Day 20: Desperate Prayers
What about those times when you are on your knees, crying before the Lord? What do you pray then? What scripture can you pray when you are sad, scared, and overwhelmed?
How do you cry out to the Lord when you don’t know the way out of a situation or you are afraid your children don’t know the way out?
I think every parent has times of desperate prayer.
Maybe you are paralyzed with fear.
Maybe you are heartbroken with disappointment.
Maybe you are filled with regret.
Maybe you don’t know what to do or even how to articulate what you want to happen or change. Try this:
Think of every promise of God you can remember. Get out your Bible and search the Psalms for words of truth and comfort and promise. And remember what God says:
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
His Word will not return void. It does have purpose in your life and in the lives of your children. That is why we pray scripture based prayers. If we are praying God’s Word back to Him, we know that we are praying prayers which line up with His ways and His will. We must constantly remember that God truly does love our children more than we do. If we are constantly surrendering them to His care, we must trust that everything that happens to them, good or bad, is filtered through His love.
To my knowledge and according to my study of the Word of God, I cannot recall a single time that a parent brought their child to Jesus and He didn’t do something. He heard, He healed, He delivered. He invited the children to come to Him and told the disciples not to forbid their coming, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
One of my favorite “parent stories” in the Bible is found in Mark 9. A father brought his deaf and demon-possessed son to Jesus. He told Jesus of the struggles and pain and desperate situation they endured. And then the father said:
But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:22-24
And Jesus immediately delivered the boy and commanded that the evil never return again.
I have prayed many times: “Lord, I do believe; help me with my unbelief.” It is hard to believe sometimes, especially when it comes to our children. And that is when the desperate prayers come in. Desperate prayers are actually exactly what is needed at times. In fact, scripture tells us to pray desperately for our children. Lamentations 2:19 says:
Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children….
I have experienced what it means to pour out my heart like water for the lives of my children. That is how I feel when I have those moments of desperate prayer. And yet, we pray with belief, all the while asking the Lord to help us with our unbelief.
What might a desperate prayer look like? Maybe something like this:
God, You are Creator of the Universe, nothing is too hard for You. I know You love me, Lord. I know You love my children, even more than I do. But I need Your help, Lord. I need Your peace and Your presence. I need You to come quickly to my aid. I need You to hide my children in the shelter of the Almighty. Lord, Your Word says to call upon You and You will answer with great and mighty things which we know not. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. I trust in You with all my heart and I lean not upon my own understanding. Only You can make our paths straight. You, Lord, are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I believe You, Lord. But help me Lord with any unbelief concerning my children. I know You are able to do far more than I could ever hope or dream or imagine. Do this, according to Your Word. I pray all this in the great and mighty and powerful name of Jesus. Amen. ( Jeremiah 32:17, Psalm 22:19, Psalm 70:5, Jeremiah 33:3, Mark 10:27, Proverbs 3:5-6, John 14:6, Mark 9:24, Ephesians 3:20, Psalm 119:65, John 14:14)
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8
