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The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
Perfect for new moms and dads as well as those a little further along in the journey, this is a must-have for anyone caring for a child.
Paperback
First published July 1, 1995
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About the author
Stormie Omartian
436 books1,634 followersStormie Omartian is an award-winning bestselling author and speaker who personally connects with readers and listeners by sharing her experiences and illustrating how God transforms lives when we learn to trust in Him.
The strength and transparency of Stormie’s message has driven her books to the top of the bestsellers list. More than 26 million copies have been sold worldwide of her "Power of Praying Series," including "The Power Of Praying For Your Adult Children," "The Power Of A Praying Wife," "The Power Of A Praying Husband," "The Power Of A Praying Woman," "The Power Of A Praying Parent," "The Power Of A Praying Teen," and "The Prayer That Changes Everything."
Her latest books are her recently updated and re-released bestsellers: "Power of a Prayer Wife," "Power of a Praying Woman," "Power of a Praying Parent," "Power of Praying for Your Adult Children," and "Power of a Praying Husband."
In May 2002, "The Power Of A Praying Wife" broke a 21-year industry record by claiming the top spot on the Christian Booksellers bestsellers list for 27 consecutive months. From 2001 to 2003, for an unprecedented three years in a row, it was named a finalist for The Charles “Kip” Jordon Christian Book of the Year Award. It has been on the bestsellers list continually for over ten years. It was replaced as number one by "The Power Of A Praying Husband," which was honored in 2002 with a Gold Medallion Award. "The Power Of A Praying Parent" has been on the bestsellers list for years. In September of 2002, her prayer series astonishingly held the top four spots on the bestsellers list:
Among other of Stormie’s bestselling books are her autobiography, "Stormie," plus "Just Enough Light For The Step I’m On," "Lord I Want To Be Whole," and "Praying God's Will For Your Life." Michael and Stormie have been married for 40 years and have two married children.
If you have any questions for Stormie, please send them her way on her Facebook page, the link is below.
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https://www.facebook.com/stormieomart...
https://twitter.com/StormieOmartian
The strength and transparency of Stormie’s message has driven her books to the top of the bestsellers list. More than 26 million copies have been sold worldwide of her "Power of Praying Series," including "The Power Of Praying For Your Adult Children," "The Power Of A Praying Wife," "The Power Of A Praying Husband," "The Power Of A Praying Woman," "The Power Of A Praying Parent," "The Power Of A Praying Teen," and "The Prayer That Changes Everything."
Her latest books are her recently updated and re-released bestsellers: "Power of a Prayer Wife," "Power of a Praying Woman," "Power of a Praying Parent," "Power of Praying for Your Adult Children," and "Power of a Praying Husband."
In May 2002, "The Power Of A Praying Wife" broke a 21-year industry record by claiming the top spot on the Christian Booksellers bestsellers list for 27 consecutive months. From 2001 to 2003, for an unprecedented three years in a row, it was named a finalist for The Charles “Kip” Jordon Christian Book of the Year Award. It has been on the bestsellers list continually for over ten years. It was replaced as number one by "The Power Of A Praying Husband," which was honored in 2002 with a Gold Medallion Award. "The Power Of A Praying Parent" has been on the bestsellers list for years. In September of 2002, her prayer series astonishingly held the top four spots on the bestsellers list:
1. "Praying Wife"
2. "Praying Woman"
3. "Praying Parent"
4. "Praying Husband"
Among other of Stormie’s bestselling books are her autobiography, "Stormie," plus "Just Enough Light For The Step I’m On," "Lord I Want To Be Whole," and "Praying God's Will For Your Life." Michael and Stormie have been married for 40 years and have two married children.
If you have any questions for Stormie, please send them her way on her Facebook page, the link is below.
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https://www.facebook.com/stormieomart...
https://twitter.com/StormieOmartian
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 447 reviews
December 8, 2012
So if I were rating this book just for the prayers I would give it a 5. If I were rating the part where the author writes about each prayer topic I'd give it a 2. I should have just bought the book of prayers! The prayers are excellent and there's enough to pray one each day of the month for your child. Really liked this.
Now, I am a full believer in the power of prayer. But what I didn't care for in this book was the author's attitude that if you simply pray for your children bad things won't happen to them. I don't think that's how she meant it but that's how it came across at times. Examples like sharing how her son was in a car accident with friends and he wasn't injured but others were & how she felt it was because they have always prayed for protection for him. This type of example can leave a young parent feeling like their child is doomed to trouble if they miss a day of praying. Despite our must heartfelt prayers, God often allows & uses difficulty in our lives. That doesn't mean we stop praying. It just means that prayer doesn't guarantee a painless life. I wish the author would address this more.
Now, I am a full believer in the power of prayer. But what I didn't care for in this book was the author's attitude that if you simply pray for your children bad things won't happen to them. I don't think that's how she meant it but that's how it came across at times. Examples like sharing how her son was in a car accident with friends and he wasn't injured but others were & how she felt it was because they have always prayed for protection for him. This type of example can leave a young parent feeling like their child is doomed to trouble if they miss a day of praying. Despite our must heartfelt prayers, God often allows & uses difficulty in our lives. That doesn't mean we stop praying. It just means that prayer doesn't guarantee a painless life. I wish the author would address this more.
September 9, 2015
Think of Stormie as a wise and godly older Charismatic mom who is attending and contributing to your Bible study, rather than teaching the study. Let her share her thoughts, wisdom, and experiences, and you will benefit from a great deal of it. Occasionally, though, she'll need to be pushed to explain what she means by "releasing God's power". She'll benefit from being challenged as to whether she's thinking of prayer too mechanistically when she says that if she'd had praying parents, she and her sister wouldn't have had relational issues. When she talks about her understanding of children's salvation, the discussion leader will need to shush her, and give someone else the floor. When she advises choosing a church based on a child's consumeristic preferences, someone who loves her should take her aside afterwards and help her think through church differently.
