WT 259: Spiritual Disciplines for Moms: Pray Continually
We're continuing this month's series on Spiritual Disciplines with a conversation about prayer today. Karen and Sunny address the tenderest questions from moms about how to pray when the words won't come, why Christians say the words, "In Jesus' name, Amen" at the end of prayers and what the purpose of prayer is. If your prayer life is feeling less than inspired lately, we hope this conversation is an encouragement to begin where you are.
Resources talked about on today’s episode:
The Power of a Praying Mom by Stormie Omartian
Question 1: Do you have any tips for praying for others well? I find that my prayer life is just BLEH lately. I keep praying the same things (selfishly almost all about me) over and over again.
Karen’s Answer: Great question! I “try” to start my prayers off with thanking God for the day. Thanking God for everything, my health, my family, my job, the weather, good or bad ☺, just to have a posture of thankfulness. This helps me not run to God with all of my selfish needs. I don’t have a formula for my prayers, but I thank God for the day, then I usually lay my requests at his feet, and not only my requests but the burdens that come with my requests. I acknowledge my lack of control and His complete control. I acknowledge His sovereignty and ask that I will accept His will for what is going on in my life. Then, and this is the hardest part and one I am constantly trying to improve on , and ask what God has in store for me, and what if anything does he want from me? I try to sit quietly before the Lord. This is hard, and if I’m honest I don’t do it well. The “Be Still” part of prayer is the area I struggle the most with.
Question 2: Did you and Greg pray together regularly? Any ideas for helping my husband and I begin a habit of praying together? I feel like if we prayed together for our family and our kids, it would be such a good thing.
Karen’s Answer: Oh, I believe it is such a good thing!!! Once again, if I’m going to be honest, which you know I usually am, Greg doesn’t love praying together. I don’t want to throw him under the bus, and I’m not trying to, because I know Greg is a strong Christian and loves God and walks with God. I know Greg prays for me and our family, but he does not love to pray with me. Therefore, I’ve had to accept that over the years, and not make him feel “less than”, if he is not comfortable, then that is between him and the Lord. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, “a man must pray with his wife.” Is it good, yes, it is effective, yes, but I don’t need to make it a bigger deal than what it is. Now, we have prayed together before, but not on a regular basis.
Question 3: I didn’t grow up in church and so I don’t have a great foundation for my current faith. What does it mean when people say, “In Jesus’ name” before they say Amen? And why “Amen?” I am working on talking to God more often, but my prayers are more like texts to a friend right now - I want to be reverent and respectful, but is this something you are supposed to say or just tradition?
Karen’s Answer: Full honesty here, I had to look this one up! Here is what I found:
Ephesians 3:12 says that through Jesus, “We have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him,” before the throne of God. Without Christ we are sinners, enemies of God (Col. 1:21), under His wrath (Ephesians 2:3). We have no access to God on our own.
But when we say “In Jesus Name,” even at the dinner table, we are reminded that through Christ, we have the access to talk to God. He is our Father. Jesus has given us “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
In John 14:13 Jesus says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” So do not leave out the most important part of your prayer. Through Christ, and Christ alone, you have the right to approach God and ask for anything, or even simply to thank him for the food he has provided for you.
So, to answer your question, no, I don’t think we have to say that, BUT we are acknowledging that because of Jesus and what he did on the cross we now have direct access to God, which is a big deal. In the old testament, the Jews never had direct access to God. Only the chief high priest was able to enter the holy of holies, where God resided. But, when Jesus died on the cross, that curtain in the temple which separated where regular people went and where God resided was torn in two illustrating that now through Jesus we had access to God. Then after Jesus’ resurrection, and when he went up to heaven, Paul was converted to being a Christ follower, and through Paul the gospel was opened up to Gentiles, which are non Jews. Also a really big deal for us!!!
Amen just means, truth. So when people say Amen, they are just agreeing that what they just said, heard or sang is the truth. I think it’s all in our attitude on coming before the Lord. We need a posture of humility, submission and acknowledge that we are approaching the throne of the Lord most high. It’s a big deal. Think about it, if you were invited to visit Queen Elizabeth, you would get dressed up, you would learn what the protocol was, and you would bow when you saw her out of respect. Well, when you are praying, you are coming before the throne of the Creator of the Universe, the Lord and Savior of all mankind…way bigger than any earthly king or queen. What an honor and privilege for us!
Question 4: What do you do when your motivation to pray is missing? I try to pray at night before going to sleep, but I usually fade off into sleep before I’m sure I’ve even gotten more than a “thank you God” out of my heart. Are there any resources where I can just read prayers to God instead of trying to “make them up” when my heart feels distant?
Karen’s Answer: Listen, I am the WORST at falling asleep during prayer. That is why I write my prayers out. That keeps me engaged and focused. I also have my prayer time in the morning when I am fresh and fully awake. Another thing I love about journaling my prayers is that I can go back and read and then see and remember where God answered my prayers and that strengthens my faith. Why wouldn’t your heart be distant from God during prayers if you are always falling asleep. It’s like if you had a conversation with your neighbor every day and after the initial “hello” they answered their phone and walked away, you would never feel connected to them. Same idea with God. Try journaling your prayers, I bet you will see a difference.
Show Credits: hosted by Karen Stubbs with Sunny Williams, written & produced by Katie Leipprandt, edited by Kyle Cummings
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