I know that many of us adoptive parents that are waiting for our children to come home are saddened by the fact that we are "missing out" on precious, valuable time with our childre...time that can never be replaced. While this is true, there is something we can & should do for our children every day...whether they are in our homes or not, & that is to pray for them. Some people may think this is a small task in comparison to other parental duties but it is not. I prayed for Phoebe for over 2 years before I even knew she was born. I have prayed for my Haitian children as soon as we felt led to adopt again even though at the time we didn't even know when or where we would be adopting from. Today I may not be able to hold them or kiss them but I can & will pray for them. The following is a devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah about the power of a praying mother.
Great Moms Who Made a Difference: Mary Truett
He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:6 NIV
Recommended Reading
Psalm 126
George Truett was one of the greatest pastors and soul-winners of the twentieth century, serving for forty-seven years as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas. He came by his gifts honestly, for his mother Mary was a prayer warrior and soul-winner, too. She earnestly prayed for twenty-six years for the conversion of her husband and children, and all of them at last came to Christ.
Years later, when she was living in Whitewright, Texas, evangelist Lee Scarborough came to her church to hold a series of evangelistic meetings. During one service, he said to the congregation, "I want every one of you who was led to Christ by someone in this audience to go shake hands with that one." He noticed that over twenty people went to one simple, plainly-dressed woman—Mary Truett, the mother of George Truett.
"The mother is and must be, whether she knows it or not, the greatest, strongest, and most lasting teacher her children can have," wrote Laura Ingalls Wilder, adding, "Lessons learned at a mother's knee last through life."
One mother achieves more than a hundred teachers.
Yiddish Proverb
5 comments:
How lovely and how true. I have lately really had to stop and think about WHAT I pray for our kids. Often it is just "bring them home, please, Lord" and prayers for their paperwork to get through the system- which really are prayers for ME in a lot of ways because I want them home so badly. Often I find myself rambling in prayer over these things, and then I'll suddenly realize I need to be praying for the boys themselves & not just the adoption process- for their protection, health, future relationship with Christ, etc...
What a sweet encouragement. Even as I wait for a referral, I don't know the age of the child we're waiting on. They could be born, or about to be! And I need to press on in prayer.
Thanks for the encouragement.
You're welcome Amanda!
Cara...it's easy to do that. I try to keep myself focused on their needs by using the "Power of a Praying Parent" book by Stormie Ormartian.
I totally feel like prayer is the only thing I have control over in this process. I can pray whenever & wherever I want. I may not control any of the outcomes, but I can pray for our sweet girl as often as possible.
i love this! my mother and i - i guess our whole family, really - have been convicted that our main calling is to faithfully pray for Spend, and this was so encouraging! i needed a reminder!
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