But overall, I'm benefiting from reading the book, and I'm comfortable praying the prayers that she has written. The things I'm pointing out are more like crunching down on a stray Grape-Nut in a bowl of Cheerios than crunching down on a beetle in a bowl of Cheerios. It's unexpected, and I didn't mean for it to be there, but I can still finish the bowl. All the same, if a Reformed book with similar aims appears, I'd love to read it.
The range of topics that she suggests, the amount of Scripture that saturates the pages she writes (even though occasionally mis-applied), the passion with which she prays, the confidence she has before God, and the wisdom of her parenting stories will be a great blessing to the moms. Learn from her Charismatic boldness in prayer, combine it with a Reformed sense of humility in prayer, and you'll be glad you invited her.
But overall, I'm benefiting from reading the book, and I'm comfortable praying the prayers that she has written. The things I'm pointing out are more like crunching down on a stray Grape-Nut in a bowl of Cheerios than crunching down on a beetle in a bowl of Cheerios. It's unexpected, and I didn't mean for it to be there, but I can still finish the bowl. All the same, if a Reformed book with similar aims appears, I'd love to read it.
The range of topics that she suggests, the amount of Scripture that saturates the pages she writes (even though occasionally mis-applied), the passion with which she prays, the confidence she has before God, and the wisdom of her parenting stories will be a great blessing to the moms. Learn from her Charismatic boldness in prayer, combine it with a Reformed sense of humility in prayer, and you'll be glad you invited her.
March 2, 2011
An invaluable tool for parents. I think my only caveat with this book is that Omartian gets me worrying a bit more than I should be for my child's welfare. Every parent loses sleep because of their child, and when their child sleeps all the way through the night, we're all wondering if they're dead or just kept awake by thoughts of what could happen to them in the moment we're not there for them. I also worry about screwing my kids up, which I think just because I'm their dad, I'm already doing a good job of that, and this reading experience only exacerbates my fears. Nevertheless, if you want some assurance that you're doing everything you can to intervene in your child's life and keep them on the right path, just memorize the prayers in this book and try to be as perfect a parent as Omartian has proven to be. I'm not being sarcastic with that last. It takes unbelievable resolve just to keep our own "walk" perfect, something I've failed miserably to do, but this book is at the very least practical and keeps your mind focused on trying to do for your kids what you apparently can't do for yourself.
January 22, 2009
Our children need our prayers. The enemy is out to destory their lives because to stop them is to stop generations to come who will expose his darkness to a dying world and lead many to Jesus Christ. If you are discouraged and don't know what to do about your children this is the book to read. If your children are on the right path, don't get cocky. We still have to maintain. This is the book for you as well.
November 9, 2016
This book is a valuable tool for all parents who desire the best for their children. Having the best means being a child of God. Each of the 30 chapters in this book by Stormie Omartian is a different prayer topic and includes prayers and Bible verses. This is the second time that I have read The Power of a Praying Parent and will turn to it again and again.
November 19, 2014
I quickly realized this book was not going to be tremendously helpful to me. I sensed early that the author views prayer as something that we do to make good things happen for us (for our children). There are many quotes that show her belief that prayer is the reason bad things do not happen:
"But the good news is that if we had not been praying, they might have been killed or sustained serious & permanent injuries."
"Remember, if you don't pray for your children's eternal future, they may not have the kind you want them to have."
Speaking of a broken relationship with her sister: "However, I believe if we'd had praying parents, it wouldn't have happened in the first place."
"How different it all might have been if he'd had a praying parent..."
"Perhaps if he'd had a praying parent or a prayer group interceding for him this would never have happened."
Now, I believe "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful & effective." (James 5:16) And I know that in 2 Kings 20, Hezekiah prays desperately after God told him his life was over, & God then extended his life by 15 years. Prayer is an extremely important Christian discipline.
I do believe that things happen WHEN we pray. But I do not believe that things always happen BECAUSE we pray. I hope that distinction makes sense. God is all powerful & will ultimately do what He wants, regardless of what we do or do not pray for.
The first mention of her prayers not instantly working comes on page 131, more than half way through the book. Otherwise, the book is filled with almost self-righteous examples of how her children are better off because of her prayers. I would like to see how she would have written a book if one of her children (God forbid) got a serious disease or experienced something tragic.
I do not necessarily recommend this book, nor will I be reading any more of her countless "Power of a Praying _____" books.
"But the good news is that if we had not been praying, they might have been killed or sustained serious & permanent injuries."
"Remember, if you don't pray for your children's eternal future, they may not have the kind you want them to have."
Speaking of a broken relationship with her sister: "However, I believe if we'd had praying parents, it wouldn't have happened in the first place."
"How different it all might have been if he'd had a praying parent..."
"Perhaps if he'd had a praying parent or a prayer group interceding for him this would never have happened."
Now, I believe "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful & effective." (James 5:16) And I know that in 2 Kings 20, Hezekiah prays desperately after God told him his life was over, & God then extended his life by 15 years. Prayer is an extremely important Christian discipline.
I do believe that things happen WHEN we pray. But I do not believe that things always happen BECAUSE we pray. I hope that distinction makes sense. God is all powerful & will ultimately do what He wants, regardless of what we do or do not pray for.
The first mention of her prayers not instantly working comes on page 131, more than half way through the book. Otherwise, the book is filled with almost self-righteous examples of how her children are better off because of her prayers. I would like to see how she would have written a book if one of her children (God forbid) got a serious disease or experienced something tragic.
