While My Child is Away

“Edie Melson provides parents with practical, heartfelt prayers and needful encouragement. I’m planning to keep her book on the nightstand!”

—James Watkins, award-winning author of books for teens and their parents, author of The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today’s Language

“You will be delighted with Edie Melson’s new book While My Child Is Away. I so identify with the heart of these prayers and am grateful for others who put into words that which often escapes me.”

—Lucinda Secrest McDowell, author of Dwelling Places, EncouragingWords.net

“While My Child is Away is a literary treasure chest for parents, overflowing with prayers, devotions, Scripture verses, quotes, and personal applications. Written with author Edie Melson’s appealing honesty, this book will strengthen parents’ prayer lives and improve their relationships with their children.”

—Beth K. Vogt, 2016 Christy Award finalist, author of Almost Like Being in Love

“In While My Child is Away, Edie Melson helps us find comfort by taking fears to the Speaker of Peace, the One who sees all, knows all, and loves our children more than we do.”

—Vonda Skelton, speaker and author, Founder Christian Communicators

“In one swift movement, Edie Melson has pulled the heart back into our prayer life by praying, simplistic, heartfelt, naked prayers before the Lord God Almighty, who simply wishes for us to bring our needs and desires before Him.”

—Cindy Sproles, best-selling author of Mercy’s Rain, executive editor and cofounder, Christian Devotions

“While My Child is Away needs to be on every parent’s bookshelf—a great resource full of encouraging words to keep relationships strong between parents and children of all ages.”

—Linda Gilden, author of Words to Live By, speaker, and writing coach

“A powerful book for moms and dads who can’t help but feel the pull of their hearts toward their kids when they’re away. This is a book you’ll keep on your nightstand and wear out the pages by going back to it again and again.”

—James L. Rubart, best-selling author

“What a precious collection of prayers for our children! This book will give you inspiration as well as some practical handles for how to pray when your child is away. Fantastic!”

—Jack Eason, Executive Director, Crossover Ministries International

“Edie Melson understands the power of God’s love for our children. Her mastery gift of intercessory prayer strengthens the reader’s faith in a sovereign God who always listens.”

—DiAnn Mills, author of Deadly Encounter, DiAnnMills.com

“Edie Melson’s heartfelt prayers brings us to our knees before our Lord, her words touching the heart and leaving us with the assurance that God is not only in control, but loves our children more than we can fathom.”

—Lynette Eason, best-selling and award-winning author

“In While My Child Is Away, Edie Melson gets to heart of every parent in short, beautifully written prayers. This is a book you’ll want to keep and purchase for others…because, no matter how old they get, they’re still our babies.”

—Eva Marie Everson, best-selling author of Five Brides

While My Child Is Away

My Prayers for When We Are Apart

EDIE MELSON

Copyright © 2016 by Edie Melson

Published by Worthy Inspired, an imprint of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., One Franklin Park, 6100 Tower Circle, Suite 210, Franklin, TN 37067.

WORTHY is a registered trademark of Worthy Media, Inc.

HELPING PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THE HEART OF GOD

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and Hcsb® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. | Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) | Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the Esv® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. | Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | Scripture references marked NCV are from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. | Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-61795-731-4

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Cover Design: Jeff Jensen / Aesthetic Soup

Printed in the United States of America

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Foreword

Michelle Medlock Adams

I normally start my day with prayer but I was running late for my sister’s Bible study that particular morning, so I skipped my regular prayer time, grabbed a breakfast bar and a Diet Coke, and hurried out the door. Just as I was pulling out of the driveway, I felt a real urgency to pray for my college-age daughters. With the three-hour time difference between Indiana and California, I knew Ally wasn’t even up yet, but Abby was already headed to Kentucky to see her boyfriend pitch in a college baseball tournament. I prayed Psalm 91 over Ally and Abby and thanked God that their guardian angels were watching over them. I continued praying and praising God for my precious daughters until I felt a peace come over me. Then I went ahead into Bible study, walking in only a few minutes late.

Moments later, my phone vibrated. Just as I was about to turn off my phone, I saw the call was from Abby so I excused myself and answered.

“Mom,” she said, through sobs.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just almost in an accident …”

After hearing those words, my heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would escape my chest. Abby went on to explain what had happened to her.

A car had pulled out of the median, almost sideswiping her, causing her to swerve into the right lane to avoid contact. Before the incident was over, her car and three others were off the road, and Abby’s vehicle had spun completely around.

“Mom, I don’t even know how that car missed me,” she kept saying. “I saw it coming right at me!”

I knew.

“Because at the exact time this happened to you, Ab, God prompted me to pray for you,” I shared. “I was praying Psalm 91 over you and thanking God that your guardian angels were watching over you this morning!”

