Do you read OhAmanda.com? If you don’t you should! She’s funny and down-to-earth and honest. She loves Christ and So You Think You Can Dance and Disney World, and her posts include book reviews, real “old-time” photos for Wordless Wednesday and pretty much whatever else is on her mind. I asked her to share some thoughts about prayer, and I love what she wrote below:

When Mandi asked me to post about prayer at first I was nervous. I mean, I’ve grown up in church, around prayer my entire life. I believe prayer changes things. But my first response is always, “I’m not very good at it.”

Prayer always seems too hyped or too understated. You’ve either got the people that spend all day on their knees or the people that just pray over dinner. I seem to be neither of those people.However, I have seen miracles in my life that I attribute to prayer. My daughter was assumed dead in my womb at 6 weeks, my dad was as good as dead after a cancerous tumor erupted in his colon but they are both alive and well today—miracles my family attributes to the promises from God’s Word that we coupled with our humble prayers.

These miracles were not the result of chance, of our “worthiness” or of a step-1-2-3 plan. It was just a walking out of reliance on God’s promises. Yes, there were times of intense prayer around the living room or on our knees. But generally, it was the constant focus on God’s Word and His promises.

And that is how I pray.

When I’m in the middle of something horrible, or confusing or just plain weird, I start out spilling my guts to God. He already knows what I’m feeling. I complain, I moan, I whine and I beg. Then, I get out my Bible. And I look around. Not for a verse out of context, not for a name-it-claim it verse that gets me what I want, but a real true promise from God. And you’ll know when you get one of those.

Then I just pray it. God speaks to Isaiah and says,

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower
and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Is. 55:10-11)

What a great picture! God’s Word falls into our lives (through the Bible) and just like the rain is expected to water the earth, God’s Word is expected to accomplish it’s purpose.

So, when it comes to the issue of praying for my children, I do the same thing. I’ll admit, most days its one of those, “Oh, God, please let her sleep late.” But the days when her attitude is as far from Godly as can be or when I look at my daughter and imagine her as an adult, or watch a TV show with a teenager behaving badly, I get that overwhelming urge to pray for my daughter’s LIFE.

For my husband and me, God has spoken to us about our children through their names. For example, my daughter’s name is Lydia. In the Bible, Lydia was a woman who heard about Jesus and immediately believed in Him. She was hospitable to everyone but especially God’s leaders. She was a servant and was a go-to person in a time of need. We named her Lydia for this reason. I pray these qualities over her. And as a two year old this is how it works:

I pray Lydia will immediately respond when I correct her from God’s Word.
I pray Lydia will immediately turn to Jesus when hurt, tired or scared.
I pray Lydia will be a servant by sharing and loving with her friends and family.
I pray Lydia will be submissive to her leaders and honor them as God’s authority in her life.
I pray Lydia always looks for ways to put others first.

Please hear me when I say this is NOT super-spiritual. This is just how I believe God has led me to scripturally pray for my children. It helps me stay focused on her personality and her needs as an individual.

My son is due in less than 2 months and we’ve decided to name him Asa. In 2 Chronicles a prayer of King Asa’s is recorded, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.” I pray this for my son:

I pray Asa would always recognize he is powerless without God.
I pray Asa will rely on God in every situation in his life.
I pray when problems and temptation come to him, he will be certain that God will defeat them before his eyes.

Do you see where I’m going with all this? I hope I’m not rambling or sounding impractical. I believe God’s Word is alive. It’s sharper than any double edged sword. And I wield it in prayer to protect my daughter (and my unborn son) from the spiritual forces of this world. I believe God has given my husband and I protection of our kids and their spiritual lives.

The only way my prayers mean anything is when they are backed with God’s Word. I encourage you to find scriptures that are promises for you and your children. Pray them with the same consistency you speak your kids’ names. Focus on them not necessarily for hours at a time in your prayer closet, but as a practiced lifestyle of belief.