Prayers for My Children

Praying for you, Deacon~

Dear Precious Lord, I thank you so much for my firstborn. You have created this beautiful boy with a heart that melts others... and one that already loves you. You have created him with a tenderness and love that brings me great joy. As he grows and learns, he continues to amaze us with his sweet spirit, his quick independence, his tender words and his total dependence on us right now. It is my prayer that soon it will be totally on you! Deacon's fun-loving nature, his ability to love life to the fullest and find enjoyment in little things fill my heart with joy. The way he loves his friends and is so concerned about others at 2 years-old makes me, as his mother, praise you even more!

Thank you Lord for the beautiful way you have put his life, his heart together. And thank you for your understanding, my Great God... for your knowledge of our lives before time began. Thank you for knitting him together inside me, designing him to be so much. Through our precious Deacon you have given me a glimpse of the depth and width of your great love for us. My overwhelming joy in Deacon is a small comparison to your enormous joy in us, your children. In the same way, Deacon's disappointments, fears, outbursts, lack of understanding and tears directly reflect ours when we come to you, standing tall in your face or humbly on our knees, seeking answers, advice, comfort and a promise for the future.

Lord, in some way I know you created Deacon for a time such as this. His life means so much and I know full well you have marvelous things in store for him... And yet, I trust with confidence that a part of who he is is intertwined in this most recent storm in our lives.Thank you for knowing my heart and for knowing what we would need to bring us to dry land.

Undoubtedly, Holy Lord, you have been our refuge and strength and have truly carried us through deep, raging waters that have flooded our earth... In a strange way though, Deacon has been like my ark, my place to "crawl in to." As I have sat huddled with him, tears streaming down my face, somehow he has been the physical manifestation of the ark, while I fully trusted you were guiding our journey and protecting our hearts and lives as the world fell down around us.

My God, my love and my protector, I trust, as you spoke in Genesis 8, that day and night will never cease until your Son returns. That as surely as night falls in our lives, the day, the dawn is poised to come again. You allow us to fully trust you through the days and nights. Help us teach Deacon what it means to fully rely on you through it all; to teach him of your unending love, so that he may experience it firsthand, and to bring him up to be a child that lives only for you.

Thank you for your goodness, your mercy, your grace, your peace, your restoration, your promises, your justice, your joy... and mostly thank you for your Son. It is through Him and his sacrifice that we trust in eternity, and that we are able to fully enjoy our Deacon here with us.

Thank you Lord for my son, my joy... my Deacon.

"Guide me in your truth and teach me, O Lord, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long."- Psalm 25:5~ Claimed for Deacon Charles Stanfield
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Praying for you, Maddox~

Holy Lord, my God, I praise you for my precious second son. I thank you Lord for the amazing way that you have moved in our lives. My precious Maddox, Lord God, the one that arrived to your arms just 4 short months ago, has change my life. Lord, you know my heart and the longing that was present for this beautiful second child, even before his conception. Only you know the reason he was put together so wonderfully different and never intended to live out hims days on this Earth.

Precious Father, my heart aches for my tiny child... and yet, it rejoices knowing he is with you. Jesus, thank you for loving my child and holding him so tightly... It is because of your sacrifice that I have full confidence that I will one day hold him again... and the next time I do, it will be for eternity.

Merciful One, I look back over the last year and sometimes I can't believe this is my life. I would have never wanted, never wished, never imagined that I would have already given over one of my children to live in your presence... But I can't help but smile and be thankful. Isn't that where we all want to be? Don't we long for Heaven, for our eternal place in your kingdom? I've thought and prayed so many times this last year that you would fill my life with renewed joy and peace, that you would reassure me of your promises. Lord, you have answered my prayers and I continue to stand amazed at your true, steady, loving faithfulness.

Lord, our prayers for Maddox, as he lived here with us and thrived in my womb, were ones of faith, hope and love. We trusted you would answer each prayer as you continued to reveal yourself through scripture, sweet words spoken, the hands and feet of your people, and the prayers of thousands across the world. As we put all our hope in you, you spoke softly but clearly to my heart. We then knew, not with with a complete understanding, but with a sure confidence, what you were saying. When we left the hospital in much the same way we entered, I heard you speaking, "My precious children, Maddox is already with me. You trusted me with your lives and with his, and now you can rest easy knowing he is in My eternal loving care."

There is pain and hurt and longing Lord, to hold my little Maddox again, but you knew that his life, his witness, this testimony was so much more important than our sorrow. You had a plan for us, for him, just as it is written in Jeremiah 29:11. That plan, that kingdom building plan, is still in motion as you use us to tell of Maddox's sweet story and your total faithfulness. For those four hours we saw him and loved him face to face, we knew we were holding a piece of Heaven here on Earth.

