I shared the Scripture with my early online Bible Study group …
“I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.”
(3 John 4, NLT)
It is a beautiful and oft-quoted verse yet we often ignore the reason it was written. Many in those days were being deceived into false teaching and going astray. They claimed to know the truth, they thought they had the truth, and sadly, their own hearts had deceived them.
Deception, false teaching, and inerrant truth scare me probably more than anything else. I pray, almost daily, for God to give me discernment in increasing measure. It is more critical than ever before to be vigilant in prayer.
‘Vigilant’ —> ” keenly watchful to detect danger; wary; ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful” (as per dictionary.com).
Today I was reminded of the requests for prayer made of me from moms over the years. Their prayers were not so much for themselves, but for the lives of those they would leave behind. One such prayer request was for the salvation of a child, answered several years after she had passed.
We are to be diligent to pray, knowing there is great power in and through prayer. Yet would we describe ourselves as vigilant to prayer? I am not so sure.
We know opposition to our humbling ourselves before the Lord, because the enemy wins if we are prayer-less. But oh, if we knew the full ramifications of a vigilant, praying mother! There is no fiercer warrior than a mama whose child is in harm’s way. We must cast aside the peacetime mentality that easily blinds us and see the reality stretched out in front of us. Today, right now, we face a raging battle.
We cannot afford to be wimpy prayer warriors.
(Lee Nienhuis from her book Brave Moms, Brave Kids, page 119)
We must come to the place where we realize prayer is the greatest power source we have. Prayer will yield results far beyond anything we can achieve in ourselves.
I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all of my life.
~~ Abraham Lincoln
There are few things more powerful than the faithful prayers of a righteous mother.
~~ Elder Boyd K. Packer
Lord, I thank You for the power of prayer and that You are always there, listening to our prayers. Help me to come to You quickly instead of giving into the fears which concern me. Bend my heart, along with my knees, to bow before You, knowing You are sovereign over the lives of my children and grandchildren. May Your will be done in their lives. Help me to be a brave warrior, praying in every situation. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Today I am joining … #ChasingCommunity and Heart Encouragement Thursday and Tune In Thursday and Booknificent Thursday .
Amen.
Oooo…. You’ve got me all fired up for prayer this morning! Thanks for the encouragment and inspiration! Just what I needed! Blessings!
I think there are many of us who need to be reminded 🙂 I know I do!
Joanne sometimes we learn the power of prayer on our knees and through events. I’ve always prayed, but I found myself on my knees and still do through a grandchild being born with a horrible disease and watching my kids go through fertility and miscarriages.
I’ve seen the power of prayer in the healing of all of those.
Debbie, it is so true. Hard times will drive us to our knees. Keeps us looking up to the One who is able.
Amen! The power of prayer is so important. One thing that God has challenged me to do this school year as I sent my kids off to school for the first time, was to everyday pray and proclaim Scripture over them. As they sit in a classroom with a teacher I don’t know, getting exposed to things we don’t believe, I don’t need to live in fear because there is power as the Word of God is proclaimed.
Naomi, you have shared a most powerful thought >>> “As they sit in a classroom with a teacher I don’t know, getting exposed to things we don’t believe, I don’t need to live in fear because there is power as the Word of God is proclaimed.”
Yes, yes!!! Amen!!
So, so, so, so true, Joanne. Thank you for this reminder and affirmation that our prayers are heard and returned with power. — I was just up in the middle of the night praying for all of my children. We don’t stop praying for them this side of heaven, do we? Lovely post, friend. xoxo
A great post and a good reminder of the power of prayer. I loved it when I ran a moms in prayer group and a small number of us met each week in my home and prayed fervently for our children.
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com!
Tina