Sticky Notes and Prayers
Sweet spring mornings can’t help but beckon a praying soul to carry her conversation with the Lord to the great outdoors. The breeze is cool. The birds are cheery. The sky sparkles blue, and the colors of grace splash brilliantly onto nature’s canvas.
A mid-May morning found me on the back porch with a cup of coffee in one hand and my prayer journal lying open across my lap. Colorful Post-It notes stuck to the pages, each one a snapshot in words – a prayer prompt for a loved one in need of Jesus’ touch and grace.
A slow sip of coffee, a long gaze into the sky, a prayer sent to the throne of my listening King – this was the rhythm as I prayed for the notes written on each two-inch square until every request was covered.
I wrapped up that peaceful morning with praise and gratitude to God, confident that His plans for good were underway. As I started to close my journal, I recognized a theme I’d missed as I’d been praying - motherhood. The page I’d been focusing on was filled with prayer requests for young moms and their children with one exception – a bright pink square reminding me to pray for my friend Pam and her children and grandchildren.
Pam and I are in the same season of life – mothers of adult children, watching our grandchildren grow up far too quickly.
A smile came as I stared at the truths God spoke to me from that color-filled page.
First, a mama heart beats for her children no matter the ages of her babies. The day never comes when she stops pleading before the throne of grace on behalf of her children. In fact, her prayers become more intentional and urgent as her grandchildren experience the ripples of events in their parents’ lives. A believing mama knows that the life of her child is covered in one long, continuous prayer that only stops when her own heart no longer beats.
Then, I thought of the wisdom and faith of a more seasoned mama – grown, stretched, tested, and strengthened in the fires of motherhood. Pam had faced struggles, challenges, heartaches, failures, and disappointments – as every mother has and will. And what she found in the process and on the other side was her God - true to His Word, meeting her every need, keeping every promise, holding her up when hope seemed lost, answering her prayers in ways she could’ve never imagined.
Finally, I thought of the power of an army of mamas creating a wall of prayer with shields of faith for the sake of our children and grandchildren. “Where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20) What greater protection for our children and grandchildren than the presence of the Lord God Almighty?!
Pam has spent a lifetime building a breathtaking, living monument to her faithful God on behalf of her kids and grands – one prayer upon another. With each addition to her family, the monument grows. For the younger mamas in the early years of beginning their own family monuments to the Lord, I pray their reliance on Him and His trustworthiness grows. My dear friend and all the other mamas in our stage of life would encourage those little mamas to spend their most meaningful moments of motherhood on their knees because we can attest to this truth: “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) Especially when that person is a praying mama!
