spoke the burdens of my heart for my daughter’s upcoming meet.

The what-ifs, possibilities of falling, point deductions, and weak ankle were all fear’s way of rocking my girl’s confidence and robbing her of peaceful sleep.

Working as a pair, this mom and I prayed the truth that proclaimed my girl did not need to fear.

Inserting my daughter’s name into Isaiah 41:10 (NASB), we prayed aloud, “Do not fear [my daughter], for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Faith Conquers Fear

We claimed the promise of faith which conquers fear. There’s nothing like hearing another mom pray for your child’s specific needs. It’s a beautiful balance of prayer, faith, and love executed without a moment’s competition. I felt the heaviness lift as my faith grew. Within the hour, I was given peace and a plan.

If there’s one piece of advice I would give to young moms, it’s to find a Moms in Prayer group now, while your kids are young. Knowing that fear and busyness tend to grow with motherhood, why not grow faith and discernment instead? Before joining a group, I remember feeling stagnant in my prayer life. I desired to pray with greater power and authority.

God knew my need and sent the solution through a simple invitation.

My neighbor asked me to join her at a Moms in Prayer “Meet and Greet” to hear about the mission of the group and to learn how I could become involved. I’m thankful that she invited me, because joining a group proved to be exactly what I needed to improve the dynamics of my prayers and see victorious results of a deeper prayer life.

Stick Your Landing

After praying, my husband and I landed on splitting the weekend activities. I’d support our high school daughter at her events, and he’d have a father-daughter weekend watching gymnastics. We stood firm, choosing not to feel guilty for the decision we made. God gave us the assurance that He was in the middle of our balancing act, and even provided another gymnastics mom to create the perfect hair bun.

As moms, we all have moments where additions to our routines make us feel like we are tumbling. Participating in Moms in Prayer provides the teaching and techniques that bring stability and poise in times when you might otherwise lose your grip. When you feel like your balance may be compromised, call a time out, pray, and stand in full confidence. You’re going to land this – He hears your prayers.

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Julie Graybill is a wife, mom, speaker, and blogger with a passion for making God famous! She’s in her 6th year with Moms in Prayer, and in her 3rd year as a Moms in Prayer group leader for her daughters’ school in Dacula, Georgia. A pro-life activist working as a crisis pregnancy center patient advocate, Julie counsels women who are abortion-vulnerable or facing difficult diagnoses. Julie is the mother of two daughters and married 19 years to her college sweetheart, Nathan. Please visit her blog hungerforgreater.com to connect with Julie and to find inspiration to seek the GREATER things God has available for you.