Prayers
As I was going through my mother’s things I found a little folded piece of torn paper. It looked old and was brown and tattered. I could see that it had handwriting on it, so I unfolded it and found what you see in the picture. It was a handwritten prayer, penned by my great grandmother. As I pray for my grandchildren, I often wonder if my grandparents, great grandparents or other of my ancestors prayed for me. I think they did.
In his book, Praying Circles Around Your Children, Mark Batterson says this: “Prayer turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destinies of their children, grandchildren and every generation that follows.” As a 22 year member of the Moms in Prayer ministry, I have seen God’s hand at work in response to the prayers I have prayed for my children and grandchildren as well as many others.
I have found that if I first focus on who God is and praise Him, not for what He has done, but for who He is, my perspective changes. I recognize that His character is always loving and good. I then ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin I need to confess and after receiving His forgiveness I then acknowledge and thank God for the ways I have seen Him answer prayers and continue to work in my life. This changes my focus from my needs to the One who is able to meet my needs. Now without hesitation I am ready to place my cares and concerns in the hands of God and trust in His faithfulness.
I find that praying God’s Word gives me the assurance that I am praying according to the will of God and in a way that will bring Him glory. A verse I pray for my grandchildren is found in Joshua 22:5b, and I speak their names as I pray.
“Love the Lord your God, _______, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, _______, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”
God encourages us in His Word to, “Never stop praying.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Oswald Chambers said, “The prayer of the feeblest saint on earth who lives in the spirit and keeps right with God is a terror to Satan. The very powers of darkness are paralyzed by prayer. No wonder Satan tries to keep our minds fussy in active work till we cannot think in prayer.”
And in Philippians 4:6-7(NLT) we are encouraged, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
I encourage you to experience the power of prayer. To “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) And now I want to share with you my great-grandmother’s prayer. She and her husband claimed a homestead in the Old Oklahoma land run in 1889. I can’t imagine the difficulties they faced. I don’t know if it is something she copied or if it came from her heart, but I thank God for preserving it for me to see and to catch a glimpse of my great-grandmother’s heart.
Prayer for Health
Oh, gracious Father, Bless my mind…and keep my body well…that I may glorify your name…and constantly excel.
Bestow on me the wisdom and…the courage that I need…to give a good example by…my every word and deed.
Allow me all the human strength…and health of limb and heart…that I must have to do my best…in every daily art.
Because I want to serve You well…as long as I am here…and carry out successfully…a virtuous career.
O gracious Father favor me…with mind and body sound…to help me earn a humble place where peace and joy abound.
What a wonderful reminder … and plan … for praying for our kids and future generations! No matter what age our kids might be, they can benefit from these godly prayers taken to the Lord on their behalf. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful devotional, Carol. I, too, have a legacy of prayer handed down through the generations from my great grandmother. To see the answers to her prayer decades after she prayed is truly amazing. Thanks for sharing.
I have always wondered if any of my family ever prayed for me like I pray over my children and grandchildren. What a treasure you found, thankyou for sharing it and encouraging me with it.
One of my favorite memories is the bedtime prayers my grandparents knelt to pray in their living room. They covered the family name by name, the nation and the church. At the time, it resonated as comforting voices. Now, it’s a legacy.
What a great treasure you have found. Thank you for sharing it with us.