When a Stepmom Praysনমুনা

I walked into my stepson’s room and sat down on the floor. It had become a habit that when he was at his other home, I would put away his laundry then sit in the empty room for a moment.

I closed my eyes, opened my heart, and began to pray for him. As time went on, my prayers began to extend to the rest of the family, like his siblings and other parents. If I’m praying for the Lord to be a part of a child’s life, I want to pray for the people around that child as well.

Stepfamilies are a complex web of relationships. For some of us, it is difficult to imagine extending our prayers to cover all members of our stepfamily tree. However, prayer is one of the most powerful acts. It is one of the greatest ways to influence our families. In some of our homes, if we are not praying for those extended stepfamily members it might be the case that no one will.

There are days we will miss the mark with our kids. Stepmoms will have seasons when we question being part of a stepfamily or our place in it. One thing is always clear: We have the ability to be a spiritual influence in our family.

Banging on the gates of heaven through prayer on behalf of all the members of your stepfamily has a far greater reach than any court hearing you pursue or legal document you hold. With a kingdom-minded view of your family, you can influence generations.

It may not come naturally to pray for some members of your stepfamily. The words may be stilted. Take today as a chance to begin the challenge. Pray for each member of your family, by name, starting with your spouse, then your children and stepchildren. Extend your prayers to the siblings and additional parents. Pray our verse of the day, Colossians 1:9, over their life.

As we close this time together, thank you for spending a few days strengthening your prayer life so that you can move your family forward in faith. Let’s end our time with prayer: Lord, thank you for teaching us there is always room for stepmoms to be a spiritual influence in the family through prayer.

Explore other resources from Emily Jordan at thejoyfulstepmom.com.