Update: The winner of the giveaway is Kate! If you didn’t win but would still like to get the book, just follow the links in this post! Thanks to all who entered!
I often have people ask me what my strategies are for getting in Bible study time while I have three kids. The truth is, Bible reading and prayer time have been two of my biggest struggles as a Christian parent. Since I had kids, I have felt like my study time is short and somewhat distracted or, in some phases of motherhood, non-existent.
So, I wanted to share a resource with you that helps make Bible reading and prayer do-able for a busy mama. It’s called Praying Through the Bible for Your Kids by Nancy Guthrie. I honestly don’t even remember how I ran across this book or what made me order it, but here are a few things that I love about it.
First, it doubles as a plan for reading through the Bible in one year. Each day of your devotional has a suggested reading passage from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and a reading from Psalms and Proverbs. I grabbed a small Bible that I had on my shelf and am underlining each section as I read it. I’m a visual person, and so seeing what I’ve read so far is a good motivator for me. Plus, it helps me focus a little bit more on what I’m reading if I underline at the same time.
The book has a devotional thought for each day of the year that is related to Christianity and parenting. I like these because they are linked to one of the passages I have just read, and they aren’t fluffy or touchy-feely. They are straightforward calls to holiness and a genuine Christian life, and they help me to remember that what I say and do and who I am matters to these little people that I love.
At the end of each day, there is a short written prayer to use as a guide in praying for our kids. I don’t usually like “canned” prayers, but I appreciate these a lot because they help me pray for my kids in more creative ways, especially in specific areas of spiritual growth. I sometimes feel like I end up reciting the same prayers over and over again, but with this book I’m inspired to pray in ways that I hadn’t really thought of before.
Finally, I like this book because if you are having a crazy hectic day and you can’t do all of the suggested Bible reading, you can still spend a couple of minutes in the word and praying for your kids. A short time of study is better than none at all, and I find that even just a few minutes in God’s word makes me want more. This book helps you develop the habit of Bible reading and gives you a specific plan to help you as you go.
If you are a mother who struggles to know how to organize your Bible reading or how to find time to pray for your kids, this book will help you immensely. In fact, I love it so much that I’m going to give a copy to one of my readers! Just leave a comment. Any comment will do! For an extra five entries, go to my Facebook page and share this post with your friends! The giveaway will end on Monday, September 4th.
If you don’t want to wait for the giveaway, order a copy here. This book would also make a fabulous gift for all the moms in your life! Good luck and check back next week to see if you won!
This book is beautiful! I am a grandma and use it yearly to pray for our many grandchildren. It covers so many topics and areas that I might otherwise miss in praying for them. Thankyou for your blog – which I read daily – and for your place beside your husband as a pastor’s wife. I, too, am a pastor’s wife, for 40 years and understand everything you write about as you seek to serve the Lord in this position. Blessings to you!
Thank you for sharing! I just had our third child, and I’ve been struggling with this recently!
Would love to have this resource!
Love this post
Those are two things I really struggle with…Bible reading and especially prayer. Thanks for this book suggestion. It sounds like something that could really be helpful!!
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Love this!
This books looks great!
It sounds like a book I would love to use!
Mary-Ann
This sounds like a wonderful idea!
I have heard of this book, but never read it! As a homeschooling Mom of 4 kids, finding the time to read on my own is hard. I’d definitely love to get a copy!
I would love to use it, I already read daily but I could use some help in ways to pray for my kids instead of the same thing over and over.
Expecting our first, and I’d love to have this resource even this early on!
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Would love this book
Can’t wait to check this out!
Just had baby #3 and the struggle is real! I haven’t ever really had trouble before with consistency but boy, are things different now.
Sounds great! And no “touchy-feely” is an added bonus!
This is EXACTLY what I need!
This would be interesting. 🙂
I would love, love, love to have this!
Oooooo…..this book looks. Awesome to use with my 8 blessings!
I am excited to order one of these — I’m a Grandma, but it wounds wonderful!
Adding this to my Amazon cart right now! Thank you! As a scatterbrained mama of five, this has been my struggle too.
WOW! The struggle is real, and this would be a blessing! 🙂
This book sounds great! Thanks!
I love the idea of this, and matching my prayers for the children with daily Bible reading. It’s not something I’m accustomed to doing, and so often my prayers end up feeling like “a wish list” for them, and not always one of God’s best.
Yes, this would be helpful and great for my family!
I help with the 3rd and 4th grade boys in AWANA which is starting next week. This book sounds like something that would be good to read to them each week before they begin their memory verses.
Thank you for the article!
I’ve been wanting to get this book!
Thanks for the review. It’s always so helpful to hear good reports on a book before spending the money on it. It sounds like a book I (and my family!) would really benefit from!
This sounds like my kind of Bible reading plan!
I shared this on Facebook. Sounds like a great book. I am excited to share it with my group of young moms.
This is one of the biggest struggles for me as a mom to two kiddos under 3! Thanks for the info!
My kids are older teens and I’m sure this would bless me as I seek to study and pray with greater depth.
Would love this!
I’m expecting baby #2 in December and would love to start the new year with this. I’m doing a read through the Bible plan now but struggle to incorporate consistent prayer. I love your blog, and your podcasts are always encouraging and make me laugh!