They made it to school. Somehow you got them out the door and on time in one piece. Again. Another day.
But out-of-sight is not out-of-mind, not when it’s your son, your daughter. Will they eat right? Will other children make fun of them? Will they be bullied? Will they be safe on the playground? Will they be lonely? Will they learn? Will this school day make the next one easier…or harder?
Prayer, Not Worry
“It’s a mother’s job to worry,” you may tell yourself. But that’s not exactly true. Not optimally. It’s certainly natural for a mother to worry, but worry accomplishes nothing—except indigestion, a furrowed brow, and loss of focus.
On the other hand, it’s a mother’s job to pray. But how? You have work to do. Appointments to keep. Meetings to attend. Still, it’s more than possible to pray for your children while they’re at school, and you’re at work. How? With one word. Consider it your one-word lunch break prayer for working moms.
You may remember the Bible story of the prophet Elisha and his servant. The king of Aram, frustrated at the God-sent insights the prophet provided to Israel’s armies, and sent his army to take Elisha prisoner. When Elisha’s servant woke early one morning, he saw that he and the prophet were surrounded by enemy forces. He panicked. But Elisha prayed for the servant’s eyes to be opened. In the next moment, the servant saw a heavenly host of horses and chariots of fire encamped on the mountains, surrounding the enemy, ready to defend and protect God’s prophet (2 Kings 6:8-23).
“Encamp”
So, rather than worrying while your children are at school and you are at work, simply breathe a simple, one-word prayer: “encamp.” Visualize your child surrounded, defended, and protected by the host of heaven. As the psalmist David sang when he was in dire straits, “The angel of the Lord camps around the Lord’s loyal followers and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7 NET).
“Encamp.” You can pray it on your lunch break. At your desk. In a meeting. Aloud, silently, in a whisper. Once or many times. Any time your child comes to mind and your worry muscle starts to flex. “Encamp.” You can share this one-word lunch break prayer with other working moms.