Father, I think I must feel a little bit like Hannah in the Bible. Oh our sweet Maddox, how we prayed for you, just as Hannah prayed for her Samuel. Lord, you were faithful and brought him to us, not as we expected, but in many ways so much better than we ever imagined. I'm sure that as Hannah returned to that temple a few short years after she promised to give her son over to you, she did so with love, excited for his life of service dedicated to your kingdom. But I'm also sure she did so with tears steaming down her cheeks and a sadness for her life without Samuel in her presence. It's so similar to how I feel... my great love for my Maddox, but my even greater love for those who still need to know Christ. Maddox is resting in your tender arms, but what does eternity hold for those without you? On that Your word is very clear ...

"There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. ...The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up." 1 Samuel 2:2,6

Thank you Heavenly Lord, for the the time we had to fully enjoy Maddox. I thank you for the intimate knowledge I have of him and for the beautiful time we shared together. I long to know him more, but I am thankful of your promise to spend that time eternally in Heaven.

Sweet God, hold him tight. Tell him how much we love him, how proud of him we are for his strength and purpose, and that we miss him so greatly! Remind him that he will never be forgotten, that we will never be the same, and that his legacy will live on to bring others to a saving knowledge of you. Thank you for my son, my heart... my Maddox.

We love you our sweet Maddox and can't wait to hold you again one day!

"And now, thus says the LORD, your God, and he who formed you: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine."- Isaiah 43:1- Claimed for Maddox Donald Stanfield
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Praying for you, Little Expectant One~

Oh my Lord God, how you have heard my prayers... I praise you for the miracle of life growing inside my body. Heavenly Father, you heard my cries to you, even before we met Maddox face to face; my cries of love, of anticipated loss, of restoration, and of longing for another child that was intended to stay on Earth. You allowed me to see light and hope glimmering in the dark tunnel we walked and you have again answered my prayers through this little person that you knit together in me.

Jesus, you know my heart and my full trust in you and the plans you have for our family. You also know my head and the way things can slowly creep in and set up residence- the concerns, the questions, and the fear of the unknown. Holy God, please keep these thoughts at bay. Help me to focus solely on you and the promises you have made to those who trust in your name. As I do each day Father, I simply pray that this child growing inside is one that is meant to stay with us. I pray for straight bones, clean blood, a healthy heart, a strong mind and a body that is created to sustain life on Earth.

Lord, as you sustained the Israelites through their 40 years in the desert, I too ask that you sustain us now. These darker times that we have walked are our own wilderness, and yet, just as you never left your chosen people, we know that you haven't left us either. This precious baby is in many ways like Joshua and Caleb seeing the Promised Land from afar. The safe arrival of this baby is still off in the distance and yet... I see it... my promised land.

Dear God, I know there are no guarantees in this life... but I also know that you hear my prayers and know and love me intimately... So I ask you to bring us there. As the Israelites arrived safely to the Promised Land after wandering in the unknown, I ask you to help us arrive safely to December, after this period of wandering through our own unknown. "He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything."- Deuteronomy 2:7

Sweet, Precious Lord, guide me with your gentle hand. I ask that you protect this baby and keep us safely in your arms. Lord, help us and others know of your great love, of your great provision, for each and every life. Jesus, you know our hearts... You know that we will never forget that we already have two precious boys that bring us great joy... one just rests in your arms instead of in ours. Help others to know that Maddox is and will always be part of our family... and just as Deacon talks about his little brother who is with you in Heaven, this expectant one will too know of big brother Maddox... he who paved the way to allow this new miracle in our lives.

Father, I pray for your wisdom and strength as we look forward to the safe arrival of our third child. I ask that your hand be on this baby, that in time our hands may too be on him; to hold, to love and to teach of you and your great faithfulness.

Oh Good and Holy God, thank you for your love for each of us, and especially for this new life that holds so much love in us already.

