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Pray, Mama, Pray · Grace for My Home | Christian Women, Growing in Faith

• 1:13
  Audrey: Hello friend.
• 1:14
  Audrey: Welcome back to Grace for My Home, Audrey McCracken, and I am delighted to be back with you after such a long break.
• 1:23
  Audrey: I did not plan to be gone for so long, and I do want to apologize for taking such a long unannounced break.
• 1:30
  Audrey: We've had several life changes, just things happening that were unexpected, and they have thrown me for a loop, and I keep waiting to feel like I've landed on my feet, and I don't.
• 1:42
  Audrey: But I thought I never am.
• 1:44
  Audrey: I'm never gonna feel ready.
• 1:46
  Audrey: So I just need to jump back in there.
• 1:48
  Audrey: And I've had several of you reach out and ask how we're doing and you know, am I coming back?
• 1:54
  Audrey: And and I appreciate that so much.
• 1:56
  Audrey: Thank you for checking on us and thinking about us, and and I'm back.
• 2:02
  Audrey: Ready or not, here I am, here I come.
• 2:05
  Audrey: And I I do love podcasting and blogging, and I hate that I had to step away, but thank you for waiting on me.
• 2:12
  Audrey: Thank you for being there waiting on me, and thank you for you guys who reached out.
• 2:18
  Audrey: You know, when I started podcasting probably four or five years ago, I had a high schooler, I had one kid in high school, one son in high school, and I had two middle schoolers who I was homeschooling at the time, and now today I have two college students and one high schooler.
• 2:38
  Audrey: So that's been a long time, and a lot of water has passed under that bridge, a lot has happened, and I'm so proud of my of my boys.
• 2:47
  Audrey: I'm so thankful for them.
• 2:48
  Audrey: I'm so proud.
• 2:50
  Audrey: Back in March, I did a very popular series on praying for our children, and those podcast episodes were very popular.
• 3:00
  Audrey: I got so many emails and comments and questions about praying for our children.
• 3:06
  Audrey: So I know that that is a big need, it's a big interest for people, and I'm gonna do more of that.
• 3:15
  Audrey: And as I was preparing for this episode, I I felt like that's one of the things that the Lord wanted me to touch on.
• 3:21
  Audrey: We've had a lot of challenges as my boys have entered into college, their t their faith has been tested, and therefore so has mine.
• 3:30
  Audrey: Prayer is a must, it doesn't come easy to me.
• 3:35
  Audrey: Prayer is hard and holy work because we can't go to the Lord in prayer and at the same time keep things hidden in our own hearts.
• 3:47
  Audrey: You know, when we come to the Lord in prayer, he has this wonderful way of putting his finger on things.
• 3:53
  Audrey: And when there are things in our heart that haven't been dealt with, then they are they're exposed when we come to him and we come to him in his light.
• 4:02
  Audrey: He has a way of shining the light on our own heart.
• 4:06
  Audrey: And we can't we can't go forward until we have allowed him to deal with those areas in our hearts.
• 4:16
  Audrey: And so it's hard sometimes because we want to pray for our children, but at the same time, we're not ready to deal with some of the things that we ourselves are dealing with or or are struggling with.
• 4:29
  Audrey: And it's wrestling with God.
• 4:31
  Audrey: Prayer is often wrestling with God for our children and with our own issues, with our own sin, with our own shortcomings, or our the things that we need healed.
• 4:43
  Audrey: You know, sometimes God puts his finger on things because he wants to heal us.
• 4:48
  Audrey: You know, those things are holding us back from the fullness, from everything he wants to do in our lives.
• 4:53
  Audrey: And we we think, you know, this is just gonna be too painful, this is gonna hurt too much, let's just pretend that's not there.
• 5:00
  Audrey: But God's not in the pretending business, he is in the real business, he's in the let's get it out of there so that you can function and you can live the way that I created you to live, because he wants us to be free.
• 5:13
  Audrey: But over that series that I did on prayer, I had so many messages, and one of those messages in particular really stood out to me and it touched my heart.
• 5:23
  Audrey: I had a parent who contacted me because I had said something on one of those podcasts that they did not understand or maybe agree with.
• 5:33
  Audrey: And I just want to start off by saying I do not have, and you know, I'll jot down notes for what I want to speak, but I don't have a pre-written script for what I'm gonna share with you because I want to share from my heart.
• 5:48
  Audrey: And so sometimes I may say things in passing, and it's not that I don't believe those things, but I may not give a full picture of what I'm trying to say.
• 5:58
  Audrey: And in this situation, I think I had said something like, you know, the past doesn't matter when it comes to praying for your children.
• 6:06
  Audrey: Or I think I said something like, you know, don't nothing that has happened in the past can keep you from doing what God's called you to do now.