We both cried and praised the Lord and rejoiced that this was only an “almost accident.” People who aren’t Christians might write this off as a “mother’s intuition,” but we know better, don’t we? It was God who caused me to pray at the exact time that Abby was coming up on that crazy driver, and it was God who miraculously moved her little VW Bug out of harm’s way.

As mothers, we are that first line of prayer defense when it comes to our kiddos. With everything we do for our children—from being their taxi drivers to fixing their meals to doing their laundry to helping them with homework—nothing is more important than covering them with prayer.

No one knows this truth better than my friend, colleague, and sister-in-Christ, Edie Melson. I’ve seen her stand for her sons as they battled heartbreaks and physical ailments. I’ve seen her go to God for protection over her son who bravely served in our military. I’ve seen her pray diligently that her sons would walk in their callings, find their soul mates, and serve God every day of their lives.

And I’ve seen those prayers answered.

Edie is one of my favorite friends. She’s Southern, charming, gifted, accomplished, caring, and funny. But she’s also a serious prayer warrior who has put in the “knee time” for her children, and I have always admired her the most for that attribute. Though I have two daughters and she has three sons, we’ve been able to share parenting advice with one another. We’ve laughed together. We’ve cried together. But more than anything, we’ve prayed.

For each other.

And for our children.

And when praying mamas hit their knees, the devil gets nervous.

This book might just give the devil a nervous breakdown. Seriously, it will be your go-to resource when you don’t know what to pray for your children, but you know that you should. From praying that your son will make good choices to praying that your daughter will feel valued and stay pure, this book covers it all and feels very personal. As I read Edie’s prayers, I thought, That’s just what I would have wanted to pray when my youngest daughter moved to Los Angeles to follow her dream of attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.

I also loved the prayers for us—the parents—that are included in each chapter. And the heartfelt devotions in each section so beautifully drive home the focus of each topical chapter, giving us a glimpse into Edie’s own parenting triumphs and even a few mishaps. Her transparency is refreshing and made me love her even more.

Even though you may not know Edie like I do, as you go through this book, you’ll feel like she’s your best buddy, and you’ll welcome her as your prayer partner.

One of my favorite passages from this book is in the section called “Always Pray First”:

As my kids spent more and more time away from home, it became more and more important. I start my day with prayer, my meals with prayer, and every single parenting decision with prayer.

Sometimes the prayers are more in the vein of distress flares shot toward heaven, but it’s the fact I’m praying that’s important. It gives me confidence to be reminded that I’m not in this alone and I’m not the ultimate authority.

The prayer for my daughter Abby that morning was more of a distress flare, though I didn’t know it at the time. But it’s like Edie writes—it’s the fact that I prayed that was important. We don’t have to be all-knowing, because we serve a God who is, and as Edie reminded me, I’m not in this parenting thing alone.

And neither are you.

God has given us precious treasures to take care of, watch over, protect, and love. And though we’re not always going to get it right, because we’re human, we have the privilege of praying to our Heavenly Father, who is perfect and who loves our children even more than we do.

Now that my girls are officially “out of the nest,” I am very aware that I can’t always be there physically when they need me, but I can pray from wherever I am and know that God is on the job. He never slumbers. He’s never late. He’s in control. And He hears my prayers.

He’ll hear your prayers, too—even the ones your heart utters when you have no words.

Let this book guide you into a deeper, more targeted, more powerful prayer life where your children are concerned.

There’s no greater gift you could give them.

Introduction

Three days after I signed the contract for this book, two of my sons went for an afternoon kayak trip on a nearby river. They are fully grown and capable young men—one served in the military and the other has a degree in outdoor leadership. They’re both married, are not novices about the outdoors or about life in general. As experienced outdoorsmen, they don’t ever take unnecessary chances. So the confidence I have in their ability isn’t misplaced. Even with that, I felt a momentary battle of what-if when they told me about their proposed outing. Instead of voicing my fears, I told them to have fun and took my motherly worries to the One who can ensure their safety.

The next day I found out just how close I’d come to losing both sons.

They’d been on the river when a strong thunderstorm moved in with unusual speed. Immediately they headed to shore, but never made it to safety. They woke up three and a half hours later. Both were in the river, separated from their boats and each other. One son was caught on a snag in the middle of the river, the other was lying half-in and half-out of the water on the shore. After they’d found each other—a harrowing ten minutes later, they’d assured me—they assessed the injuries they’d sustained and realized they’d been struck by lightning.

While both are fine, with no lasting damage, this once again reinforced the fact that we never know when our children are headed into a dangerous situation. Whether our kids are headed to first grade, camp, college, or just a day at play, we need to be praying for them. Not just general, “God, please protect my child” prayers, either. We need to invest in a solid set of knee pads and be ready to do battle for them on a daily basis.

That’s what this book is about.