"I have prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."- 1 Samuel 1:27

Comments

Anonymous said…
Congratulations!!!! I had to read your entry twice to know for sure...you are pregnant??!!! Maybe somehow I missed that in a previous post, I'm so excited for you. I don't know you personally but I've followed your blog for several months. Your family has been in my prayers daily. Your faith and your beautiful writing inspires me. Thank you for sharing both your pain and your joy with us. God is using you in ways you can't imagine.
Nicole
Elizabeth Fanco said…
Congratulations! I've been following your story since just before Maddox was born, and will continue to pray for the healing and restoration process that your pregnancy and the birth of your new little one will bring. May the Lord grant you PEACE every morning as you wake up, with the knowledge that he already has plans for this new little life :-)
Anonymous said…
Hi Kenzi,
I have been a prayer warrior (and a little bit of a stalker! HA!) for you for a few months. I came across your blog from another one, in which I don't remember, one day in December. Your testimony for Our Lord has been such a blessing to me! I check in often to see how you are doing, and I am always blessed by your continued faithfulness and excitment for the things that God is doing in your life. Today's entry topped it off for me--HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD! Congratulations on your expectant one. I am so happy for your family. Though we don't have any children yet, I teach kindergarten, and I am daily reminded of the rewarding task of rearing a child to love the Lord. This past school year, there was a "little evangelist" in my classroom. What a warrior for the faith she was at 5 years of age! Your stories about Deacon make me smile.

While I'm FINALLY leaving a comment after all of these months of reading your blog and praying, I wanted to let you know that I have also shared your story of God's grace and faithfulness with my 8th grade girls Sunday School girls. I can't WAIT to add to it on Sunday!!! A few weeks ago, we had a "party" at my house, and I showed them your website and pictures of your family, so they could make that visual association for who they were praying for. This may be illegal, but they LOVED your music on the site, as do I, and we listened to it the whole rest of the time. HA! I'm sure that is breaking some kind of copyright laws or something!

Through your words and even the music on your website, your life is a sweet fragrance to God. Thank you for being a light to me and others. Though we will probably never meet this side of heaven, I rejoice in the things that God is using you for on this earth. Thank you for sharing your story!

Ashley in Memphis
Anonymous said…
After "pouring out my heart," :) HA! I didn't even spell your name correctly. Sorry, KenziE. Hehe. Kindergarteners are kind of funny about that!
Devin said…
Oh Kenzie,

Tears are streaming right now!

God has truly crossed one of my requests off the list, and I am soooo unbelievably happy for you and thankful that God has granted new life again!

Isaiah 40:11 says "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young." I know He will lead you and your family during this time, and I will continue to pray for all of you....

Congratulations in the best way!
Love ya girl!
Laurie in Ca. said…
Sweet Kenzie,

My heart is so full for the blessings you have revealed today and thank you for sharing this in such a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving for all 3 of your children. You know that I will be a prayer warrior for you again as I have never really stopped:) Praying for safety and wisdom and great joy!!
I am so happy for you and Dusty, Deacon and Maddox. Restoration and Hope are such wonderful gifts from God, and so are babies!!

Love and Thankfulness for answered prayers, Laurie in Ca.
Jenna said…
I am so happy for you all. What a blessing this little baby will bring to your family. tears of joy are flowing!
Jenna
Sarah said…
Congratulations. I'm so happy for you guys. I've been reading your blog and praying for you daily since Maddox was born. I will add your new little one to my prayers.
Jennifer said…
Congratulation Kenzie & Dusty! A child is such a sweet gift from the Lord. May He continue to be your sustainer, your healer, your gentle and loving Father, your sovereign creator and king. I will pray against any anxiety that may creep in and that the Lord will give you His peace over the course of this pregnancy.
Laura said…
Oh such sweet news.....I will be praying. Sweet Kenzie...keep pouring out your heart. You are so brave! Sending you much love and a tight squeeze for all of your family.
notetoself said…
HOORAY!! Congrats! I've been lurking on your blog for a couple of weeks, but had to come out to say--WHAT A BLESSING!! :)
Hannah said…
Oh, Kenzie! This post, its prayers and its news, have brought such joy to me today (Tabitha's 4 month marker). Congratulations!
love and prayers,
Hannah
Jaclyn said…
Kenzie! I am SOO thrilled for you. I praise the Lord and I look forward to hearing about your pregnancy and your precious third baby.
These prayers are beautiful...your heart is beautiful.
I am praying for the health of you and your baby!
Emily said…
What a beautiful family of five you are. Your prayers are mine. His grace will sustain you.
Cathy said…
Kenzie,
congrats to your wonderful family! Did I miss this earlier or is this the first mention in the blog. We are praising God for all His goodness. Cathy & Annabel
Anonymous said…
Oh Kenzie, I just wept and wept! What beautiful prayers. And what glorious news! I have been a faithful stalker since before sweet Maddox was born, and I don't believe I have commented before now. But I needed to say congratualtions, and to tell you that I will be praying for a peaceful, joy-filled pregnancy for you.
Beth said…
Praise God! I have been reading and praying for you and your family since Maddox was born. Congrats! I will continue to pray for this new little one!
Anxious AF said…
I rejoice with you my freind!
Anonymous said…
I am so happy for you, Kenzie. I will be praying. Now I wish you still had that prayer pager, for God to give you little nudges when the fear sneaks in. I love you and am trusting God to continue to assure you of His great love for you. As He has done through Deacon and Maddox.
love, connie
Anonymous said…
And I love that you continue to use your blog to encourage others to pray for Lesa and Avery, as you have done for others, including Mallorie and me. You are generous and faithful, and we're blessed to know you. connie
Sabrina said…
Congrats!! I am so very excited for you and Dusty. God is so great!! It is often in the depths of our dispair that he shines through even brighter than ever before. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for a healthy child that is meant to fulfill a longer span of time here with you and your family. Praise God's grace!!