• 6:16
  Audrey: And that just didn't sit well with this listener because they said, I wish I could believe that, but I made a lot of mistakes, and it's hard for me to believe that those mistakes in raising my children didn't matter.
• 6:32
  Audrey: I wish I could believe that, but I can't.
• 6:34
  Audrey: And I and it really made me think too, and I thought, okay, first of all, I want to be careful with the things that I share, but also I want to explain that a little bit.
• 6:43
  Audrey: You know, the we all make mistakes.
• 6:45
  Audrey: We all make mistakes when raising our children, you know, and those who say they didn't, they're they're lying, or they're ignorant to what mistakes they did make.
• 6:54
  Audrey: And it's not that the things we do every day do not matter, and we can just pray and everything will be great.
• 7:02
  Audrey: That's not what I'm saying at all.
• 7:04
  Audrey: What I'm saying is that you don't have to let the mistakes of your past keep you from praying for your children today, and they need your prayers.
• 7:16
  Audrey: And it is a tactic of the enemy to keep us in regret and fear and shame, and that keeps us from God and therefore keeps us from praying today for our children.
• 7:32
  Audrey: The regrets of the past can keep us from doing today what God wants from us today.
• 7:39
  Audrey: You know, think about in the very beginning when sin entered the world and the first man, the first woman, the f when they sinned, the first thing they did was they hid from God.
• 7:51
  Audrey: They recognized that they were naked, they were ashamed, and they went and hid.
• 7:57
  Audrey: And that doesn't have to be how we live anymore because Jesus has cleansed us from all unrighteousness.
• 8:05
  Audrey: Yes, we make mistakes, yes, we sin.
• 8:07
  Audrey: Yes, there's things we wish we could turn back the hands of time and change and do better or do different or not do at all.
• 8:15
  Audrey: We can't.
• 8:16
  Audrey: We have to start with today.
• 8:18
  Audrey: We have to repent for those things, we have to apologize sometimes for those things.
• 8:24
  Audrey: But we can't let those things keep us from doing what God has called us to do today.
• 8:30
  Audrey: And so it's not that our temper or our neglectfulness or our ignorance didn't matter back then.
• 8:39
  Audrey: It's that we are human, we repent, we apologize, we move on, but please don't let those things keep you from praying today.
• 8:49
  Audrey: See, nothing I did in the past is going to negate or cancel out the power of my prayers today.
• 8:58
  Audrey: Only if I let them, only if I let the shame of them and the regret of them and the lie of the enemy that your prayers don't matter because look at the life you've lived.
• 9:09
  Audrey: If I let that lie be truth in my mind, if I believe that lie, then yes, it will keep me from praying.
• 9:16
  Audrey: It'll keep me from going before God.
• 9:18
  Audrey: I'll be like Adam and Eve hiding in the trees because I I'm afraid of the punishment.
• 9:24
  Audrey: I'm afraid, I'm I'm fearful.
• 9:26
  Audrey: But if I will come to the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, because of his blood, and I will say, Lord, you know me.
• 9:36
  Audrey: I have messed up in the past, but today I want to pray for my children.
• 9:40
  Audrey: He will help you.
• 9:42
  Audrey: That's that's grace.
• 9:44
  Audrey: That's what you're called to do as a mom, as a grandmother, he wants your prayers.
• 9:49
  Audrey: Your prayers are very powerful.
• 9:52
  Audrey: And nobody in this world can pray for your children and your grandchildren the way that you can, because no one loves them as much as you do.
• 10:01
  Audrey: They are precious in your sight, and they're precious in the sight of the Lord.
• 10:05
  Audrey: And your prayers are so weighty in heaven.
• 10:09
  Audrey: I wish I could just show you how important your prayers are at the throne of God.
• 10:14
  Audrey: And the mistakes of your past do not have to hinder your current prayers unless you let them.
• 10:23
  Audrey: Please don't do that.
• 10:26
  Audrey: Deal with God, wrestle with God in prayer for your children.
• 10:31
  Audrey: Even when it means that you have to face your own sin, your own shortcomings, the things, the issues that you don't want to deal with, deal with those things so you can pray freely for your children.
• 10:45
  Audrey: Don't let the enemy and his lies keep you away from God's grace.
• 10:51
  Audrey: Your children need you.
• 10:52
  Audrey: They need your prayers.
• 10:54
  Audrey: And they need a constant, consistent prayer covering.
• 10:59
  Audrey: You know, the Lord has been dealing with me lately about praying for my family and making that a priority, carving out time and saying, This is the time that I will pray for my children, that I will pray for my husband, that I'll pray for my home and my family.
• 11:16
  Audrey: And that only works, first of all, when I believe in the power of prayer.
• 11:21
  Audrey: See, when we believe in the power of prayer and we believe that God answers our prayers, then it compels us to pray.
• 11:28
  Audrey: It encourages us to pray.