I do not necessarily recommend this book, nor will I be reading any more of her countless "Power of a Praying _____" books.
June 14, 2012
This book was very instrumental in changing the way I pray for my children. It was one of those books I had noticed a hundred times at people's houses or at book stores but was always reluctant to pick up. Finally, I did and it was totally God's timing. Reading through Stormie's very practical advice and suggestions for prayer it was literally helping me on a daily basis deal with some frustrating issues with my kids. I would recommend this book to all parents who are serious about advocating for their children through prayer.
January 2, 2021
Stormie Omartian must be commended for this brilliant, powerful book.
I read twice, from the back to the front then chapter reading and I still find it timeless!
Prayers are the only way to keep our children safe. When we leave everything in God's Hands, we will see God's Hands in everything we do.
I am a living testimony of what she stated in her book . My mother was a prayerful woman who raised me single - handedly. Her never - ending prayers made me who I am today.
I read twice, from the back to the front then chapter reading and I still find it timeless!
Prayers are the only way to keep our children safe. When we leave everything in God's Hands, we will see God's Hands in everything we do.
I am a living testimony of what she stated in her book . My mother was a prayerful woman who raised me single - handedly. Her never - ending prayers made me who I am today.
October 19, 2021
O carte care te încurajează să te rogi pentru copiii tăi într-un mod clar si specific, pentru fiecare situație si pentru fiecare domeniu din viața lor. Mi-au plăcut mult rugăciunile, dar și versetele atent selectate pentru fiecare domeniu. Este o carte pe care o recomand.
Dar, modul in care a fost scrisă, lasă de dorit. Este foarte repetitivă, si cu mult prea multe exemple. De asemenea, au fost multe întâmplări povestite care mi s-au părut exagerate. Autoarea a lăsat să se înțeleagă că orice se întâmplă bun copiilor noștri, se întâmplă fiindcă ne-am rugat specific pentru asta, și atunci când se întâmplă ceva rău, e fiindcă nu ne-am rugat pentru asta. Și nu pot fi de acord cu asta. Cred că rugăciunea are putere, dar nu cred că ne putem proteja copiii de toate lucrurile rele, chiar dacă ne-am dori si ne-am ruga pentru asta.
Exemplu: 'Cunosc pe cineva care nu a fost alcoolic pana la vârsta de cincizeci de ani. Omul acela spunea că știa că are o slăbiciune pentru alcool, dar nu a cedat până într-o seară (...). Probabil dacă ar fi avut un părinte care să se fi rugat pentru el sau un grup care sa fi mijlocit în rugăciune pentru el, așa ceva nu s-ar fi întâmplat.'
Dar, modul in care a fost scrisă, lasă de dorit. Este foarte repetitivă, si cu mult prea multe exemple. De asemenea, au fost multe întâmplări povestite care mi s-au părut exagerate. Autoarea a lăsat să se înțeleagă că orice se întâmplă bun copiilor noștri, se întâmplă fiindcă ne-am rugat specific pentru asta, și atunci când se întâmplă ceva rău, e fiindcă nu ne-am rugat pentru asta. Și nu pot fi de acord cu asta. Cred că rugăciunea are putere, dar nu cred că ne putem proteja copiii de toate lucrurile rele, chiar dacă ne-am dori si ne-am ruga pentru asta.
Exemplu: 'Cunosc pe cineva care nu a fost alcoolic pana la vârsta de cincizeci de ani. Omul acela spunea că știa că are o slăbiciune pentru alcool, dar nu a cedat până într-o seară (...). Probabil dacă ar fi avut un părinte care să se fi rugat pentru el sau un grup care sa fi mijlocit în rugăciune pentru el, așa ceva nu s-ar fi întâmplat.'
May 29, 2012
Great guide to praying for your kids - adding a foundational element to praying with and for your children. Organized in small chapters so you can prioritize. Some of the narration can seem a bit over the top, but the topics covered are valuable and the prayers are powerful. My biggest hesitation is the sense that praying in this way comes across as a guarantee of a certain outcome - and that is not a promise I hear in scripture.
February 22, 2017
I would strongly recommend this book to all parents. It contains amazing prayers on everything we should be praying for our children. Sometimes we forget God wants us to pray for every single thing in our children's lives. I am extremely grateful to have read this book.
May 9, 2018
Excellent book full of suggestions, support, comfort, and detailed prayers. I prayed for each of my children by name after the chapters and felt a great sense of peace. I will definitely read more from this author.
August 15, 2020
This book is better savored, reading one chapter or passage a day and focusing on that chapter's prayer for your child's life. Full of encouragement and grace for the parent while encouraging them to step up their prayer life for their children. The world would be a much different place if every parent became a praying one.
July 19, 2013
My feelings about this book are all over the place. While reading it, it's like you're a 49er panning for small tidbits of gold though murky, sandy water. I went into this book expecting it to be a lot like an Elizabeth George book, straightforward Christian guidance in prayer for your children. This book had some of that; there were nuggets of truth in there that I appreciated, but there were other times when my eyebrows almost made it to my hairline. Each chapter is about an area in which you can pray for your child. There are 31 chapters in this book and each chapter is only a few pages, so after each introductory blurb, there is a prayer and some Scripture for support. The prayers are nice and I could see myself perhaps referring to them at times during my son's life (he's not quite 2). However, reading the prayers was a major chore because Ms. Omartian felt the need to be politically correct and every time she would say something like, "Lord, please protect my son" she would feel the need to put "(daughter)" right next to it. So there was a lot of, he (she) him (her) son (daughter) going on. And not only this, but the political correctness stretched even further in the fact that she switched the pronouns around each prayer, so if masculine went first in the last chapter, feminine would go first in the present one. This really irritated me. There should never be that much unnecessary punctuation. Another editing issue: a lot of the chapters could have been condensed into one, since the topics and even the prayers, seemed to run together or were exactly the same.