Sabrina
So Blessed said…
What wonderful news...I am so happy for this new joy that has come to your family...straight from the hands of our gracious Father. Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17.
I will continue to pray for God's blessings on each of you.

Your prayers for your children were so precious and touched my heart.
Dear Sweet Kenzie,
Sweet prayers for your 3 babies! God hears your requests, He hears your cries and He will help you. I pray that he will give you the peace and pure joy that you need to enjoy every minute of this new pregnancy. I pray that any time doubt and fear rise up in you that you will recognize it and take it to the Lord who can take care of it all. We know His Power, we know His miraculous ways, we have seen them first hand, and I will help you claim it sweet friend.
Have fun on your trip this week. I will be praying for all the kids you will be teaching.
Thinking and praying for you every day.
With love,
Kim
Lezlie said…
We so anticipate the healthy arrival of Stanfield baby #3. Love you and praying for you all.
Lezlie
Lezlie said…
We so anticipate the healthy arrival of Stanfield baby #3. Love you and praying for you all.
Lezlie
The Smiths said…
Kenzie -

we are thrilled for you and can't wait to meet Stanfield #3. Many prayers will be said for you over the coming months.

Much love,
Jen
Jesse said…
Kenzie,

What beautiful prayers for all THREE of your beautiful children. I wish you peace and joy during this pregnancy, and I will continue to pray for you and your family.

Congratulations!
Corie said…
Congrats! What great news!! Praying for you.
Anonymous said…
Congratulations! What wonderful news, and such a gift from God. Praying that HE would surround you with peace during this pregnancy as you continue to trust in HIM.
Sunshine said…
What a praise...I am so happy for you all and for this new chapter in your life! Praise the Lord!!
Sunshine said…
What a praise...I am so happy for you all and for this new chapter in your life! Praise the Lord!!
Christa said…
i loved reading the prayers for deacon, maddox and baby stanfield. Your words are so graceful and inspiring... We are so very happy for your pregnancy and joyfully anticipate the arrival of this child - miss you very much and looking forward to seeing soon! love christa
Erin said…
Congratulations on your new little one. How exciting yet scary at the same time. Trying again after a loss is always a bit scary. We lost our 1st baby Isaac in 2005 and are now expecting our 3rd as well in October. We will keep you and your new baby in our prayers.
Anonymous said…
Kenzie,
Congratulations! We are so happy for you guys! We will continue to keep your family in our prayers.
Blessings, Donna & Denny
Andrea said…
Kenzie-
That is awesome news. Praise God for your answered prayers and the next leg of the journey He has placed you on. Agreeing with you in your prayers for each of your children, and that your family would be flooded with peace along each milestone of this pregnancy, especially as you come up to each test and ultrasound and approach the due date.

To God's glory,
Andrea
Jen in Al said…
Dearest Kenzie, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! So thrilled about your precious little one! what a joyous blessing! I cried reading your prayers for your children! so beautiful... i would love to hear(read:) how the Lord gave you the verses you have claimed for your sweeties! Just incredible! God is sooooo good! Now Maddox is a big brother like Deacon!!! Covering you and yours in prayer, jen in al
Susan said…
PRAISE GOD!!! I'm so excited for you all Kenzie!!

Congratualations♥

"The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad."
--Psalm 126:3
SOOOOOOOO excited, you're pregnant again. That's so awesome. When are you due?

Heather
Anonymous said…
I had to read that a few times to really realize you were expecting again! Kenzie, I am so thrilled for you guys! Hope you are feeling well enough to have made it to beach retreat this week!
Karen said…
I am so excited for you guys!! PTL!!!!!
Aimee said…
Congratulations! I am so so happy for you. I am going to pray for peace for you heart!
John and Joanna said…
Kenzie!
although i have been a faithful follower since before sweet Maddox was born... i have never commented until now.
I cannot tell you how your blog has deepened my walk with Christ and how He has used this journey in my life!! And i am not even anywhere close to your story... i just got married almost a year ago and we don't have any sweet babies. But, your story has been a blessing.
I am so thrilled for you...what a testament for HIS goodness! Your prayers were amazing... your heart is a treasure.

