Years of praying for our children pays off. My youngest is a junior at college, and this year is an R.A. in her dorm. She oversees a few dozen young women and is growing by leaps and bounds with this challenge. Recently I called her at the end of her school week; she sounded a tad tired. "Uh, well, my sleep on Fridays is interrupted," she explained.

It turns out that she has heard the call of the Holy Spirit to get up at 3 a.m. each Friday and prayer-walk through her dorm and other dorms for a couple of hours, praying (often with one or two other intercessors) at each doorway for the occupants. I was speechless. These are the moments we as moms wait for, long for, and aren't quite prepared for when they come. My child, for whom countless prayers have gone up over 19 years, is now praying kingdom-sized prayers for her schoolmates.

Moms In Touch International, THANK YOU for helping me persevere in prayer for my children. THANK YOU for adding other mothers' prayers to my own cries. THANK YOU for returning all the glory to Jesus.  

“Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)

Even before I became a mom, this verse became a pivotal point in my prayer-life.  The Lord used it (and continues to use it!) to remind me that He wants me to call upon Him and He wants me to know that He is always at work.

As a mom, I’ve been blessed with four very unique and wonderful children who are all teenagers, right now.  My oldest daughter is just finishing her first year of college, living out of town and away from home for the first time. It has been a year of adjustments for both of us, to say the least. It’s been funny to me that many mothers warned me about the “terrible twos” that would wear out my patience, but no one warned me about that “frantic freshman” that would require me to entrust my child to Christ in a new and more absolute way. After all, when your college freshman calls to tell you that she is sick with a fever or that she just failed an important exam, you just can’t always go where she is to comfort and care for her in person.

Long before my first child was born, I was committed to praying for my children.  I knew, in my heart, the importance and need for prayer—both for my children and for my parenting, but I rarely shared those intimate requests with anyone other than my closest friends.  One of those friends invited me to join a MITI group, and I have been blessed by it ever since!  That was over ten years ago and what a difference it has made in my life and in the lives of my children. The support and concern of other praying moms have energized and encouraged each of us as we faithfully pray together each week. We have truly witnessed “great and mighty things!”

My “frantic freshman” has been protected and cared for in ways that can only be attributed to God.  I have been witness to the Lord working out every detail and need that has challenged her faith, and mine! He began by leading her to Oklahoma State University and providing her with a precious Christian roommate. Then, He led her to a wonderful church that diligently ministers to the needs of their college students.  God’s most amazing blessing has been His provision of friendship with dozens of young women who love and serve the Lord with all of their hearts. All of these blessings, and many more that I can recount, are a direct result of answers to prayers that were prayed for my child by our MITI group.

Thanks be to God for placing this ministry on the heart of Fern Nichols and for each and every MITI group that reaches out in love and prayer to make a difference in the lives of our children, our schools and ourselves! 

Morning devotions and powerful prayer
Today I was reminded of the value of morning devotions in keeping God’s Word fresh and ready for prayer.

My daughter, a sophomore at Purdue University, called at 7:30 a.m. Besides having a final in 30 minutes, she was upset by a dream she had had the night before. In her dream she met with her nursing professor and was told she would receive a C in clinical nursing. She wanted prayer to calm her fears, because she was actually meeting with her professor at 10 a.m. to find out her grade.

I asked the Holy Spirit to help me to pray the right words for her at that time. I remembered a verse I had been focusing on, Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped.”

I grabbed the note card with the verse on it out of my Bible and prayed it aloud to her over the phone. She calmed down and promised to call after her meeting with the professor.

When she called at 11 a.m., her attitude was transformed. The meeting had turned out very well, and she had earned an 89% for the class. The professor even commented, “I really want to give you an ‘A’ so maybe I can work the numbers a bit.”

Oh, how the enemy wants to discourage our kids and cause them to forget that God is their strength and their shield, One whom they can trust for help. Keep the sword of His Word ready to fight those daily battles in prayer.

Years of answered prayer results in new life
My son had the joy of leading a fraternity brother, and friend since high school, to accept the Lord as Savior. He was baptized in the lake behind our house on Saturday! What a special time for all of us! I have been praying for this young man for many years. I praise God for the blessing of seeing my children’s friend come into the Kingdom of God!