Also, there were times when the author made it sound like bad things in life only happened to other people's kids because their parents didn't prayerfully intercede for them. So, if there is a child out there who got hurt in a car accident, well, it's just a shame that your parents didn't think to pray for your protection. There was a lot of , "If you don't pray for your kids, x,y, and z horrible calamity will befall them". I also felt like Ms. Omartian was tooting her own horn a little bit. There were things that happened to her kids that could have been a lot worse, but they weren't because (guess why) she prayed for her kids. I felt like she was giving her prayer skills a pat on the back rather than letting God take all the glory. She also, apparently, wrote a song for a Christian singer and made an exercise video. There were also a few moments while reading this where I got kind of a Carrie's mom, "Go to your closet and pray" kind of vibe. (I'm sure that she would probably say I should never have watched Carrie and now I need to go and pray in my son's room so he doesn't have nightmares because of his mom's high school obsession with B horror flicks). I'm sorry, but I don't believe that the simple presence of a video game in my child's room would make him have sudden onset night terrors. (I also felt like her looking through his room while he wasn't there was an invasion of his privacy, but that never gets mentioned at all).
If you choose to read this book, read it with a grain of salt and take whatever you find helpful for yourself from its pages. You may come to conclude after reading it that you are already a praying parent; many of these topics are general enough for most parents.
Also, there were times when the author made it sound like bad things in life only happened to other people's kids because their parents didn't prayerfully intercede for them. So, if there is a child out there who got hurt in a car accident, well, it's just a shame that your parents didn't think to pray for your protection. There was a lot of , "If you don't pray for your kids, x,y, and z horrible calamity will befall them". I also felt like Ms. Omartian was tooting her own horn a little bit. There were things that happened to her kids that could have been a lot worse, but they weren't because (guess why) she prayed for her kids. I felt like she was giving her prayer skills a pat on the back rather than letting God take all the glory. She also, apparently, wrote a song for a Christian singer and made an exercise video. There were also a few moments while reading this where I got kind of a Carrie's mom, "Go to your closet and pray" kind of vibe. (I'm sure that she would probably say I should never have watched Carrie and now I need to go and pray in my son's room so he doesn't have nightmares because of his mom's high school obsession with B horror flicks). I'm sorry, but I don't believe that the simple presence of a video game in my child's room would make him have sudden onset night terrors. (I also felt like her looking through his room while he wasn't there was an invasion of his privacy, but that never gets mentioned at all).
If you choose to read this book, read it with a grain of salt and take whatever you find helpful for yourself from its pages. You may come to conclude after reading it that you are already a praying parent; many of these topics are general enough for most parents.
February 16, 2011
Read my review on "Praying Wife" to hear my thoughts on the author herself. I found the same writing style reading her next book "Praying Parent" as I did "Praying Wife". In regards to the actual content, these are my thoughts:
I found it much more relevant than her other book as all the prayer points relate to children generally, as opposed to being based on certain aspects of their life, depending on what they are doing/where they are at (which was the case with praying for her husband). That said, I still found it a little awkward with the prayers as it's not my praying style. I don't think it was the author's intention to read it 'verbatim' anyway and each of the prayer points has certainly given me ideas of what to pray for my child, perhaps just in a different way or from a different perspective.
One of the most reassuring things I read in her book (especially being a 'new' mum myself), was contained in the chapter titled "Releasing My Child into God's Hands". The title does speak for itself, but I love what the author wrote:
"In an act more of desperation than obedience [author was constantly afraid of something happening to her child], I cried out to God concerning this. He immediately reminded me that Christopher was a gift to us from Him and that He cared even more about our son than we did." (pg 33)
How reassuring to know that, as parents, we aren't the only ones looking out for our children! Someone much greater is also watching out for them... the One who created them with as much love as He could give them.
I found it much more relevant than her other book as all the prayer points relate to children generally, as opposed to being based on certain aspects of their life, depending on what they are doing/where they are at (which was the case with praying for her husband). That said, I still found it a little awkward with the prayers as it's not my praying style. I don't think it was the author's intention to read it 'verbatim' anyway and each of the prayer points has certainly given me ideas of what to pray for my child, perhaps just in a different way or from a different perspective.
One of the most reassuring things I read in her book (especially being a 'new' mum myself), was contained in the chapter titled "Releasing My Child into God's Hands". The title does speak for itself, but I love what the author wrote:
"In an act more of desperation than obedience [author was constantly afraid of something happening to her child], I cried out to God concerning this. He immediately reminded me that Christopher was a gift to us from Him and that He cared even more about our son than we did." (pg 33)
How reassuring to know that, as parents, we aren't the only ones looking out for our children! Someone much greater is also watching out for them... the One who created them with as much love as He could give them.
November 7, 2022
Thoughts and quotes from this book.
The battle for our children's lives is waged on our knees. When we don't pray, it's like sitting on the sidelines watching our children in a war zone getting shot at from every angle. When we do pray, we're in the battle alongside them, appropriating God's power on their behalf. If we also declare the Word of God in our prayers, then we wield a powerful weapon against which no enemy can prevail.
Whenever you pray for your child, do it as if you are interceding for his or her life- because that is exactly what you are doing. Remember that while God has a perfect plan for our children's lives, Satan has a plan for them too. Satan's plan is to destroy them, and he will try to use any means possible to do so: drugs, sex, alcohol, rebellion, accidents, disease. But he won't be able to successfully use any of those things if his power has been dissipated by prayer. The bible says, '.Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.' (Matt 12:29) In other words, we can't have any effect in the devil's territory unless we take dominion over him and forbid him any authority there. Thus, we can also forbid him access to our children's lives.
