A Mom's Prayer Rhythm

I try to pray for my family every day. As a current stay-at-home Mom, my time with God takes place in the mornings, after everyone heads out the door. I'll catch up on articles, emails, books, devotionals, etc. And I'll pray over Brian and the kids. I am blessed to be able to have time to do these things, as I know many women work, which makes finding quiet time very challenging.

I'll be honest, I'm not a big, long prayer person. Even though I'm a pastor's wife, I don't want to come off as some major prayer warrior or something, because I'm not. I'm getting better, but I usually on average spend about 15-20 minutes total in just prayer. And I'm often guilty of being really burdened for the "hot topic" in our lives, and solely focusing on that.

My "prayer rhythm" can include praying in the shower, car (w/o kids!), as I'm doing housework, cruising the grocery store, or while I'm cooking. It's rarely the stereotypical sitting on the couch or bed with my Bible open and eyes shut :-)

I have found that if I am not "filled up" with God's Word and through prayer, then I will have little that my family or church can "drink" from. I can't afford to be a dry well. In fact, if I'm not filled up, I may actually drain them! God does speak truth to me, and when He does I try to really soak it up and/or write it down. If He gives me a word of encouragement for someone else, I try to call, email, or text them.

Here's my typical prayers over our family:

Braeden (5)- God's favor, protection, health, rest, patience, ability to learn, be *nice*, don't let him run away

Joe (12) - most of the above + desire for the things of God, the right friendships, the right attitude & actions, ability to focus, his future life, his future wife

Brian- wisdom, leadership, direction, courage, health, rest, creativity, kindness & patience, ability to focus & prioritize, God's favor & blessing. I pray every day for God to send & surround Brian with encouraging people that appreciate him. The ministry can be so negative and he needs people that raise him up, not drain the life out of him. I pray that his time to pray, read the Word, & study for messages be somehow multiplied. A church can only rise to the level of the leader; so the leader must be constantly growing.

Do you have a Prayer Rhythm in your life?

Above: The objects of most of my prayers on vacation in Orlando