Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have to be honest. While I know prayer should be first and foremost, it’s not. I read books on praying for different aspects of my children’s life and it all sounds great. And I totally fall short. My prayer life consists of (sometimes) morning prayers, bedtime prayers and short “Lord, please help x with x” when I see prayer requests come through email or social media.
One of my priorities this year was to do better in that arena this year. Right around the time I was making that goal, I saw a short mention from a blogger friend about A Mother’s Prayer Companion and how much it changed her prayer life. So of course I emailed Jenny pretty much that day :). And my friend was right. A Mother’s Prayer Companion has changed my prayer life.
A Mother’s Prayer Companion is a beautiful muted aqua binder that guides you through prayer for your family, your sons, your daughters, your spouse, and yourself. The pages are printed on a luxurious ivory card stock and the binder kit includes pages for 1 family, 3 daughters, 3 sons, your husband, yourself and those you have promised to pray for. It’s about a half-page size and if you have a big purse or a diaper bag, you could totally put it in there for praying on the go.
The formula for prayers is pretty typical — Praise/Adoration, Thanksgiving & Intercession and includes the bible verses that you are praying for your loved ones. The thing that makes A Mother’s Prayer Companion life changing FOR ME is the customization that you can do. Many prayer journals have a generic (insert name here) wherever your child or spouse’s name should be. This book has a blank line so you can write their name, making prayer seamless and natural. There is a place to write their gifts and talents (under thanksgiving) and another to write prayer requests (intercession). And the most important piece, in my opinion, is the place to add a photo.
I am a hurry, rush, get it done kind of person. I know by now that it is a double-edged sword. In the past, I’ve prayed for each of my family members as a kind of checklist and something to knock off my to-do list. The particular layout of A Mother’s Prayer Companion causes me to slow down and ponder the person I’m praying for. Especially the child above. She is the one who will sanctify me. Do you have one of those?
Sitting down to pray for her and looking at her funny little grin makes me appreciate her (many) good qualities. Praising God for her and how he made her and her many gifts puts me in a completely different mind set. It helps me to remember that she is exactly as God made her. However much she might drive. me. insane! I am able to slow down and really pray for her from my heart. This prayer journal takes the normal obstacles to my prayer and cancels many of them out.
A Mother’s Prayer Companion is a fabulous resource for praying for your family for any Christian woman. Since she included enough pages for 3 boys and 3 girls, I also have a section devoted to each of my Godchildren. This would make an excellent prayer journal for grandmothers also. Meant to take 10-15 minutes per person, you don’t have to pray for each person every day. I pray a section or two each day that I make the time to do so. It has really helped me to be more patient and loving toward my family in addition to actually praying for them. Good fruit all around!
Do you pray for your family regularly?
