A Life of Prayer

During August, I plan to explore the subject of prayer. Each devotion will focus on an aspect of prayer. Today, we look at giving up control and praying for God’s will to be done in all circumstances.

Key Verse

“17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (NIV)

My Story

Do you remember what a blessing to witness the arrival of each of our children? After months of anticipation, the moment arrives when the doctor hands you a bundle of joy. The feeling is like no other feeling in the world. At that moment, they are perfect in every way. I don’t think words can truly express what that feeling is like when you meet your child for the very first time.

I gave birth to three beautiful children, two daughters, and a son. I felt like a complete family as I cherished each one of them. At their inception, I thought about all my plans for their lives. Ballet classes, gymnastics, softball, karate, fishing trips, baseball, proms, and eventually, weddings would fill my years to come. Excitement filled my soul as I planned their futures filled with joy and happiness.

Soon, my dreams came crashing down as my son slipped into eternity to be with His heavenly father. All my plans for his life were gone forever. So many emotions rolled around inside me. Years of doubt followed as I tried to figure out what I had done wrong. Kids aren’t supposed to die. As a parent, I am supposed to protect my children and provide them with everything they need. But instead, I felt like a failure.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”

Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)

God’s in Control, Not Us

In our society, we have convinced ourselves that we can control life. But we can’t. This thought of control is an illusion that helps us sleep at night. Once my son’s death forced me to take off my rose-colored glasses, I learned the best thing I could do was to surround my children in prayer. And, when things got tough for them, I could point them back to Jesus. My job as a mom included teaching them to trust in the Master’s plan for themselves.

Praying for God’s Will

The most challenging prayer for each of us as parents is to ask for God’s will to be done in the lives of those we love. So often, we want to control the events for everyone in our family. With my son’s death, I learned I couldn’t and needed to trust each child’s protection to God’s loving arms. When tough times arose, I needed to pray for His will to prevail instead of trying to control it. And, I needed to accept whatever that looked like for their lives.

A Life of Prayer – The most challenging prayer for each of us as parents is to ask for God’s will to be done in the lives of those we love. Click To Tweet

As the years wore on, I watched my girls as they made faith their own. They had to develop that relationship for themselves because I could not do it for them. Sometimes, their struggles were tough for me to watch from the sidelines. But then I remembered to turn them over in prayer to the One that controlled the winds and everything under the sun. He could change their circumstances.

As the grandchildren began to fill the house with laughter, I had a new generation to cover in prayer. I also needed to teach them to give all their troubles to their Heavenly Father. When they feared the darkness, I shared about the creator of light and how He protected them in all circumstances. I also taught them Bible verses to recite when problems arose.

Give them to God in Prayer

Our children are a gift from God. We raise them and teach them so many things throughout their lives. But, they are only ours because God entrusted them to us. Our job is to trust them back to God instead of trying to control life for them. Pray for them, instruct them in the ways of the Lord, and trust Him enough to pray for God’s will to be done in their lives. Also, offer a prayer to help us to accept it.

In Your Life:

What circumstance in your family’s life causes you to want to try to take control of the situation? What steps can you take today to pray for God’s will to be done in all circumstances of your life?

Prayer

My dearest Heavenly Father. I come before you today in prayer. Please help me to trust you in all circumstances and help me to relinquish control back to you. Take away my doubts and fears for myself and my family. Give me eyes to see that Your plans are the best. Please guide and direct the heart of each of my family members back to you. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/