1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 1: Life Audio. You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 2 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: where we're dedicated to helping moms pray God's word for 3 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: their families in the areas they need it most. I'm 4 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: your host, Nicolette Bell. Over the last decade, we've helped 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: thousands of moms make prayer a priority for their families. 6 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: Our mission is to help you do the same. Prayer 7 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: is not a last resort. It's our first and best 8 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: response to the challenges of parenting, a partnership for the 9 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: hearts of our children that God invites us into. I 10 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,599 Speaker 1: wrote today's devotion just for Everyday Prayers. To learn more 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: about the ministry of Million Praying Moms, visit today's show 12 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: notes at Millionprayingmoms dot com. After a quick word from 13 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: our sponsors, we'll pray together for our children. First, John 14 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 1: three to one. See what great love the Father has 15 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: lavished on us. That we should be called the children 16 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,639 Speaker 1: of God, and that is what we are. The other night, 17 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: my husband comes out of our daughter's bedroom after tucking 18 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: her into bed, and he just looked smitten. He was 19 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: tired from the weight and responsibility of his day, but 20 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: still gleaming. Somehow, and I asked him, what are you 21 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: grinning about? He replied and told me about his bedtime 22 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: exchange with our four year old little girl. After they 23 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: prayed and sang songs, Josie asked her dad, can you 24 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: just sit and stay and be with me for a minute. 25 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: As she held his hand, she said, Daddy, I love 26 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: you so much, and then she began I love. 27 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 2: Your eyes, I love your hair, I love your teeth, 28 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 2: I love your ears, I love your feet. 29 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: I got a little tear in my eye. As he 30 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: was telling me about this, she said, I love everything 31 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: about you, Daddy. I can never stop loving you. 32 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 2: Daddy. 33 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: He had been keeping a really crazy schedule over the 34 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: last few weeks in the CCU early mornings and late 35 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: nights weekends, and she had been really really missing him, 36 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: and my husband was a puddle when he came out 37 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: of her room. She had melted his little daddy heart 38 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: in just the way that he needed. As I reflected 39 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: on this as I drifted to sleep that night, I 40 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: kept thinking, this is how the Lord sees us, This 41 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: is how the Lord sees me. He loves every single 42 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: thing about me. He knows every hair on my head, 43 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,399 Speaker 1: he loves all parts of me because he made them. 44 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 1: When was the last time that I had just remembered 45 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: that simple but profound truth that he loves me and 46 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: he wants to spend time with me, and he wants 47 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: to spend time with you. He looks at us and 48 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: he loves everything about us. This type of love is 49 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: mind blowing. Just like Josie told her daddy, will you 50 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: sit with me and stay a minute? God desires the 51 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: same thing from us. Our father invites us to just 52 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: be with him, not because of what we've accomplished or 53 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: how we've impressed him. He just wants us because we 54 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,799 Speaker 1: are his. He wants us to be unhurried in his presence, 55 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: to slow down and let him speak his love over us. 56 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: The last phrase that our daughter used really stood out 57 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: to me. She told her dad, I can never stop 58 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: loving you, Daddy. My husband and I both immediately knew 59 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: where that phrase came from. We often read heard the 60 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: Jesus storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones, and there's a 61 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: phrase that is repeated over and over again about the 62 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: love of God in this Bible. It's a never stopping, 63 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: never ending, never giving up always and for of her 64 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: kind of love. And I was so humble that this 65 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: delicate truth had been tucked away in our girl's heart, 66 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: and she was able to express this in the love 67 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: that she shared with her daddy. Not only did this 68 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: experience help me to slow down and receive love from 69 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: the Father and let him speak his truths over me, 70 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: it also convicted me as a mom. When was the 71 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,559 Speaker 1: last time that I slowed down and lavished that type 72 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: of love on my children? When is the last time 73 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: I've slowed down and told Josie all of the things 74 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: that I love about her? How much more often do 75 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:38,360 Speaker 1: I tell her all of the things she needs to 76 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 1: do differently or improve on. Stop this, pick this up, 77 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: clean this up, don't talk now. Of course, it is 78 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: my job to discipline her and correct her, but it 79 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: is also my job to model and show her the 80 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: lavish love of Jesus through the way that I show 81 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: and express love to her, her brother, and her dad. Today, 82 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: I want to slow down. I want to be intentional 83 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: about lavishing love on my family the same way the 84 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: God of the universe has lavished his love upon me. 85 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:16,160 Speaker 1: Let's pray, Father, help me to slow down today and 86 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: truly hear the words of love that you speak over me. 87 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: Remind me that I can't earn or deserve your love. 88 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 1: You love every single part of me, from my teeth 89 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: to my feet, just because. 90 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 2: I am your daughter. 91 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: Help me to be quick to share this lavish love 92 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: with my children, that in the same way that your 93 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: words of love encourage me and build me up. May 94 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: my words of love to my children be a buoy 95 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: for their hearts in a world that seeks to tear 96 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: them down. May my love for them be an example 97 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: of your love for me. In Jesus name, Amen, are 98 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: you a visual learner? Would you like to receive our 99 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: daily devotions and written form right to your inbox and 100 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: join our Patreon community of Praying Moms. Not only will 101 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: you receive the transcripts of each podcast devotional, you will 102 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: also receive a monthly prayer calendar and surprise bonus content. 103 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 1: Learn more about our Praying mom community in today's show 104 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 1: notes or at million prayingmoms dot com. Till next time, friends, 105 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face 106 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the 107 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.