“We think of prayer as preparation for work, or a claim after having done work, (“I prayed!”), whereas prayer is the essential work. It is the supreme activity…” Oswald Chambers

Have you ever considered that prayer isn’t just something we do to get ready for a work, or something we say we did after a successful work, but that prayer IS the whole work?

I’ll confess…I set aside a good deal of time in the morning to pray for my family. Sometimes it causes me to have less than perfect hair. Other times my makeup isn’t just right. More often, my kitchen looks like it exploded…but still…I prioritize prayer. I used to feel guilty about it, thinking, “Ug! There’s so much to do! What would people think of me if they see me just sitting here on the couch this long when my house is a mess, my hair isn’t done, and I have such a long list of things to accomplish?” I have often felt like I needed to rush my prayers so that I could get on to more important things…or the things that make me look and feel more important.

But I don’t feel that way anymore.

Yes, I still have a long to-do list. I always will. But something changed in my heart when I came to the conclusion that praying for my family is the most important work I can do on their behalf. I am working with God in a partnership for their souls, their life’s calling, and who they are meant to be. I’m praying God’s Word over them, asking God to bring it to fruition in His time. What could possibly be more important than that work?

Nothing.

I believe prayer is the practice of partnering with God to accomplish His will in the lives of His people. I don’t know how it works. I don’t know why it works. And I don’t always know what His will is in each situation. I just know that God calls me to pray. It isn’t my job to know why or how. It isn’t my job to control or worry. It’s just my job to pray. Somehow God uses it.

(Partially excerpted from Praying Mom: Making Prayer the First and Best Response to Motherhood).

💚 Brooke McGlothlin