• 11:29
  Audrey: It gives us a hope that if I pray, then God will hear my prayer and answer my prayers.
• 11:35
  Audrey: And it also allows Jesus access into my heart.
• 11:41
  Audrey: See, my my children don't need me the way they used to.
• 11:46
  Audrey: I remember when it was a constant, you know, especially being a homeschool mom, it was a constant draw.
• 11:53
  Audrey: I feel felt like every day I was pouring out and I barely had time to recharge or to fill back up.
• 12:02
  Audrey: You know, just having 10 minutes alone with a cup of coffee was a luxury.
• 12:08
  Audrey: And they were constantly knocking on the door, mama, mama.
• 12:13
  Audrey: And now as they grew older and they needed me less, I filled that time with other things.
• 12:20
  Audrey: I filled that time with things for my church and with this podcast.
• 12:25
  Audrey: And I opened a coffee shop for my church, and so those were other areas, other people needed me.
• 12:31
  Audrey: And so, you know, it was it was good for me to fill that void with other things.
• 12:39
  Audrey: But now I'm in a season where a lot of those things have been stripped away, and I'm like, what do I do?
• 12:46
  Audrey: What do I what am I supposed to be doing right now?
• 12:49
  Audrey: And the Lord is bringing me back to prayer.
• 12:52
  Audrey: That is the most important work that you can do for your children.
• 12:57
  Audrey: See, I I want to love my children, and in the past, in different seasons, you know, I've loved them in different ways.
• 13:03
  Audrey: When there were babies, I loved them by feeding them.
• 13:06
  Audrey: I love them by rocking them, I love them by changing their diaper.
• 13:10
  Audrey: You know, I remember at one time we had two in pull-ups and one in diapers, and it felt like that's all I did all day was change poo-poo diapers.
• 13:19
  Audrey: That's all I did.
• 13:20
  Audrey: This is my life.
• 13:21
  Audrey: And, you know, and that was my way of loving them.
• 13:25
  Audrey: It didn't feel loving at the time, but it was.
• 13:27
  Audrey: It was my way of taking care of their needs.
• 13:30
  Audrey: And, you know, as they grew older, I remember making meals and and making a meal and us all sitting down at the table and eating that meal, that brought them joy, that brought me joy.
• 13:41
  Audrey: That was my way of loving all my family.
• 13:44
  Audrey: Well, now it's not like that.
• 13:46
  Audrey: I make a meal and text everybody and say, I have cooked supper, it is on the stove, because everybody's gone, everybody's, you know, it's a it's a wonderful occasion when we all get to sit down and eat together, but it doesn't happen a whole lot anymore.
• 14:00
  Audrey: You know, one has soccer practice, you know, one has a job, the other is at praise and worship practice, and so we are like, you know, if we get to sit down at a table together and have a meal together, it's like all of the sun and the moon and the stars lined up correctly.
• 14:20
  Audrey: But that was my way of loving them, and now I don't I don't have that anymore.
• 14:25
  Audrey: And so I feel like the Lord has been telling me this is the need for the time.
• 14:31
  Audrey: For this time in your family's life, Audrey, they need you to be praying.
• 14:36
  Audrey: They need a constant prayer covering, they need somebody that they know is praying for them.
• 14:43
  Audrey: And you know, I have one son in particular who will text me and say, Mama, pray for this.
• 14:48
  Audrey: And I love that because I do, I will, I'll stop and I'll pray, and then later I'll be like, you know, how did it work out?
• 14:54
  Audrey: You know, how did God answer that prayer?
• 14:56
  Audrey: You know, what happened?
• 14:58
  Audrey: I have another son who I wish would do that.
• 15:00
  Audrey: You know, this morning he was going out of the door, and I'm like, What can I pray for you today?
• 15:04
  Audrey: And he's like, No, nothing, I'm good.
• 15:07
  Audrey: And everybody needs prayer, but he will not tell me what he needs prayer for.
• 15:12
  Audrey: So, you know, I just pray.
• 15:14
  Audrey: But that is what I can do in this season, and it's so important.
• 15:22
  Audrey: So taking time to carve out time to do that, I'm making it a non-negotiable.
• 15:28
  Audrey: Your prayers are so powerful, and one of the things I love about prayer is that it's not limited by time or location.
• 15:37
  Audrey: You know, my kid can be on the other side of the world, and my prayers hit the mark.
• 15:43
  Audrey: My prayers cover that child.
• 15:46
  Audrey: This summer, one of my sons went on on a trip to Germany, and I prayed for him every day.
• 15:53
  Audrey: And, you know, right now I'm praying for things for the future.
• 15:57
  Audrey: I'm praying for the jobs that God will open up for them, and I'm praying for the the plan that God has for their life years from now.
• 16:06
  Audrey: See that those prayers have no limitation, they have no expiration date.
• 16:12
  Audrey: And so today, you know, I'm not gonna give you a list of five things to pray for or how to pray for your kids.
