One of the books that greatly encouraged me was Praying the Names of God by Ann Spangler. Let me quote the first sentence of the inside cover of the book:  Mercy, protection, blessing – these are the concrete promises, the gifts that belong to everyone who loves God’s name.  Praying the Names of God will lead you into a fresh experience of God’s love and power.(which it absolutely did for me).  The author covers 26 names and titles of God which served to enlarge my perspective of God’s nature and to focus less on myself and my circumstances.

If you are looking for a devotional that will expand your understanding of God or if you thirst for knowing Him in a deeper way, I would definitely recommend this book.

What really caught my eye about this book was this quote on the back cover:

“Whether your child is three or thirty-three, it’s never too late to discover the joy that comes from being a part of God’s work in your child’s life.”

and this quote too:

“Being a perfect parent doesn’t matter. Being a praying parent does.”

The book tells you more than to just pray, it gives you ideas of things to pray about. It explains the importance of starting to pray for your child’s future mate, even if the child is still young. Some of the topics it includes are: feeling loved and accepted, establishing an eternal future, honoring parents, resisting rebellion, maintaining good family relationships, Godly friends and role models, developing a hunger for the things of God, being the person God created, following the truth, and many, many more.

I just can’t say enough good things about this book. It has changed my prayer life. I have always kept a prayer journal and listed things to pray for and when the prayer was answered I crossed that item out. I now have two pages completely dedicated to my kids and their growth and character.