Like most households with young kiddos (or children of any age!), mornings are somewhat hectic and chaotic, no matter how much we have prepared the night before. In spite of this, I have created a daily ritual for myself that helps me set up my day successfully and get me in the right frame of mind. I take a bath. Yep, that’s right, I said it, this busy momma of 3 littles takes a 10-20 minute bath every morning.

See, despite my best intentions, I don’t always get up in time for my quiet time. I love to sit down with my coffee, my journal, and my bible. Those really are the best times. As soon as the kids get up though, quiet time flies out the door! So no matter what, I know that I get some quiet time to myself in my bath. During my bath, I spend the whole time praying. Why not? It’s quiet and the rushing water is very calming and peaceful. It’s a great way to wake up!

During my prayer time, I always pray the Armor of God over myself, my husband, my kids, and my extended family. It takes me about 10 minutes because I’m very intentional to pray about each piece of armor, and then visualize each family member adding each piece on as I pray. I’ve been doing this for years now, and my prayer has changed and grown as my understanding of the Word has improved. I’d like to share my prayer with you, and I’d like to encourage you to start praying the Armor of God over yourself and your family each day too.

First, let’s do a quick review of verses where we learn about the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devilʼs schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I don’t know about you, but I read that passage for years and sure, it made sense, but I didn’t know how to apply it. I’m a very visual person, so one day during my quiet time I started to visualize in my mind putting on each piece of armor. I had a hard time remembering all the pieces though, so I did two things. First, I started praying through what each piece was supposed to accomplish. Second, I did the practical thing and visualized putting the armor on from my head to my toes! Somehow these two things made it click for me, and it’s been my routine ever since!

So, without further ado, here’s my daily prayer. The majority of it is always the same. Not word for word mind you – this isn’t something I memorized. It comes from my heart. With each piece of armor, I pray the same things, just not always in the same order. Hope that makes sense. How about I just type it out and you’ll see what I mean?

I always start out by saying the Our Father prayer. I was raised Catholic so I’ve probably said it a million times in my life, but as my understanding of the bible has improved, I now know the how and why and the feeling behind that prayer. You don’t have to start with the Our Father. I just do, it’s what feels right and feels like a nice lead in.

“Our Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the glory and the power, now and forever.”

Good morning Lord! Thank you for this day. Thank you for a new day of life with you. Thank you for Mike, for Zane, Ellyson and Bannor. Thank you for your provision of our house and our food and all your many blessings. Lord, today I put on your armor.

I put on the Helmet of Salvation. Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross to save me, even though I am a sinner. Thank you Father, for raising Jesus from the dead, for conquering death, and for sitting Jesus at the right hand of your throne and giving him all power, all glory and all honor. Thank you for sending us the Holy Spirit to be our helper. Holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place. I want to hear your voice, I want to partner with you. Please give me guiding thoughts through this day to follow you. (At this point, I pray in my prayer language for just a minute or two. For me, it’s a way to connect deeper and beyond myself.)

Then, with my eyes closed, I literally visualize putting on a big silver Roman helmet. You know the kind, with all the pomp and circumstance on top. And then I visualize putting it on my husband, then each child, then my mom, my aunt, and both my uncles. I visualize putting it on my sister in laws, my mother and father in law, and my husbands’ grandmother. I know – it sounds a bit tedious – but I do it quickly in my mind. The more I’ve done it, the faster I go.

Lord, I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. Thank you for making me righteous. I know I could never do it myself, on my own. Thank you for tearing the veil and letting us have a relationship with you. Thank you for making me righteous so that I can stand before you. Thank you that you want to communicate with us. Thank you that you want to talk to us, for us to hear your voice, and that you want us to talk with you. Thank you that you aren’t some far off God, but that you are here and present with us now. Jesus, Father, and Holy Spirit, right now I want to apologize for all my sins. I apologize for all the ways I may have grieved you with my thoughts, my words, my actions, my inactions. (I also mention anything specific that’s on my heart.) I am so sorry. I repent of my sin. I turn from it and turn to you. I want to be more like Jesus every day. I apologize. Please forgive me. (Then I pause, to allow God to respond. Prayer, after all, is a conversation with God.) Thank you for your forgiveness Lord. Thank you for your new mercies and grace every morning Lord!