Keep in mind that your part of the fight is to pray. God actually fights the battle. Remember, too, that your fight is not with your child. It's with the devil. He is your enemy, not your child.
The only way to be sure that God is in control is to surrender our hold and allow Him full access to their lives. The way to do that is to live according to His Word and His ways and pray to Him about everything. We can trust God to take care of our children even better than we can. When we release our children into the Father's hands and acknowledge that He is in control of their lives, and ours, both we and our children will have greater peace.
We can't be everywhere...but God can. We can't see everything...but God can. We can't know everything...but God can. No matter what age our children are, releasing them into God's hands is a sign of our faith and trust in Him and is the first step toward making a difference in their lives. Prayer for our children begins there.
Things happen when we pray that will not happen when we don't.
Rejection brings out the worst in people. Love and acceptance bring out the best. A person who already feels rejected interprets everything as rejection--a mere look, a harmless word, an insignificant action--while someone who feels loved and accepted thinks nothing of the same look, word, or action. A person may not actually be rejected, but if he believes he is, the effect is just as damaging as if it were true.
One of the things the enemy of our soul likes to do is get into the middle of God-ordained relationships and cause them to misfire, miscommunicate, short-circuit, fracture, or disconnect. The more a family can be splintered apart, the weaker and more ineffectual they become and the more the enemy has control of their lives. The way to avoid this is through prayer.
Isaiah 58:12 says...And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. God wants us to restore unity, to maintain the family bonds in the Lord, and to leave a spiritual inheritance of solidarity that can last for generations.
When we read in the newspaper about young people stealing, killing, destroying property, or being sexually promiscuous, we can be sure that those individuals do not have a healthy fear of the Lord, nor a good understanding of His ways, nor a hunger for the things of God. Some of these young people may even be from Christian families and have received Jesus, but because they haven't been taught to fear God and desire His presence they are controlled by their flesh.
Do your part to teach, instruct, discipline, and train your children in the ways of God. Read them stories from God's Word, Teach them how to pray and have faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Help them get plugged in with godly friends. Show them that walking with God brings joy and fulfillment, not boredom and restrictions. Pray with them and for them about everything.
Then they will know the things of God are top priority. They will become God-controlled and not flesh-controlled. They will long for His ways, His Word, and His presence. They will fear God and live a longer and better life.
The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. Proverbs 10:27
Our prayers can block the plan of the enemy and give our children a clear vision of themselves and their future.
Lies are foundational for all other acts of evil. Every sin or crime begins with someone believing or speaking a lie. When you tell a lie you have aligned yourself with Satan. Every time you lie, you give Satan a piece of your heart. The more lies you tell, the more you give place in your heart to Satan's lying spirit, until eventually you can't stop yourself from lying.
You may think you are getting something by lying, but all you are doing is bringing death into your life. The consequences of telling the truth have to be better than death.
Pray for God to open the doors your children are to go through and shut all the doors that they are not to enter.
Each child has specific gifts and talents. We need to pray for them to be identified, revealed, developed, nurtured, and used for God's glory.
Sin has a toxic effect. Confessed sin and a repentant heart bring light, life, confidence, and freedom. Ash God to bring any hidden sin in you or your children to light, so there won't be a physical and emotional price to pay for it. Sin leads to death. Repentance leads to life.
Your children have an enemy, a spiritual enemy, just as you do. The evil in the world will target your teens with worldly enticements and ungodly influences and lure them to believe lies about themselves. They cannot resist all that alone without your encouragement, wisdom, guidance, love, and prayer support.
The book is full of prayers and bible verses. There is even a section in the back with suggested prayers for grown children.
The battle for our children's lives is waged on our knees. When we don't pray, it's like sitting on the sidelines watching our children in a war zone getting shot at from every angle. When we do pray, we're in the battle alongside them, appropriating God's power on their behalf. If we also declare the Word of God in our prayers, then we wield a powerful weapon against which no enemy can prevail.
Whenever you pray for your child, do it as if you are interceding for his or her life- because that is exactly what you are doing. Remember that while God has a perfect plan for our children's lives, Satan has a plan for them too. Satan's plan is to destroy them, and he will try to use any means possible to do so: drugs, sex, alcohol, rebellion, accidents, disease. But he won't be able to successfully use any of those things if his power has been dissipated by prayer. The bible says, '.Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.' (Matt 12:29) In other words, we can't have any effect in the devil's territory unless we take dominion over him and forbid him any authority there. Thus, we can also forbid him access to our children's lives.
Keep in mind that your part of the fight is to pray. God actually fights the battle. Remember, too, that your fight is not with your child. It's with the devil. He is your enemy, not your child.
The only way to be sure that God is in control is to surrender our hold and allow Him full access to their lives. The way to do that is to live according to His Word and His ways and pray to Him about everything. We can trust God to take care of our children even better than we can. When we release our children into the Father's hands and acknowledge that He is in control of their lives, and ours, both we and our children will have greater peace.
We can't be everywhere...but God can. We can't see everything...but God can. We can't know everything...but God can. No matter what age our children are, releasing them into God's hands is a sign of our faith and trust in Him and is the first step toward making a difference in their lives. Prayer for our children begins there.
Things happen when we pray that will not happen when we don't.
Rejection brings out the worst in people. Love and acceptance bring out the best. A person who already feels rejected interprets everything as rejection--a mere look, a harmless word, an insignificant action--while someone who feels loved and accepted thinks nothing of the same look, word, or action. A person may not actually be rejected, but if he believes he is, the effect is just as damaging as if it were true.