Believing!
Joanna
John and Joanna said…
Kenzie!
although i have been a faithful follower since before sweet Maddox was born... i have never commented until now.
I cannot tell you how your blog has deepened my walk with Christ and how He has used this journey in my life!! And i am not even anywhere close to your story... i just got married almost a year ago and we don't have any sweet babies. But, your story has been a blessing.
I am so thrilled for you...what a testament for HIS goodness! Your prayers were amazing... your heart is a treasure.

Believing!
Joanna
John and Joanna said…
Kenzie!
although i have been a faithful follower since before sweet Maddox was born... i have never commented until now.
I cannot tell you how your blog has deepened my walk with Christ and how He has used this journey in my life!! And i am not even anywhere close to your story... i just got married almost a year ago and we don't have any sweet babies. But, your story has been a blessing.
I am so thrilled for you...what a testament for HIS goodness! Your prayers were amazing... your heart is a treasure.

Believing!
Joanna
Anonymous said…
Kenzie: I have been reading your blog since way before Maddox was born. I feel like I know you! Your sweet precious spirit always comes through in your writing. I am THRILLED for you that a sweet baby is on the way. I look forward to reading about all the blessings the new life brings in your life.

Take care. :)

Karen in TN
Anonymous said…
Kenzie, you are such a wonderful writer. I truly wish you would publish your writings so I could give them as gifts to my girls!

I am so happy and excited for you, yet imagine the added fear that comes with this pregnancy. As always I will continue praying for peace for ALL of you.

I give thanks that God brought me to you as you have helped me in my faith journey. I agree with so many of the comments. I too immediately wished you might still have the pager as the first thing I wanted to do was page you to let you know you are thought of.

May God bless you with joy, and peace the next 6 months and beyond. You deserve to know His peace and love for your faithfulness and witness.

Thank you for the beauty you show the world.

Cathie in Colorado
Jen said…
Hi, just another *stalker* :). Was reading through some blogs/links on friends pages and found yours. I was just glancing at your details of your sweet little son Maddox and saw he was born and was welcomed into heaven on Jan 23/08! Automatically tears filled my eyes as my thoughts went to that very same day as we said goodbye to our little boy Brennan (died of a cord accident at 36 weeks). I read through your beautiful prayers for your children and as I came to the last one who is due in December - again I had tears as we are also expecting Dec 12th! I felt such an automatic connection to you and am looking forward to following your pregnancy...and your loss. Congratulations, thoughts and prayers, Jen
Kirsten said…
Kenzie,

Yeah!!!!! Praise God! I'm thrilled to read that you are pregnant. What a blessing!

I was excited to read about your visit with Kim but this is way better! :o)

Smiles. Smiles. Smiles.

The letters to your children are precious. Thank you for sharing.

Your heart is beautiful!

Blessings,
Kirsten
Anonymous said…
Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you and your family. Your blog has been an encouragement over the last few months. Thank you. May the Lord lavishly bless the sweet baby within and your entire pregnancy. He is good!
Anonymous said…
Congratulations! What a wonderful blessing from the Lord!! Our prayers are with you! - Scott and Michelle Stone
Jen in Al said…
Happy Father's Day, Dusty, Daddy of THREE! Praying for you all, jen in al
Teacher said…
Kenzie tears filled my eyes reading these prayers. How beautiful. I am excited to hear you are expecting. We will keep you in our prayers during this joyful time. Congrats!
Anonymous said…
Kenzie & Family...
I haven't written in a while and I just caught up with your blog. Congratulations! Oh, what a blessing for you and your family. I will pray for you and the baby. That God will put his hand on you both and bring the little one to you and your husband safely in December. My Ben is our second son, born with Down Syndrome. He has been one of the BEST things in our lives. God uses experiences in life to help us grow & help others to know HIM. I will continue to pray for you and baby. God Bless!
{darlene} said…
Hi, I have hopped over to your blog from a link at Blogs for a Cause. I am enjoying reading about your heart and your journey. I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how beautiful I think these prayers are, and that you have inspired me to record prayers down in written word for my children. What a gift!
Darlene
Corie said…
Congrats! I am so excited for you. What a wonderful thing to look forward to you. Praying for peace during this time.
Corie said…
OK, didn't realize I already posted. I guess just thinking about you and your little one alot. Oops! Sorry about that.
Corie said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mandy Farris said…
oh my goodness. I havent checked on you in a while. Congratulations of expecting again. That is awesome. We serve an awesome God!

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