Purpose in Seasons of Pause and in Seasons of Pain

Teaching Children to Pray

Teaching Your Children to Pray | Episode 32 One of the greatest gifts we can give the children God has entrusted to us is teaching them how to pray. In this episode of The Encouragement Well, we're talking about moving beyond memorized prayers and helping our children build a genuine, personal relationship with their Heavenly Father. Together, we'll explore how to make prayer a natural part of everyday life, why children need to know that God hears them too, and how every simple prayer we pray with them is helping build a spiritual foundation that will carry them through the joys, challenges, temptations, and trials they will one day face. Whether you're a mother, grandmother, auntie, godmother, bonus mom, mentor, teacher, or spiritual mother, this episode is an encouragement to faithfully plant seeds of faith that will outlive you. You don't have to be a perfect example. God simply calls you to be a faithful one. If you've ever wondered whether those bedtime prayers, car rides filled with conversations about Jesus, or small moments of faith really matter, this episode is for you. They do. God is using every seed planted in love to prepare the next generation to know Him, trust Him, and run to Him. Join me as we discover how teaching our children to pray isn't simply about raising good kids. It's about raising men and women whose first response is to seek the Lord. Scriptures Referenced:• Matthew 19:14• 2 Timothy 1:7• Deuteronomy 6:6-7• Proverbs 22:6• Ephesians 6:10-18 00:00 Intro 02:44 Our Children Need to Know That God Hears Them Too 03:47 Simple Prayer Rhythms for Everyday Life 05:12 Building a Foundation That Will Outlive Us 06:27 Closing Encouragement  07:16 Prayer 08:31 Outro

Oil, Covering & Consecration: Inviting God Into Your Home

In this episode of The Encouragement Well, we are talking about Oil, Covering & Consecration: Inviting God Into Your Home. Your home is more than a physical space. It is a place where life happens, prayers are whispered, tears are cried, conversations unfold, and the presence of God can be welcomed with intention. In this episode, Rachel shares how prayer, anointing, and consecration can help you set your home apart for God without fear, superstition, or pressure to perform. Together, we look at what oil represents in Scripture, why the oil itself is not magic, and how it serves as a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s presence, healing, cleansing, covering, and power to set apart what belongs to the Lord. Rachel also shares the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4, whose home became a place where she made room for the work and presence of God, even in the middle of deep pain. This episode will walk you through how to see your home as a spiritual space, what anointing is and is not, how consecration is surrender and not superstition, and practical ways to pray through your home with faith. Whether your home feels peaceful, heavy, messy, stretched, or still in process, this conversation is a reminder that your home does not have to be perfect to be covered. Scriptures referenced in this episode include Joshua 24:15, Psalm 91:1-2, Exodus 40:9, James 5:14, 2 Kings 4, Psalm 23:5, Isaiah 61:3, Romans 12:1, Colossians 3:14, Matthew 6:11, Psalm 4:8, Isaiah 54:13, Psalm 139:14, Philippians 4:8, and Revelation 3:20. May this episode encourage you to invite God into every room, every doorway, every conversation, every burden, and every ordinary place where real life happens. 00:00 Intro 03:01 Seeing Your Home as a Spiritual Space 06:36 The Meaning Behind the Oil- What Anointing Is and Is Not 10:34 Consecration as Surrender, not Superstition 13:41 A Practical Way to Pray Through Your Home 15:49 Praying Over the Front Door 16:26 Praying Over the Living Room 17:05 Praying Over the Kitchen 17:40 Praying Over the Bedrooms 18:44 Praying Over the Bathrooms and Mirrors 19:17 Praying Over What You Consume and What You Create 20:06 Repentance as Consecration 21:05 Your Home Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Covered 24:30 Closing Encouragement 26:25 Prayer 28:16 Outro