One of the things the enemy of our soul likes to do is get into the middle of God-ordained relationships and cause them to misfire, miscommunicate, short-circuit, fracture, or disconnect. The more a family can be splintered apart, the weaker and more ineffectual they become and the more the enemy has control of their lives. The way to avoid this is through prayer.
Isaiah 58:12 says...And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. God wants us to restore unity, to maintain the family bonds in the Lord, and to leave a spiritual inheritance of solidarity that can last for generations.
When we read in the newspaper about young people stealing, killing, destroying property, or being sexually promiscuous, we can be sure that those individuals do not have a healthy fear of the Lord, nor a good understanding of His ways, nor a hunger for the things of God. Some of these young people may even be from Christian families and have received Jesus, but because they haven't been taught to fear God and desire His presence they are controlled by their flesh.
Do your part to teach, instruct, discipline, and train your children in the ways of God. Read them stories from God's Word, Teach them how to pray and have faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Help them get plugged in with godly friends. Show them that walking with God brings joy and fulfillment, not boredom and restrictions. Pray with them and for them about everything.
Then they will know the things of God are top priority. They will become God-controlled and not flesh-controlled. They will long for His ways, His Word, and His presence. They will fear God and live a longer and better life.
The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. Proverbs 10:27
Our prayers can block the plan of the enemy and give our children a clear vision of themselves and their future.
Lies are foundational for all other acts of evil. Every sin or crime begins with someone believing or speaking a lie. When you tell a lie you have aligned yourself with Satan. Every time you lie, you give Satan a piece of your heart. The more lies you tell, the more you give place in your heart to Satan's lying spirit, until eventually you can't stop yourself from lying.
You may think you are getting something by lying, but all you are doing is bringing death into your life. The consequences of telling the truth have to be better than death.
Pray for God to open the doors your children are to go through and shut all the doors that they are not to enter.
Each child has specific gifts and talents. We need to pray for them to be identified, revealed, developed, nurtured, and used for God's glory.
Sin has a toxic effect. Confessed sin and a repentant heart bring light, life, confidence, and freedom. Ash God to bring any hidden sin in you or your children to light, so there won't be a physical and emotional price to pay for it. Sin leads to death. Repentance leads to life.
Your children have an enemy, a spiritual enemy, just as you do. The evil in the world will target your teens with worldly enticements and ungodly influences and lure them to believe lies about themselves. They cannot resist all that alone without your encouragement, wisdom, guidance, love, and prayer support.
The book is full of prayers and bible verses. There is even a section in the back with suggested prayers for grown children.
July 13, 2015
I started this book a couple years ago, and I finally finished it this year. I think it just took me so long because I felt like I should stop and pray after each chapter for the things she suggested! I mostly just read a chapter here and there at night. Each chapter had a suggestion for an area to pray for our children, including Bible verses and an example prayer. Some of the things I would never have thought of by myself, and I ended up worrying about some things I might not have otherwise - that's my own personal problem though, not a reflection of the book. Definitely a great guide for parents who want to pray more specifically for their children!
August 27, 2016
I have had my copy since 2002 and I still use it and read it. I find it helpful when I don't know where to start sometimes praying for my children. I love how she has so much scripture incorporated into her prayers as well for God has said that His word will not return void. I have seen God answer my prayers concerning my children. This book help me to realize that they belong to Him first and foremost and if anything I am to be faithful as a parent and leave the rest up to Him.
January 1, 2009
This is one of my favorite non-fiction Christian books. I've been humbled over the last fifteen years at how little control I have over my children's choices and actions. Prayer, when I follow the daily, active discipline, has allowed me to "let go and let God." I gave my copy of this book to a friend who really needed it, and Pam's review reminded me to buy another!
February 3, 2010
We need all the help we can get in this messed up world and I believe in the power of prayer. This book gives messages on character development, peer pressure, school, friends, relationship with God, family relationships, etc. and teaches you how to pray for our children (whether 3 or 35) - or, for your grandchildren.
December 11, 2015
My faith has changed quite a lot in the last few years. While I found the actual prayers themselves helpful, the explanation behind them was way too black and white for me. "If this happens, it's because you weren't praying this..." I don't believe at all that life is that black and white. This is too simplistic of an approach to God and prayer and faith.
Want to read
January 23, 2015Referred to me by COL Green, I Corps Commanding Chaplain.
February 29, 2024
I’m honestly bummed that I didn’t like this book. My mom got it when I was a child and she highlighted and underlined so much of it. So when I gave birth she bought me what she thought was this book, but was actually just a small book of prayers that accompany this book. I’m actually glad that’s the book she bought me rather than this.
Of course I think we should be praying over our children’s lives, and I think this book includes good prayers. But I found that the explanation at the start of each chapter as to why you should pray for that portion of your child’s lives were not only unnecessary because, obviously, but also seemed to hurt her message. I felt that this was because her own reasonings and examples were often due to her own opinions or verses taken out of context.
Yes, at the beginning of the book she does preface that just because you pray for something does not mean that it will happen. However sometimes you forget that she did acknowledge this because for the rest of the book it seems as if anything bad happens in your children’s lives or their friends lives it’s because that situation was never prayed for by a parent. For instance she would argue that if a friends teenage son had premarital sex, she says it’s probably because they didn’t have a praying parent. Not only is that speculation uncalled for (in my opinion), it could be completely inaccurate. It’s as if a lack of prayer is her own sweeping diagnosis for anything negative that could happen. For example she says in the chapter “Finding the Perfect Mate” that “When I think of people that I know who have experienced miserable marriages, abusive spouses, marital infidelity, multiple marriages, being married too late to have children, or who are unhappily single, one thing stands out in my mind: None of them had parents who interceded on their behalf for their mate and their marriage relationship.”
