the necessity of prayer in fostercare and adoption.

Prayer. It's talked and written about often. We know it's an essential part of our lives as followers of God. But do we truly understand the necessity of it - specifically in fostercare and adoption? Today, we'll be talking about what prayer is, why we should embrace it, and how we can utilize it.

defining prayer.

Prayer is communication with our Heavenly Father. It can be a declaration of praise, a request for wisdom, a cry for help, or a plea for His intervention. When we understand prayer as communion with God, we can appreciate it's power - as we are communicating with the One who holds our very lives, and the world as a whole, in His hands.

embracing prayer.

​Jesus, as in all things, was our example in prayer. The Bible tells us about a number of times throughout His ministry when He sought the Father alone (Matt. 14:23, 26:36; Mark 1:35, 6:46, 14:32; Luke 9:28). 

Jesus embraced prayer to connect with the Father. He only did what the Father asked of Him. And isn't that what we want, too? To hear, recognize, and obey the voice of our Father? Prayer is the launching point for this! It isn't our continuous monologue - it is a conversation. Take time to be still and listen.

utilizing prayer.

​Scripture also gives us Jesus' explanation of how to pray in Matthew 6:

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babblinglike pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you needbefore you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus praised the Father, invited His will to be done, made requests for provision, and asked for forgiveness and deliverance in His prayer. We should be daily utilizing prayer to do the same. In so doing, we remind our spirits and hearts that He is in control, so we don't need to strive to be! We place our focus where it needs to be, instead of where it happens to go, and declare the truth of who God is over our situations. ​

prayer in the fostercare and adoption.

As a follower of Jesus, I cannot imagine traveling this journey without prayer. Without knowing what prayer is, embracing and utilizing it. 

Foster care and adoption are spiritual warfare. The enemy has one purpose: to steal, kill, and destroy. When we bring a child into our hearts and home to love and serve them, we begin warring for their freedom. We are not saving or redeeming them, rather we are pointing them to the only One who can save and redeem - Jesus. We are loving them because of His love for us, and seeking their best interests in every way - to do the very opposite of the enemy's work. We are pleading with God, and doing the work we need to do, to see them restored, given life, and healed. 

When we feel overwhelmed with the needs of our children, we can take a moment to get with God - even if we cannot physically be alone. Numerous times, Jesus' private communion with the Father was interrupted by the needs of the people. He didn't begrudge them - instead, He was moved with compassion. 

When we are weary from the battle, we can praise our Father, who is faithful. We can rejoice in the truth that He is sovereign, just, and merciful. We can acknowledge the need for grace - for ourselves, our children, and situations. 

When we don't know what to do, we can turn to the One Whose will is perfect and Whose love is infinite, and ask His will to be done.

When we are in desperate need, we can come to the Creator of the universe and make our requests. The answers may not always come the way we'd like, or how we planned - but they always come.

When we lose our cool, we can ask forgiveness from our child or spouse and our Heavenly Father.

When we know the enemy has stepped up his game, and the war is waged, we can beseech the God of heaven and earth to shelter us - knowing that even in the shadow of the valley of death, He is with us.

Prayer must cover every step of our journey: knowing what it is, embracing it as our source of strength, and utilizing it to help us live out of an overflow of God's love for us.

Has prayer played a big role in your fostercare or adoption journey? How has the presence or absence of prayer effected you and your family? What aspect of prayer stands out the most to you?