• 16:21
  Audrey: I might do that later.
• 16:22
  Audrey: Nothing wrong with that.
• 16:24
  Audrey: But today I just want to encourage you to pray.
• 16:29
  Audrey: Just pray.
• 16:30
  Audrey: Get in there, shut the door and pray.
• 16:34
  Audrey: You might say, Well, Audrey, I don't know how to do that.
• 16:37
  Audrey: But I have found in my life that the best teacher of prayer isn't reading a book, it isn't asking someone else, it's just getting in there and doing it.
• 16:51
  Audrey: And as things come up, as issues come up in your own heart that hinder your prayers, dealing with those issues with Jesus, believing he's on your side, believing he wants you to pray, that he wants to answer your prayers, and he's gonna help you to deal with all of the things that cause you not to want to go to him because of the past, because of the regret, because of the mistakes you've made, that he is gonna help you to repent of those sins and deal with the hurts and receive healing from heaven for those things so that they don't stop you from going before his presence, so that you can pray freely.
• 17:32
  Audrey: Get in there and pray.
• 17:36
  Audrey: And the best way to learn how to pray is just get in there and do it.
• 17:41
  Audrey: Pray, Mama, pray.
• 17:42
  Audrey: They need your prayers, they need somebody knocking on heaven's door for them.
• 17:49
  Audrey: They need someone bringing them before the throne of God for today, for tomorrow, for next week.
• 17:57
  Audrey: In 3 John 1:4, John says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
• 18:06
  Audrey: And that is my scripture.
• 18:08
  Audrey: You know, I pray that scripture as a prayer.
• 18:11
  Audrey: Lord, I have no greater joy than to see and to hear that my children are walking in the truth, that they're walking in the light with you, and that they love you, and that they have a relationship with you, and that's how I pray, and that's what I pray, and and that's why I pray.
• 18:31
  Audrey: So I just encourage you this week to pray for your children, cover them in prayer, be the one that brings them to the throne of grace, and believe Jesus to do a work in their hearts and in their minds, no matter where they are in the Lord, whether they're a prodigal, whether they love the Lord, whether they're a baby, whether they're they have their own babies, and you'll see God do a work in your own heart as you bring your children to the Lord in prayer.
• 19:04
  Audrey: I do want to remind you that I I wrote a book of prayers for our children.
• 19:11
  Audrey: Now it is not a how-to book, it's actually a book of prayers that I've prayed over my children, and I wanted to get that into the world, into the hands of other moms who just need a little help getting started.
• 19:22
  Audrey: You know, sometimes if I if I have a prayer to start with, I might start out reading that prayer, but before long, it's my own prayer.
• 19:30
  Audrey: Like I've I've added to it, I've changed it so much that it's just a conversation between me and the Lord.
• 19:35
  Audrey: But I wrote a book of prayers, it's called Covered in Prayer: 31 Prayers to Cover You and Your Children in God's grace.
• 19:43
  Audrey: And you can buy it on Amazon, and I'll put a link to that book in the show notes if you need a little help.
• 19:49
  Audrey: But I can't encourage you enough just to start.
• 19:53
  Audrey: That's how you how you that's how you do it.
• 19:55
  Audrey: You just get started.
• 19:56
  Audrey: But before we go today, let's pray.
• 19:59
  Audrey: Father, in Jesus' name, we come to you today, and Lord, we just thank you for these precious children that you've given us.
• 20:07
  Audrey: God, you love them more than we love them, and we love them so much.
• 20:13
  Audrey: And I pray, God, that you would help us to pray for our children, to pray a prayer covering over them.
• 20:21
  Audrey: I pray, Lord, that you would allow us to be your prayer partner, that Lord, as we come to you in prayer for our children, that you would give us the words, that Lord, you would answer our prayers, that Lord, you would teach us how to pray for those that you have entrusted to our care.
• 20:38
  Audrey: And God, I pray for encouragement for these mamas, Lord God.
• 20:42
  Audrey: I pray, Lord, that you would show them the power of prayer.
• 20:45
  Audrey: And Lord, that in those prayers that you would do a work in their own heart, that you would bring a healing to their own heart, that Lord, we would be able to move forward in you and not be held back by regret or shame or anything, Lord God, that the enemy would try to throw at us to say, Who are you to pray?
• 21:04
  Audrey: Father, we are your daughters.
• 21:06
  Audrey: Imperfect as we are, we are covered by your blood, Lord, and we just want to see your your kingdom, Lord.
• 21:13
  Audrey: Your kingdom come into the lives and the hearts and the minds of our children.
• 21:19
  Audrey: Lord, do for them what you've done for us in Jesus' name.
• 21:24
  Audrey: Amen.
• 21:25
  Audrey: Have a great week.
• 21:26
  Audrey: Bye-bye.