I also find her to be an overbearing mother that must be in control of every detail of her childrens lives. And incredibly strict. For example, in her chapter called “Having the Motivation for Proper Body Care” she writes in her prayer “Lord… Let him(her) be repulsed or dissatisfied with food that is harmful.” To me, that’s crazy. I myself am a health nut, and I would never pray that for my children. Let me give you a scenario. My in laws definitely do not understand what healthy food is, and they’re not going to change their ways either. So I know my kids will be eating non healthy foods there in the future when they babysit. Do I really want to pray that my kids will be repulsed or detested with their food? Absolutely not, it’s disrespectful, absurd, and it wont kill them to have it occasionally. Do I get what the author is trying to say? Yes, but we shouldn’t be operating in the extremes.
If you want to pray for your children, I know there’s much better books out there. I would recommend her prayer book before I’d ever recommend this book. It was just too hard to get past the lack of theology and the seemingly authoritative tone.
Of course I think we should be praying over our children’s lives, and I think this book includes good prayers. But I found that the explanation at the start of each chapter as to why you should pray for that portion of your child’s lives were not only unnecessary because, obviously, but also seemed to hurt her message. I felt that this was because her own reasonings and examples were often due to her own opinions or verses taken out of context.
Yes, at the beginning of the book she does preface that just because you pray for something does not mean that it will happen. However sometimes you forget that she did acknowledge this because for the rest of the book it seems as if anything bad happens in your children’s lives or their friends lives it’s because that situation was never prayed for by a parent. For instance she would argue that if a friends teenage son had premarital sex, she says it’s probably because they didn’t have a praying parent. Not only is that speculation uncalled for (in my opinion), it could be completely inaccurate. It’s as if a lack of prayer is her own sweeping diagnosis for anything negative that could happen. For example she says in the chapter “Finding the Perfect Mate” that “When I think of people that I know who have experienced miserable marriages, abusive spouses, marital infidelity, multiple marriages, being married too late to have children, or who are unhappily single, one thing stands out in my mind: None of them had parents who interceded on their behalf for their mate and their marriage relationship.”
I also find her to be an overbearing mother that must be in control of every detail of her childrens lives. And incredibly strict. For example, in her chapter called “Having the Motivation for Proper Body Care” she writes in her prayer “Lord… Let him(her) be repulsed or dissatisfied with food that is harmful.” To me, that’s crazy. I myself am a health nut, and I would never pray that for my children. Let me give you a scenario. My in laws definitely do not understand what healthy food is, and they’re not going to change their ways either. So I know my kids will be eating non healthy foods there in the future when they babysit. Do I really want to pray that my kids will be repulsed or detested with their food? Absolutely not, it’s disrespectful, absurd, and it wont kill them to have it occasionally. Do I get what the author is trying to say? Yes, but we shouldn’t be operating in the extremes.
If you want to pray for your children, I know there’s much better books out there. I would recommend her prayer book before I’d ever recommend this book. It was just too hard to get past the lack of theology and the seemingly authoritative tone.
March 24, 2023
Very solid 4 star book. I liked the format of this book, with what amounts to each chapter starting with an essay on a specific topic of concern you may have with your children, then a prayer you can tailor to your circumstances, and finishing with a handful of Bible verses related to the topic. I took a half a dozen or so of the prayers and copied them into my Bible study notes journal for easy access.
What I didn’t love, and was a bit uncomfortable with, was Omartian’s tendency to feel that prayers are a magic wand of protection/insurance that our kids will always be safe and saved from bad things, just because we prayed for them. We can pray until we’re blue in the face, but God may say no to that prayer. By all means, pray it, but we also have to learn to accept when bad things happen to our kids, it’s not because we didn’t pray enough.
Overall though, I enjoyed this book very much, and got a lot from it.
What I didn’t love, and was a bit uncomfortable with, was Omartian’s tendency to feel that prayers are a magic wand of protection/insurance that our kids will always be safe and saved from bad things, just because we prayed for them. We can pray until we’re blue in the face, but God may say no to that prayer. By all means, pray it, but we also have to learn to accept when bad things happen to our kids, it’s not because we didn’t pray enough.
Overall though, I enjoyed this book very much, and got a lot from it.
February 12, 2019
Great resource for ideas on how to pray for one's child/children, and written sample prayers included a lot of Scripture. Like "The Power of a Praying Wife," this book actually made me pray which is always good for a book about praying.
Unlike "The Power of a Praying Wife," this book meandered more into some storytelling, contained several very emphatic statements with no support and a few name-it-claim-it type statements, and had one chapter/prayer topic that didn't have a clear Biblical foundation.
Unlike "The Power of a Praying Wife," this book meandered more into some storytelling, contained several very emphatic statements with no support and a few name-it-claim-it type statements, and had one chapter/prayer topic that didn't have a clear Biblical foundation.
November 10, 2024
This book is definitely purchase worthy if you find value in praying for your children! Lots of scripture verses to support different seasons and covers lots of topics. Really loved this one. ❤️
April 12, 2014
I'm not a parent yet, but Husband and I are getting close to expanding our family. So when the opportunity came up to read and review The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian, I jumped on it without thinking twice. I can't give you testimony of how these prayers have worked to change my children's lives because I just don't have children yet, but throughout her other books, Stormie Omartian has taught me that I don't have to wait until prayers are needed over a specific topic in order to begin lifting that subject up in prayer. I can begin by praying preventative prayers. And that's what I did while reading through The Power of a Praying Parent.
And yet, while I might not have children of my own to pray for them to attract and maintain Godly friends and role models or to live free of unforgiveness, I do know several young children that these prayers are needed in their lives. While I was reading The Power of a Praying Parent and praying preventative prayers for my future children, I was also praying over these subjects for the children that are already in my life, specifically my nieces and nephews.
