Prayer: Day 19

“The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV)

“You’re the one! We’ve prayed for you everyday for 21 years; we just didn’t know your name!”

I stood there speechless. My husband had just proposed to me hours earlier, and this was my future father-in-law’s response.

Me? They’d been praying for me for 21 years? I don’t even pray for myself everyday.

His declaration sealed three things upon my heart about the power of praying into the future for my children:

1) Praying into the future puts God's long-range faithfulness onto our short-sighted radar.

Often, my prayers are for immediate demands. I long for God to snap His finger and magically remove an irritation or fill an immediate need. But God longs for relationship, and this takes time. Therefore, His delays are for deepening my walk with Him.

2) Praying into the future settles my heart that God will be at work in my childrens’ lives even when His movements are hidden.

God is busy. Though we can’t always see what’s around the corner, persisting in prayer on their behalf reminds us that He is already there waiting as they round the next stage of their life.

3) Praying into the future reminds me that my children are ultimately the Lord’s.

We all have hopes and dreams for our children, but offering them back to the Lord each day reminds me to loosen my grip on any attempts to control or manipulate their circumstances. He’s got their future. They’re in the best of hands!

Lord, I long for my prayers to be effective in the lives of my children. They are yours. I place them back into your hands, fully knowing you are writing their story for your glory. Their future is in your hands. I trust you to meet their needs today and in the days to come. Amen.

-Amy