Praying the Hard Prayers
When we pray for our children we pray for many things. We pray for safety. We pray for comfort. We pray for ease. We pray for plenty.
There’s nothing wrong with praying for those things, but we do our children a disservice if that is all we pray.
I was listening to a song by Kendall Payne called Pray, and I thought about how I want to pray more for my children’s character to grow than for their comfort to increase.
That might just be the hardest thing for a mother to do, though. We want to make everything right for our children. We want them to be happy and content. We want them to be full of peace and feel loved.
But it’s so important for us to remember that when those things happen on the inside, the circumstances happening on the outside will never shake them.
So today, as you pray for your children, pray the hard prayers that push them to Jesus, because He is the only place they will ever fully find comfort, plenty, peace and love.
The Song
This song is called Pray and it’s by an artist named Kendall Payne. The lyrics are brilliant, convicting, difficult and deep. Her voice is gorgeous and the music…beautiful. Enjoy. (the song starts at 1:57)
(RSS and email readers, click here to watch the video on the blog.)
I will pray for you now, for you have been my faithful friends
While the road we walk is difficult indeed
I could not ask for more than what you’ve already been
Only that you would say these prayers for meMay your heart break enough that compassion enters in
May your strength all be spent upon the weakAll the castles and crowns you build and place upon your head
May they all fall, come crashing down around your feetMay you find every step to be harder than the last
So your character grows greater every strideMay your company be of human insignificance
May your weakness be your only source of prideWhat you do unto others may it all be done to you
May you meet the One who made us
And see Him smile when life is throughMay your blessings be many but not what you hoped they’d be
And when you look upon the broken
May mercy show you what you could not seeMay you never be sure of any plans you desire
But you’d learn to trust the plan He has for youMay your passions be tried and tested in the holy fire
May you fight with all your life for what is trueI have prayed for you now all my dear and faithful friends
But what I wish is more than I could ever speakAs the way wanders on I’ll long to see you once again
Until then, would you pray these prayers for me?
Oh, that you would pray for me
And You…?
Is it hard for you, like it is for me, to hear this song in light of your children and to think about praying hard prayers for them?
Leave a Comment
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Such a good encouragement for this generation of mothers. Thanks so much for exhorting us, Kat!
Wow. Great words and so true. I need to ponder this deeply. Thank you.
Love, love, love this post. Such truth. So many times, we find ourselves praying for our kids against the very things that showed us our need for Him. I would so much rather my kiddos rest in Jesus than in themselves, look to Him as their source rather than themselves. And how does that happen? They have to fail, to realize they can’t do it, to see their need.
First of all, well said.
Second of all, awesome name.
🙂
Yes, we’re destined to be friends just because we share the best name EVER! 🙂
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The song is very inspirational. You are so right that we should pray for our children to be closer to Jesus. Who originally made this song?
Thanks for sharing this wonderful song to us!
-Patricia
Thank you for sharing that. I’m not one for mass emails, but I have a list of about 100 people I want to send that to. Love it!!!
Rachel,
I’m so glad it connected with you. Thanks for sharing it!
I enjoyed finding your blog today. And this post, especially, will bring me back. 🙂
Dionna,
Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it! And you’re welcome here anytime! 🙂
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Hi Kat, I was telling a friend about the fantastic Bible study plan you do here for hello mornings (I did Philippians and am now loving the Psalms) but I can’t seem to find the link anywhere to send it to my friend? I know it has to be somewhere here… can you please give me a clue where to look? Thanks so much,
Suzie
Suzie,
Here you go: http://inspiredtoaction.com/2012/01/free-hello-mornings-bible-study-and-bonus-printables/
I used to have it in the sidebar, but it got deleted. Thanks for asking! Please let me know if you need anything else!
This is great! And kinda scary. Thanks for the challenge =)
PS – I was at the Mom Heart Conference this weekend, and noticed you were sitting at a table adjacent to mine. Felt like I was sitting near a celebrity. Decided to play it cool and not come harass you =} LOL
Ha! Well, next time, I hope you’ll come say hi!!! I’d love to meet you. The funny thing about blogging is that I don’t get to see who I’m writing to, so I love when people introduce themselves and I get to connect a face and voice to comments.
It is scary to pray hard things for our children. I want to keep them safe and close, but I know it’s not always the best thing.
I feel the exact same way, Stacy…
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