Cover Them in Prayer: Praying for Family, Friends & the People You Love

In this episode of The Encouragement Well, we are talking about what it means to cover the people we love in prayer without trying to carry what only God can carry. When you love people deeply, it can be hard to watch them struggle, hurt, make difficult choices, or walk through seasons you cannot fix. But intercession reminds us that we are not powerless just because we are not in control. We can bring our families, friends, spouses, children, churches, communities, and loved ones before the Father and trust that He sees what we cannot see, knows what we cannot know, and can reach places our hands never could. Together, we will reflect on the weight of love, the relief of surrender, and the power of standing in the gap through prayer. We will look at what intercession is, what it is not, and how Scripture teaches us to pray with compassion, faith, persistence, and surrender. This episode is a reminder that you can cover them without carrying them, pray for them without controlling them, and release them into the hands of the God who loves them even more than you do. Scriptures referenced include Philippians 1:9-11, Numbers 6:24-26, Colossians 1:9-12, Romans 8:26, Hebrews 7:25, Ephesians 6:12, and 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. 0:00 Intro 03:37 The Weight of Love and the Relief of Surrender 10:30 What It Means to Stand in the Gap 25:30 How Scripture Teaches Us to Pray for Others 29:20 Prayer Categories for Family, Friends, Marriage, Children, and Community 29:35 Interceding for Family 30:25 Interceding for Friends 31:21 Interceding for Marriages 32:28 Interceding for Our Children 33:30 Interceding for the Community 34:40 Closing Encouragement 36:23 Prayer 38:33 Outro

Silence from Heaven: When God Feels Quiet

What do you do when you are praying, waiting, believing, and heaven feels quiet? In this episode of The Encouragement Well, Rachel Haywood leans into the tender and honest place many believers experience but do not always know how to talk about: the silence of God. When you have prayed for the answer, the healing, the breakthrough, the clarity, the door to open, or the burden to lift, it can be painful when nothing seems to change. But silence does not mean absence, and waiting does not mean God has forgotten you. Rooted in Psalm 13, Habakkuk 2:3, and Isaiah 30:18, this episode reminds you that God hears you even when heaven feels silent. Through the stories of Sarah, the woman with the issue of blood, and the widow of Zarephath, you will be encouraged to trust that God is still working in hidden places, still faithful in the waiting, and still able to bring life to what looks lost, delayed, or beyond repair. If you are in a quiet season, this episode is a reminder to keep praying honestly, keep holding onto God’s Word, keep worshiping before the answer, and keep trusting His heart even when you cannot hear Him clearly. Scriptures referenced: Psalm 13, Psalm 62:8, Habakkuk 2:3, Isaiah 30:18, Genesis 18:14, Mark 5:25–34, 1 Kings 17:17–24, Romans 8:26, Romans 8:28 Connect with The Encouragement Well on Instagram and Facebook for continued reflection, Scripture, and honest conversations rooted in faith. 00:00 Intro 01:57 When Heaven Feels Silent 04:41 Silence Doesn't Mean Absence 07:19 Biblical Examples of Waiting and Trusting 16:32 What to Do While You Wait 20:37 God is Still Working, Even When You Can't Hear Him Clearly 23:39 Closing Encouragement  25:45 Prayer 29:12 Outro

Becoming a Prayer Warrior

In this episode of The Encouragement Well, we are talking about what it really means to become a prayer warrior without becoming weary. Prayer is not passive. It is not performance. It is not just something we do when we have run out of options. Prayer is spiritual warfare, and as women of God, we are called to recognize the battle, pray the Word, shift from worry to war, and stand in spiritual authority without trying to stand in God’s place. Together, we’ll talk about how to pray with confidence, build consistency, create a designated prayer space, persist when answers do not come quickly, and surrender enough to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. We’ll also look at women in Scripture like Esther, the persistent widow, and the Canaanite woman, who remind us what it looks like to pray with courage, boldness, humility, and faith. This episode is for the woman who has been carrying what God only asked her to cover. You are not called to be an emotional pack mule. You are called to be a woman who knows how to go to God and stay there. Referenced Scriptures: Ephesians 6:10-18, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 5:8, John 10:10, Esther 4:16, Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 4:16, Luke 10:19, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, James 5:16, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Luke 18:1-8, Matthew 15:21-28 Book Referenced: Fervent by Priscilla Shirer 0:00 Intro 02:22 Recognizing the Spiritual Battle 06:31 Basing Prayers on the Word 10:56 Shifting from Worry to War 15:19  Praying with Authority and Confidence 20:27  Building Consistency, Persistence, Surrender, and Listening 25:53 Closing Encouragement  28:30 Prayer 32:22 Outro