I've discussed many times how much Stormie Omartian has taught me about prayer, and I've asked myself if it's truly necessary to read each of her books. I'm not sure it's necessary per se. Stormie Omartian does cover some of the same topics, stories, and messages in each of these books, but I've realized that repetition is good for me. It's necessary for my growth, because I forget so frequently the truths about prayer that she covers. I have also found that while she has taught me with each book how to pray specific, focused prayers, Stormie Omartian also presents a new way of looking at things for me, and she spells things out for me in a way that makes me think and challenge myself.
As per always, The Power of a Praying Parent is a guide with great principles that will point you back to Source. God's Word is the ultimate pattern and truth. Everything that Stormie Omartian discusses must be compared against God's Word. But ultimately, I think The Power of a Praying Parent is a must read for all parents and potential parents. Starting your child's life off with focused prayer is the best way to ensure they grow into all that God has for them throughout their lives.
The Power of a Praying Parent gets 4.5 Stars from me. Have you read The Power of a Praying Parent? What did you think? Let me know!
Somewhere Only We Know
And yet, while I might not have children of my own to pray for them to attract and maintain Godly friends and role models or to live free of unforgiveness, I do know several young children that these prayers are needed in their lives. While I was reading The Power of a Praying Parent and praying preventative prayers for my future children, I was also praying over these subjects for the children that are already in my life, specifically my nieces and nephews.
I've discussed many times how much Stormie Omartian has taught me about prayer, and I've asked myself if it's truly necessary to read each of her books. I'm not sure it's necessary per se. Stormie Omartian does cover some of the same topics, stories, and messages in each of these books, but I've realized that repetition is good for me. It's necessary for my growth, because I forget so frequently the truths about prayer that she covers. I have also found that while she has taught me with each book how to pray specific, focused prayers, Stormie Omartian also presents a new way of looking at things for me, and she spells things out for me in a way that makes me think and challenge myself.
As per always, The Power of a Praying Parent is a guide with great principles that will point you back to Source. God's Word is the ultimate pattern and truth. Everything that Stormie Omartian discusses must be compared against God's Word. But ultimately, I think The Power of a Praying Parent is a must read for all parents and potential parents. Starting your child's life off with focused prayer is the best way to ensure they grow into all that God has for them throughout their lives.
The Power of a Praying Parent gets 4.5 Stars from me. Have you read The Power of a Praying Parent? What did you think? Let me know!
Somewhere Only We Know
December 31, 2023
This was a reread for me. I read through this every few months. Theres a very short chapter full of godly parenting insight and wisdom for each day of the month, with a prayer to cover our children for whatever topic the chapter discussed. Some of the chapters I turn to often to pray the prayers are Chapter 3, Securing Protection from Harm, Chapter 4, Feeling Loved and Accepted, Chapter 6, Honoring Parents and Resisting Rebellion, and Chapter 20, Receiving a Sound Mind.
Over this last year, one of our daughters started getting bullied for her weight. It got pretty bad, and boys were telling her she looked like a boy. She started experiencing deep confusion as to if she was supposed to be a boy, because boys didn’t think she was pretty enough to be a girl. I prayed the prayer from Chapter 20 and Chapter 11, Following Truth and Rejecting Lies over her daily, sometimes multiple times a day. And gradually it was like a fog began to clear from her mind. You could visibly see the difference in her countenance, and I believe it was the power of prayer. It’s months later but she’s doing very well now. I’m so thankful for this book as it really does help parents have a guide on praying scriptures over their children that apply to different areas. And I'm so thankful I was already familiar with it and could draw on the prayers there during a dark season. I highly, highly recommend it.
Over this last year, one of our daughters started getting bullied for her weight. It got pretty bad, and boys were telling her she looked like a boy. She started experiencing deep confusion as to if she was supposed to be a boy, because boys didn’t think she was pretty enough to be a girl. I prayed the prayer from Chapter 20 and Chapter 11, Following Truth and Rejecting Lies over her daily, sometimes multiple times a day. And gradually it was like a fog began to clear from her mind. You could visibly see the difference in her countenance, and I believe it was the power of prayer. It’s months later but she’s doing very well now. I’m so thankful for this book as it really does help parents have a guide on praying scriptures over their children that apply to different areas. And I'm so thankful I was already familiar with it and could draw on the prayers there during a dark season. I highly, highly recommend it.
September 5, 2016
Stormie is a very down to Earth writer. She's to the point and leaves the flowery fluff behind in this book. It is more of a conversation at a word processor than any kind of language ART. I kept on running into a consistent thought throughout this entire work. She's inexperienced. I come to terms with my own shortcomings on another book; one I wrote as an early and very inexperienced author that is called Raisinng Children to be Gifted. It was premature and inexperienced, as is this book. When a writer of a book is handing out issues like the types of posters that a preteen is putting on walls and some swearing as a challenge in having children, while the reader is up against teens who are walking in crime, gangs, alcohol, drugs or suicide with mentors engrossed in all of the above, it seems a little, well....inexperienced and trivial. I do have to say that the prayers she gives are generic enough to talk with God in a very sincere way for parents who are facing some of the harsher challenges.
September 4, 2013
I read this several years ago and as with THE POWER OF A PRAYING WIFE, I have my old, falling apart copy. I should update, I guess. I highly recommend this as a mother of four children, for anyone trying to raise their family in a Godly and Christian way. It is written in a daily devotional form with prayers and sciptures for each topic. It has a clear message. As God has a plan for our lives, so has the enemy. But we can do great damage to the enemy's plans for our children, which is havoc and destruction and death, by praying, praying in the spirit and by praying through the scriptures. This book has been a wonderful help to me in raising my family.
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