At this point, I visualize putting the breastplate on myself and my family members. This isn’t any dinky piece of plastic. It’s a solid piece of metal. I feel the weight of it – not burdensome – just the awareness of the true protection it brings.

“Lord, I put on the Belt of Truth. Lord, Your word is above everything else. Your word is truth. Not what my mind says, not what my emotions say, not what the world says. YOUR word is the truth. Your ways are higher than our ways, your plans are higher than our plans. Thank you Lord that your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I choose to take every thought captive today to the Word of God and make it obedient to Christ. Every thought must line up with the Word of God or I cast it aside and send it to the foot of Jesus, and I replace it with the Truth of God’s word. Holy Spirit, help me to know when my thoughts don’t align with God’s truth. Bubble up in me the verses that I need to hear instead each day. Thank you for your Word God. Your word is truly a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. Thank you that I can always stand on the truth of your Word.

Again, I take the time to visualize putting on the belt for all of us. Have you ever seen the images of what historians believe the belt entailed for a Roman warrior? It’s more than just a piece of leather. It had bronze plates hanging in the front to protect the groin area. It had places to support the warrior’s sword and dagger as well. It’s another solid piece of protection. So I visualize putting on this protective, weapon-laden belt on.

“Lord we fit our feet with the readiness from your gospel of peace. You have equipped us and empowered us with everything we need to accomplish your purposes. You have given me everything I need to fulfill your purpose Lord. I know that your Word doesn’t return void. I know that as long as I follow you and obey your promptings, your will be accomplished. Thank you that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I know that with you, nothing is impossible. I receive your peace God. Thank you for giving me everything I need Lord.”

Now, these shoes are no ordinary shoes. They actually cover the foot and encompass the whole calf and shin. They are meant to strengthen and protect. They don’t just allow a soldier to walk – they protect a soldier’s leg. Another layer of protection, both physically and spiritually. I’ll be honest, at this point, I start going pretty fast with my visualization. With the helmet and the breastplate, I see each person’s face. By the time I’m putting the shoes on everyone, it’s more of a quick placemarker in my mind, versus seeing the actual whole image of each child or family member.

“And last but not least, we take up our sword and our shield. The shield which quenches the fiery arrows of the devil, and the sword which cuts through bone and marrow, soul and intent – the sword that is the Word of God. Thank you Lord. Thank you for equipping us and protecting us with your armor. Amen”

This last visualization is fun, and I do take the time every now and then to really see each person – especially my kids. I see each person with a huge, heavy protective shield in one hand and a strong steady sword in the other. I imagine each of us in an active offensive fighting stance – alert and aware, and ready to defend when the enemy attacks. We all have serious, “game on” faces. We are ready for the day, equipped and protected with our armor on. Make no mistake – there is a daily war that we face. That shield? The bible doesn’t say “if the devil sends arrows” – no, it says “quenches the fiery arrows” – that’s an understanding that they ARE being sent our way. But we need not be fearful. God always provides!

In writing that, it seems like a lot – but it’s such an active prayer, that it doesn’t feel overwhelming to do everyday. Afterwards, I feel like I’ve successfully partnered with God in praying over my family. I still pray over them throughout the day, but I take great comfort in knowing that they are walking around spiritually covered with the Armor of God. As the kids get older, we will teach them how to do this for themselves too. No matter how old the kids get, I envision still doing this daily, and I can’t wait till the day I get to pray it over my grandchildren as well.

Do you have a morning prayer routine? Do you put on the armor of God? I would love to hear how you start your day, and any other ways you incorporate the Armor of God into your life!