Any time our children are away from us can be a time of anxiety. We can’t always help the emotions that accompany specific situations, but we can always take those emotions to the One who will provide the protection they need and the peace we crave.

This book is divided into chapters, based on the topics parents would want to pray for their children. The individual prayers cover a multitude of situations, from a child away for the day at school, traveling for a short trip, off to college, or having left home for another reason. Because of the different topics covered, the prayers span a fairly large age range of the children being prayed for.

Within each chapter, there is a section of prayers that parents would pray for their children, followed by a section that a parent might pray for themselves. Following these two divisions, each chapter also contains a section of devotions about parenting. Finally there is a small section at the end of each chapter with parenting thoughts pertaining to the chapter’s topic.

This book can be used individually or as a resource for a group of parents who have banded together to pray for one another’s children.

Chapter One

The Triumph of Love

We all want our children to feel love—from us and especially from God. But it’s hard when we’re not close enough physically to ensure our kids get the attention we think they need.

Make Your Love Real in My Child’s Life

We love the things we love for what they are.

ROBERT FROST

Dear Lord, I know You love my child in ways that I never can. But it’s so hard to be away from her, now that she’s growing up. She and I used to spend so much time together, and I was always the one she turned to first. Now that she’s away more, I’m afraid that if I’m not with her, she won’t have anyone near to reassure her that she is loved.

I don’t want to be replaced in her life, but even more than that, I don’t want her to be alone. Don’t let her feel abandoned, or mistake physical distance for emotional distance. Help her remember how much I love her. Put people around her who will show her love in ways that help her feel connected. Make sure she remembers that no matter what, You love her with an eternal and infinite love. Give her a foundation of Your love that will never be shaken.

You are the Author of love. Help her discover the depth of Your love, and give her opportunities to share that with those around her. Wrap Your love around her and be all that she needs. Amen.

Redefine Love in My Child’s Life

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.

AUGUSTUS

Dear Lord, I know the Bible tells us that You are love. But even with that, our human understanding is so limited. Right now, my child is struggling to define what real love is. I’m asking You to use this time to give him Your definition of love.

Show him all the ways it goes beyond emotions. Help him see that it even goes beyond tolerance and acceptance. Let him see the physical manifestation of godly love in his life and in the lives of those around him. Give him examples of the miracles found within tough love. In his situation today, love has limits. Let him experience the limitlessness of Your perfect love.

Help him replace all the incorrect definitions he believes with Your truth. Our kids are exposed to so many twisted examples of love. Protect his mind, from this day forward, from anything that isn’t from You. Bring him back to the basics. Erase the things that aren’t truth and use those near him to reinforce Your truth.

Surround him with people who know Your love and are willing to share Your truth with him. Give them the words to speak that will resonate in his soul. Most of all, let it shine in their lives as they become real-life examples of You. Amen.

Thank You for Loving My Child

Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.

C. S. LEWIS

Dear Lord, as grateful as I am for Your love in my life, I’m even more thankful for the fact that You love my child. You have proven trustworthy in my life, and I know I can trust You with my child.

I admit I’m scared that she’s away from home more now. This isn’t just a time of growth for her, but it is also a time of growth for me. I’m having to draw on all my reserves to get through this. I know other parents experience this, but somehow when I watched it didn’t seem as hard for them.

Lord, I’m thankful that my child knows You and has already come to rely on You. You have shown her love in so many ways during her life. Neither one of us could ever doubt how much You care for her.

I’m asking that You remind us both of Your love. We’re sad to be apart, even though this is an exciting time of growth. I didn’t realize how much comfort I drew daily from having her close by, and now she’s miles away. I can hear her voice on the phone, but it’s not the same.

I’m learning to trust You, Lord, in a whole new way. Thank You for the assurances You’ve already given me. Be with us both as we adjust to life’s new normal. Amen.

Remind My Child That You Are Jealous for His Love

Remember, you are special because I made you.
And I don’t make mistakes.

MAX LUCADO

Dear Lord, You love us so much. The Bible tells us You are jealous for us. In our culture today, we view jealousy in a negative way. But I know how unbelievably precious it is to know that You, God, are jealous for me. Make this truth real in my child’s life. Give him a new and deeper perspective of Your love through this aspect of Your character.

So often, in the activities and busyness of life we forget that spending time with You isn’t just for our benefit; it’s because You love us. Your love has a depth that we can’t ever completely understand. But the more time we spend with You, the more we begin to understand Your love.

Give him insight into who You are and let that fuel his hunger for You. Reinforce that drive through the companions who surround him.

Put an unquenchable desire to spend time with You in my child’s heart. Teach him how much You want his company. You want to be the center of all our lives. Make Yourself the center of my child’s life. Amen.

Teach My Child Your Love Never Fails

No matter what storm you face, you need to know that God loves you. He has not abandoned you.

FRANKLIN GRAHAM