Do Your Prayers REALLY Matter? {especially for moms of boys}

Moms of BoysI am so grateful for the amazing women God has sent into my life to mentor me on this adventure of raising a son.  For each season of my son’s life, they have walked me through the ups and downs and prayed with me.  They have shared from the depths of their hearts, and I have benefited from their honesty and transparency.

None of us has been called to go this journey alone.

God himself is with us every step of the way, but He has also sent others to help us and to be His hands and feet.

The best advice I can give mothers of boys is to keep your eyes on the prize.  When those moments come that make you scratch your head and ask, “Why in the world would you do that?” ask for more grace. I think God created grace especially for moms of boys.

My son is almost all grown up now, and we enjoy a very sweet relationship.  When he is away at school, he calls every day and tells me he loves me before hanging up.  Some days he calls just to talk. Other days he wants to run something by me to help him sort things out. I cherish our relationship. But it wasn’t always that way.  As a matter of fact, I had forgotten how difficult it was at times until a friend recently reminded me. I guess, just like the eight hours of labor and third degree lacerations, the painful parts are quickly forgotten when you see the end result.

Will you be a woman of prayer today?

I have participated in a Moms In Prayer group for most of my son’s life. I joined my first group when he was in second grade.  Through the years, a host of amazing women have teamed with me to pray for my son.  We have prayed him through all the angst of growing up and some very painful and difficult times.  Now some of these amazing women, who are still a part of my prayer team, celebrate with me the victories in his life and the fruits of our labor.

For many years, my son would tease me that my prayer group was just a gossip session because, during our prayer time, many things that were happening in the schools were revealed.  He did not appreciate the fact that I had a direct line to “his world.” I did, however, share with him many of the times that we prayed for him.  Sometimes God would do something miraculous and someone would be led to pray for something very specific at a very specific time and later my son would come home and share that something happened at that time.

My son witnessed the power of prayer although he was not always willing to acknowledge it, especially when he was a teen.

On one Saturday, I got a phone call from my son and the very first words out of his mouth were, “Mom, I called you because I need you to pray.” I listened as he told me about a young man in his dorm who had just jumped out the window.  It had just happened, and he and his friends had witnessed it.  They had run down to see if the young man was okay. He was unresponsive.  I told my son I would put the word out for prayer for this boy.

I immediately called and texted all the prayer warriors I could reach. In the meantime, my husband called my son back to make sure he was okay and to ask him to keep us updated.  Miraculously, the young man is going to be okay.  He has a broken neck, leg, and wrist but is not paralyzed, nor does he have any long-term physical consequences.  A day or so later, his parents came to the dorm to retrieve his belongings, and my son went to his mother and told her that he was praying for her son.  She hugged him and thanked him.

Sometimes we wonder if our prayers really matter when we’re in the midst of raising our kids. 

Sometimes we wonder if our kids who reject our faith will ever understand the true power of prayer. 

And then there are those times when you see your prayers answered, and your children fall to their knees because they don’t know where else to go. And then you know…your prayers matter!

Moms In Prayer

Are you a mom praying for your sons and daughters?

Tell us about your experience in a comment below. And if you don’t have anyone to pray with, check out Moms In Prayer to find a local group in your area.

11 thoughts on “Do Your Prayers REALLY Matter? {especially for moms of boys}”

  1. Kathy,

    This is a post near and dear to me. I have two sons. My oldest was 4 when his dad left and for two years he went through a lot of feelings neither of us understood. God was there with us and I’m so grateful for his protection over our family.

    Thank you for sharing!

  2. I have prayed for my children since the day I knew I was pregnant. I read Stormie Omartian’s books. And they are my resource when ever I don’t know how to pray for a particular situation. Your post has touched me deeply. It has given me hope. Sometimes I think my kids are not listening to me, but there are times when I realize I am doing something right. This past year, my daughter texted me regarding a particular teacher she was not to fond of. “Mom can you pray for my teacher, she fainted in class and the ambulance is taking her to the hospital.” I broke down crying. I could not believe my daughter was asking me to pray for her teacher. I always tell them that no matter how mean and strict a teacher is, they have to show respect for them and never speak negative words about them.

    1. Rosario, Stormie’s books are amazing. They’ve influenced my life, too! And wow, that’s a great story about your daughter. Thanks for inspiring us!

  3. This is a very encouraging and uplifting post. Thank you so much. I will definitely be looking into the links you provided. As the mom of 2 sons 16 and 2 years old as well as 2 daughters I truly know the power of prayer and plan to keep them lifted before God at every turn throughout their lives.

    1. Tiffany, Moms in Pray is an amazing organization! I’ve been so thankful to be in a group, like Kathy’s, for the last two years!

  4. Thank you!! I woke up at 4am and was suddenly worried for my young son driving to work and the driving he would have to do in the afternoon. He gets up at 2am for work. Worry is OK so long as you use it as a tool to turn into prayer.

    I followed you over from Thrive at Home’s linkup. I’m glad I came.

    1. I love that, Judith: Worry is OK so long as you use it as a tool to turn into prayer! I’ve seen that time and time again in my life! Thanks for coming by!

  5. Just about to hit the sack, but this caught my eye and I’m glad I stopped to read it. Thank you for the encouragement to those of us with, ahem, “challenging” sons. Some days, many many days, I simply cry for not understanding my son’s willfulness, just wishing he would obey and not badger me. I’ve even found myself justifying my “happy, well-adjusted family” to teachers and principals who call with another incident at school…pathetic, but I’ve done it! I don’t know what I would do without Lisa and my Moms in Prayer group to buoy me up through the trials. Raising a son has been my toughest job yet. I look forward to the “end result” and the fruits of all our labor, as well. Peace!

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