Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Desperate Prayer: How Parenting Drives Us to Our Knees
Read Chapter 4 of Sacred Parenting by Gary L. Thomas.
Previewing Week 5 of Sacred Parenting
Read 3 of 6 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
If there is one thing parenting does reliably, it is this: it shows us how little control we actually have — and in doing so, it drives us to prayer in ways that nothing else quite manages.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Thomas argues that parenting is one of the most effective prayer schools God has designed. Looking at your own prayer life, do you find that to be true? Has your prayer become more desperate, more frequent, or more honest since becoming a parent?
2.He describes the experience of praying for a child in crisis — sick, struggling, or in danger — as a uniquely stripping form of prayer that removes all pretense. Can you recall a moment when parenting drove you to exactly that kind of raw, honest prayer? What was it like?
3.Thomas notes that many adults pray casually about themselves but pray desperately about their children. What does that contrast reveal about where we actually place our trust — and our sense of control?
a.Why might it be easier to trust God with ourselves than with our children?
b.What would it look like to pray for yourself with the same urgency you pray for your child?