“Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children” (Lamentations 2:19 NIV).
For moms, the first day of school can bring mixed emotions. We may feel a sense of relief that summer’s mess, disorder, and sibling squabbles are replaced with peace, quiet, and time to ourselves. Yet we may feel lonely or anxious about what is happening while our kids are away. What influence will the teachers, friends, and school have in their lives?
So as our kids go back to school, we moms and grandmas can go back to prayer by joining a Moms in Prayer group. Praying with other moms will help relieve our anxious thoughts and fears.
I joined a mom’s prayer group more than twenty-five years ago, and it’s the best investment I made in my children’s lives. Now, as a grandmother, I continue to pray for my married children and grandchildren. What a privilege to bring them to God each week as I pray with other grandmothers.
Prayer is such a valuable way to spend our newfound free hours while the kids are away. Prayer reaps greater dividends than any other hour spent doing important tasks. What we sow in prayer today, we’ll reap in the future—sometimes the results come in days, other times in years. If our children see us modeling the importance and power of prayer in our lives, it will impact them more than coming home to their favorite after-school snack (although they’ll enjoy that too).
The kids are back to school. Mom, are you back to prayer? To find a group of praying moms in your area and find resources to use in prayer, go to Moms In Prayer.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16 NLT). God works through our prayers. If we pray, we will change the course of our children’s and grandchildren’s futures for good.
About Lydia Harris
Lydia E. Harris is happily married to Milt, her sweetheart for 48 years. She has two married children, five grandkids, and is the author of a Bible study, "Preparing My Heart for Grandparenting" (AMG Publishers, 2010 release). She's also a tea enthusiast and writes the column "A Cup of Tea with Lydia."
