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How Mothers' Prayers Impact America

  • Stormie Omartian Author & Speaker
  • Published May 06, 2005
How Mothers' Prayers Impact America

Being a mother is the greatest of all privileges. And it is also the biggest of all responsibilities. It is the best of all jobs, while at the same time it is the most difficult of all jobs. Being a mother can bring you the highest joy. It can also cause the deepest pain. It can make you feel like a huge success when everything is going well. And cause you to feel like a failure when something goes wrong. I know this because in my nearly thirty years of being a mother, I have experienced all those things many times over.

When I was a young mother I was overwhelmed by the task of raising two children. Because of my mother's mental illness that went totally untreated, she had been violently abusive when I was growing up. As a result, I didn't have any kind of positive parenting experience to imitate. When I brought my first child home from the hospital a few days after he was born, I was painfully aware that I didn't know what I was doing. So I turned desperately to God for help. Every day. Sometimes on an hourly basis!

Through that time of depending on God to show me the way, I discovered that God doesn't want us to raise our children without His help. Of course He wants us to do our part and "train up a child in the way he should go", but He also wants us to look to Him to give us the wisdom, strength, and ability we need to do the job well. One of the most important parts of our job as a parent is to keep our children covered in prayer.

I believe that being a parent is becoming more and more difficult each year because of what our children are exposed to and bombarded with everywhere they turn. But we don't have to be worried sick, dreading what is around the corner, or fearing the worst. We don't have to be tossed to and fro by every new stage and age and trend and fad. We have the power to make a big difference in our children's lives through prayer. That doesn't mean we abdicate our responsibilities as parents. It means we partner with God to raise our children as we pray for every aspect of their lives. When we don't pray for them, we leave our children's lives up to chance.

Praying for our children doesn't mean that nothing will ever go wrong in their lives. But when it does, we don't have to beat ourselves up for not being perfect parents. Besides, it's not being a perfect parent that makes the difference in a child's life, for there are no perfect parents. It's being a praying parent that makes a big difference. And that's something we can all be.

Some of the things I learned to pray about regarding my children were, first of all, that they be protected from any danger, disease, accidents, or evil influences. I also prayed that any rebelliousness in them would be broken, that they be people of truth and not lies, that they would be attracted to God's ways and His laws, that they would have a deep inner knowledge of right and wrong, that their talents and gifts would be identified and used for good, and that they would have a sense of God's purpose for their lives. I have seen God answer those prayers and countless more in a powerful way. Imagine what could happen in our nation if all mothers and dads prayed for their children like that?

One of the greatest things we as mothers can do for our nation, along with praying for the President, is to pray for our children. They are America's bright hope. No matter what age they are - toddler, teen, or thirty something - no matter where they are - at home under your feet, away at college, or living out on their own - your prayers can be the most powerful influence that will ever touch your young person's life.

One of the reasons I joined the Presidential Prayer Team was because I know prayer works, and I wanted to partner with others to pray for our President. When I joined, there were a handful of us. Now there are millions. There is great power in numbers, especially as it pertains to prayer. The same is true regarding praying for our children. If we were to join together and pray, not only for our own children, but also for the children of this nation as a whole, our prayers would impact America in a powerful way. Fellow moms of America, the future is in our hands! Shall we get on our knees?


Stormie Omartian is the author of twelve books, including The Power of a Praying Nation, The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of a Praying Woman, The Power of a Praying Parent, Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On and The Prayer That Changes Everything. She has been married to her husband, Michael, for 32 years and they have two grown children. She has been a member of PPT's Honorary Committee since April 2002.

Reprinted with permission of The Presidential Prayer Team:
www.presidentialprayerteam.org