Saturday night my wife felt really bad. She is pretty private and so I will not relate the source of her physical trouble, but in our family and with a close church family, we have people praying for her. At bed time she laid down and I took the kids into another room and we stood together holding hands for bed time prayers and thanks to God. At the end of our prayer I said to the kids, "Come on, lets go pray for mom."
We went into the other room, gathered around her and laid hands on her for prayer. I asked my seven year old daughter to pray and the nine year old twins and I would pray along with her. I assumed that I or one of the boys would need to finish of the prayer making up for anything Elizabeth might miss.
This happened next. Elizabeth closed her eyes and prayed, "Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you in Jesus name. Your word says, 'By his stripes we are healed,' and mom does not feel so good right now. We ask that you would heal her and make her feel better and that you would take this away forever." She may have prayed a few other words, I can't remember the rest because that prayer just blew me out of the water! No one else needed to pray after that, she got it all.
When you pray, I suggest that you follow Elizabeth's powerful and Scriptural example. First address your Heavenly Father, address our almighty God in the name of his Son Jesus. Second, when you pray, pray the Scriptures and stand on the promises of Scripture. They are not magic potions to speak, but they build our faith and in our relationship with God it is appropriate to discuss his specific promises to us with him. Third, present your request, simply and without disclaimers. Ask for the very best. Don't ask half way or you might get it. Fourth, and I don't remember what Elizabeth said, but she ended with thanks to God.
Parents, I have never given Elizabeth a lesson on prayer. But she has been to church every Sunday of her life except a very few vacation Sundays, maybe four. She has been to church on Wednesday night with the same regularity. We pray every day together in the morning, at meals, and at bed time. We pray out loud and she has learned to pray and pray Scripture by example.
Never fail to pray with your kids. Some day you may need a miracle and who will you call to pray and "effectual, fervent prayer" (James 5) for you? By building a foundation, you may have the blessing of calling your children to interceded with God for you! I think something powerful happened Saturday night. I don't know that we have seen the manifestation of God's answer yet, but I believe that God answered a prayer for us, led by Elizabeth.
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