Several years ago, both of my young sons received several diagnoses and I found myself an anxious and overwhelmed special needs mom, living in survival mode and desperate for God. I prayed and pleaded for my anxiety to go away, for my children to be healed or to have miraculous progress, and for my marriage to be strengthened through all our struggles. All my desperate prayers seemed to go unanswered. He seemed furthest away when I needed Him the most, and I found myself questioning if my faith was too weak, if God was listening, if God was good, or scariest of all, if God was even real.
It was during this crisis of faith that I attended a women’s Bible study. I honestly don’t remember what the Bible study session was about or even what book we were studying at the time. All I remember is that one time when the leader asked for prayer requests, I decided I would give God one last chance to come through for me. I poured out my struggles with my anxiety and my faith and then cringed, wondering how they would respond.
Their response stuns me to this day. Those ladies put down their Bible study materials, gathered around me, laid their hands on me, and surrounded me with comfort and prayer. Each and every one took a turn to pray over me with confidence and power. Each and every woman included a Bible verse or several in their prayers. They claimed the Word of God and declared it boldly over me.
I was cocooned by the transforming power and presence of God. Tears slid down my face, dripping onto my jeans. The anxiety melted away from my shoulders and peace filled my heart for the first time in a long time.
The Power of Praying Scripture
I was so moved by the way these ladies included Bible verses in their prayers for me and I was eager to learn to do the same. I devoured Beth Moore’s book Praying God’s Word and Priscilla Shirer’s Fervent.
I realized I had been praying for the things that I wanted and was discouraged, disappointed, and even angry when I didn’t get my prayers answered the way I wanted.
Just as my sons needed speech therapy to learn to communicate with us, I learned I needed Scripture to help me communicate with God in a new and powerful way.
I realized that we tend to pray for things WE want, but praying Scripture helps align your desires with what HE wants. And when our desires are aligned, that’s when we’re most likely to see God move powerfully in our prayers.
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I found delight in praying again. Sure, I’ll be honest, part of it was because I was witnessing God answer my Scripture-infused prayers. Sometimes our mountain-moving God moved the mountains I asked Him to move, other times He simply moved a mountain that had been in my heart, to help me align my heart with His. But a large part of what brought me joy was that praying the very words of His own heart drew me so much closer to Him.
The Bible became a new treasure trove of possibility to expand my prayer life and faith, and I’ve compiled some of my favorite Scriptures to pray as a special needs parent.
Three Resources to Help You Pray Scripture as a Special Needs Parent
For Your Children with Special Needs
As special needs parents, we learn to advocate for our children: with insurance companies, with doctors and specialists, with schools, with churches, and within the community. But one of the best ways to advocate for your child is on your knees before the throne of God. Here is a list of 15 Scriptures to pray for your child with special needs.
For Your Own Special Needs Parenting Journey
Here are 20 Scriptures to pray as a special needs parent. These Scriptures really helped me to let go of my own expectations and desires, and trust God’s plan and purpose for me and my children. By turning to and praying God’s Word, I was able to begin processing my thoughts and emotions in a godly, rather than worldly way, and could feel the love He had for me and my children in His Word. These verses restored hope and peace in my life and I pray they do the same in yours.
For Your Marriage as Special Needs Parents
Marriage can be challenging enough, but add in the extra stresses and challenges of special needs parenting, and we need to be praying for our marriages more than ever. It’s important to be united teammates, journeying together in life and in parenting, and praying Scriptures over your marriage can help remind you of God’s heart for your marriage. Here are 15 Scriptures special needs parents can pray for their marriage.
There is power in God’s Word, and there’s also power in our prayers. When you combine those two powers together, get ready to see God move in mighty ways in your life, your heart, your faith, your marriage, and your children.
Bio: Jenn Soehnlin is a mother to two boys who are precious blessings and who both have special needs. Her heart is to share encouragement and God's truths with moms who are also traveling the special needs parenting journey. Jenn enjoys blogging about faith, praying Scripture, and special needs parenting at www.embracing.life. She is the author of Embracing This Special Life: Learning to Flourish as a Mother of a Child with Special Needs. For online encouragement and support for special needs mothers, check out her Facebook group Embracing This Special Life
