All From Abundance - Vol. #001

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A Look Inside:

• Some thoughts on praying for our kids when the weight feels overwhelming, and why simple prayers matter more than we think.
• A reminder that in God’s hands, even our small efforts can be multiplied for His glory.
• An encouragement to walk in the victory that Jesus has already won.

When Praying Feels Hard - Tanner

Prayer has never come easily for me.

I can read Scripture for hours. I can underline, journal, and study. But when it’s time to pray, my mind races and struggles to slow down.

As a Christian for more than 25 years, I don’t love admitting that I still struggle with something so simple and important.

And if prayer is difficult for me in general, praying for my kids feels even heavier.

I think about everything they will face as they grow up. The voices that will pull at their hearts. The battles they will fight that I may never even see.

More than anything, I want them to know Jesus.

Not just to know about Him, but to truly know Him - to love Him, trust Him, and walk with Him all their lives.

I heard something on a podcast recently that really stuck with me, though I can’t remember who to give credit to. It was something along the lines of:

Hearing that was encouraging…and also frustrating.

It reminded me that real discipleship is about what Jesus does in their hearts, not what I can manufacture.

But it also made me realize how often I rush ahead instead of bringing them to Him in prayer.

Because if I’m being honest, it’s often easier for me to teach or correct than it is to truly pray.

But the reality is: prayer truly is where the real work happens.

Still, the weight of it can feel overwhelming.

When I think about everything my children might encounter - every heartbreak, every doubt, every temptation - it’s tempting to either try to cover it all or to not even know where to start.

Maybe you can relate. If so, we’re right there with you.

Here are two small practices that are helping us establish a daily rhythm of praying for our kids, even when it feels imperfect and heavy.

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1) Reading Scripture-based prayers.

I’m so bad with prayer that I have a 6:00am reminder in my phone to pray this prayer over Grayson. (I’m also so bad with prayer that our daughter is almost three and I have yet to do the same for her!)

This came straight from The One Year Praying Through the Bible for Your Kids by Nancy Guthrie - a book I highly recommend and one that has helped me so much.

I struggled using this for a while, feeling like I was plagiarizing a prayer and hoping God would honor it.

But then I was reminded that prayer isn’t about my creativity or eloquence, but about bringing my kids before God.

This particular prayer reminds me that I’m not just praying for today’s scraped knees or tomorrow’s spelling test.

I’m praying for a lifetime of spiritual battles and victories - battles that only God can equip him to face.

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2) Choosing one word to pray over each family member for an entire year.

Earlier this year, Brittany chose a fruit of the Spirit for each member of our family and made it the focus of her prayers.

Here’s what she chose:

• Love — for Brittany, to love others and herself the way God loves her.
• Faithfulness — for me, to stay rooted where I am, not rushing through seasons or wishing for another.
• Joy — for Grayson, to live with a deep joy that points others to Jesus.
• Kindness — for Kennedy, to grow in kindness in both her words and actions.

Neither of these prayers are dramatic or loud.

But they’re real and they matter.

If you’ve ever felt the same weight - wanting so badly to pray for your kids but not knowing where to start - I want to encourage you:

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

It doesn’t have to cover every possible scenario they might face.

It doesn’t have to sound like the prayers we might hear on Sunday morning.

Simple prayers, prayed in faith, are heard by a faithful God.

Because at the end of the day, our deepest hope for our kids isn’t that they avoid pain, achieve success, or fit in.

Our deepest hope is that they walk with Jesus.

And when we feel the weight of all that could go wrong, we can rest in this promise:

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

The work of shaping their hearts doesn’t rest on us. It rests on Him.

So let’s keep praying. Even when the prayers feel simple. Even when we don’t know exactly what to say.

Because He is faithful. And He loves them even more than we do.

Nothing is Wasted - Brittany

The story of feeding the 5,000 is one of my favorites. Jesus sees a crowd and asks Phillip, “Where we can buy bread to feed all these people?”

Phillip quickly responds that even if they worked for months, there is no way they could feed everyone in their midst. Phillip was focused on his own ability, potential, and limited possibilities. He had forgotten the power of the presence of God, even in proximity.

Then Peter speaks up after finding a boy with some bread and fish, and says, “but what good is that?” Peter was willing to see the little available, but was doubtful it was enough. Oh was Jesus about to teach everyone a lesson on faith!

As a mom of two littles, I like to believe this boy’s lunch was made by his sweet Mama early in the morning. Another countless meal being prepared, slicing her sourdough loaves and fixing some fish for her sweet boy, praying it would nourish his day. She had no idea that simple preparation would produce food for thousands.

As this food was ultimately placed in the hands of Jesus, everything changed. Jesus took a seemingly small lunch and He multiplied it to minister to every single person on the grassy hill.

We can trust God in our preparation, in the hidden and in the surrender. He can be trusted with our little, our lack, and even our best efforts because nothing is wasted.

Not only does he feed the masses, but Jesus meets human needs! John 6 continues to say, “And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted’” (6:12). Jesus is constantly meeting people where they are and providing above and beyond what they need. He fed these people until they were FULL!

The remaining leftovers draw attention to the overabundance with which the Messiah provides. This is who God is. I can trust God with my desires because He knows exactly what I need. He gives and provides more than enough.

When it comes to having a healthy body, nothing is wasted in the kingdom of God. It can be overwhelming to focus on too many things at once, whether it is meal prepping or movement or having the desire to wake up early. But in your season and in your capacity, you can do one small thing today and trust that you are honoring God with your body. He can take our little and turn it into much.

Can you take 10 minutes to walk down the street? Nothing is wasted. You were bought with a high price, honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:10).

Can you speak one word over your child before walking out the door? Nothing is wasted. His Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).

Can you take 10 minutes to prepare a breakfast or lunch for the week? Nothing is wasted. Do not minimize small beginnings, God REJOICES to see the work begin.

We can have hope and receive the promise that nothing is waisted in the Kingdom of God. Whatever we bring - our time, our efforts, our faith - He multiplies. He fills. He provides. And He always gives more than enough.

One Final Thing...

​Walking in Victory - Obviously a bit biased here, but I (Tanner) think this Easter devotional Brittany recently wrote for our church is too good not to share. Check it out!

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Until next time,

-Tanner and Brittany

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