“You know what we need to do, girls? We need to pray.”
I find myself saying that more and more to my kids. I never expected that the problems of a preschooler, a first grader and a second grader would be beyond my ability to fix so much of the time. I never imagined how much of motherhood is spent on your knees. 
We’ve prayed for stolen glue sticks, mean girls, renegade classmates who won’t behave in art class, forgotten homework, lost lunch boxes, friends whose parents are divorcing and other friends being teased on the playground.
When you open the floor to prayer requests from kids, they’re willing to be downright honest, maybe even uncomfortably truthful at times.
If their parents fought, they’ll tell you. If their grades are bad, if their teacher is tough, if their friend is sad, if a bully is mean, you’ll hear about it. Children will spill it all out there.
We seem to learn privacy and shame over time, learning to keep things quiet, afraid to ask for prayer for our real problems because others might know the truth: We don’t have it all together. People might judge. The gossip chain will be initiated.
But I’m saying this now to you as you sit here reading this blog, maybe munching away at your lunch or settling down to read your email messages at the end of the day, or grabbing a few minutes in between phone calls or during your toddler’s nap time….
“You know what we need to do? We’ve got to pray.”
Scripture reminds us of the power of praying together.
When Esther prepared to enter King Xerxes’s presence uninvited, placing her life in jeopardy in order to save her people from mass genocide, she didn’t just pray on her own.
She organized a nationwide prayer meeting, instructing all the Jews of Susa to:
“fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same…” (Esther 4:16 NLT).
Jesus didn’t just fall to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane alone as he waited for his betrayer to arrive with an army of soldiers and an unwelcome kiss. He took along:
“Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:37-38).
Paul, who seemed so confident and capable in ministry and who always seemed content and able to rejoice despite circumstances, wasn’t afraid to ask the church in Ephesus to
“pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan…” (Ephesians 6:19 NLT).
So rather than bowing my head alone, I’m asking for you to do something totally different with me.
Let’s pray together.
Just leave a comment on the blog or Facebook this week saying, “I’m praying, too” or something simple like that and then spend some time this week in focused prayer for others. It’ll take just a second of time to post that comment so we know you’re praying.
And if you have a prayer request, don’t be afraid or ashamed, please share that with us, too. You can leave a comment here on the blog—even anonymously if you wish—and you can keep it simple, “My marriage. My job. My kids.” We’ll join with you on our knees today and ask God for help.
Or, you can email a prayer request to me here: heatherking@cox.net
- For marriages: For faithfulness, love, affection, honor, making marriage a priority, friendship, spiritual unity, and for freedom from abuse.
- For depression and spiritual stagnation: For revival and a return of joy, for friendship and God’s Word to come alive for them again. For hope.
- For finances: For freedom from debt, steady work and well-rewarded labor. For wisdom and abundant blessing. For those looking for work.
- For children: For salvation, for the wayward child, for restoration of broken relationships, for wisdom to make wise choices for our kids, for help guiding them spiritually.
- For churches/ministries and pastors/ministry leaders: For God’s vision, for strength, energy, refreshing, wisdom, and clear direction from God—for their families and their finances and health. For God to fill them up as they pour themselves out.
- For caregivers: That God would bring peace and freedom from pain to their loved ones, for salvation for those suffering, for strength for each new day for the caregivers themselves.
Originally published November 26, 2012
Heather King is a wife, mom, Bible Study teacher, writer and worship leader. Most importantly, she is a Christ follower with a desire to help others apply the Bible to everyday life with all its mess, noise, and busyness. Her book, Ask Me Anything, Lord: Opening Our Hearts to God’s Questions, is available now! To read more devotionals by Heather King, click here.
Copyright © 2014 Heather King
Heather C. King - Room to Breathe 
Please pray for my teenage daughter…. For emotional healing and restoration..
will be praying
Please help this young lady, Lord—heal her, restore her, help her to find peace in You and Your love for her. In Jesus’ name, Amen. I will keep praying!
I am praying. Please pray for my husbands livelihood.
Dear Jesus, please give direction, provision, and favor. In Jesus’ name, Amen. I will be praying!!!
Praying with you, Heather and this beautiful prayer web you’re creating.
As for my clan and I, pray with me for direction and the ability to discern God’s voice. For financial responsibility and commitment. For friendship, connection, and spiritual unity. For determination. For stamina. For joy.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Amen.
These are beautiful, Lee Ann. I agree with you in prayer for these things. In Jesus’ name, Amen!!
Heather this is a wonderufl idea. Thank you so much for putting this together.
I would ask that you pray for a very dear friend of mine who is have surgery on her back for melanomia. Pray that God gives the surgeons what they need to remove all of the cancer cells and allow her to live a long, full life.
And Heather, this is my most imporatnat prayer that I pray every single day, several times a day. “Let my son come to know the Lord with all his heart and all his sole. Let him give his life to Lord and ask for salvation, and come to know the confort, guidance, and love that our God provides to all who know and trust in Him.” My son is a WONDERFUL son. He is compassionate, and smart, he is truthful and good, and he loves his Mama, but he does not know the Lord. And my one desire in life is that he will come to know the Lord and that when we leave this earth we will be together with our gracious Lord for eternity.
Dear Jesus, we pray for this healing and this salvation! In Jesus’ name, Amen. I will keep praying, Linda!
Fahter please bless this beautiful prayer chain. Give us the guidance we need to make good faithful decisions. Help us to be kind, when others are not kind to us. Help us to behave in a manner that other may see You in us. I praye for financial freedom, work, health, and restoration of faith.
I Jesus’ name.
Amen
Yes, Amen!
Thank you Heather.
Love you so much!
Can I please ask for one more thing. I feel very selfish asking for something for myself. But I have been trying to sell my house for 1 year now and I just got a text from my realtor that she has a contract. I do not know any of the details and I may need to upgrade my septic system for it to go through. I am having an instpection on the system this morning and will not know if the upgrade is possible until around noon. So if I could be so selfish as to ask, please pray that the county will allow me to upgrade vs. inistalling a whole new system, and please pray for a good legitimate contract.
Love you all!
Praying right now, Linda!
Praise God for all his love and mercy. Praise God for having the plan and being in the details. Praise God for EVERYTHING.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen
Please pray for my family! For some there needs to be a spiritual awakening and a tender caring heart! For myself, to have wisdom and discernment when dealing with family! And remembering to love with unconditional love that the Father has for us.Thanks and God bless you all!
Dear Jesus, we lift up Janis’s family and join her in asking for tenderness, caring, and spiritual awakening!! Please show her how best to love her family and represent Christ’s love to them. In Jesus’ name, Amen
I just prayed Janis! 🙂
I’m praying too
My family- under spiritual warfare.
Praying for your family today, Jaime!