What it is and how I got involved

Wake up Deborah: Mothers on their knees, children standing.

God has dreams and wants us to fulfill them. God raises people in whose hearts He imprints His dreams. This project of mothers who pray daily for their children for 15 minutes was born in the heart of God and has swept Brazil. Over 65,000 women in Brazil and a total of over 80,000 all over the world are now “Deborahs.”

Wake Up Deborah is a PRAYER INITIATIVE, a call for women to CRY OUT TO GOD to raise up an army of young people full of ZEAL and PASSION for God, warriors with a heart for MISSION and EVANGELISM. The vision is to unite women who have a desire to intercede for this current generation of young people.

Who was Deborah? In Judges 5:7, Deborah arose as a mother for Israel and cried out as a self-challenge: “wake up Deborah, wake up!” And that is our charge: ‘wake up’ and pray for your children: biological, adopted or spiritual.

Any woman who pledges to pray 15 minutes daily for her children (can be in segments of 5 minutes too) and signs up is a “Deborah”. I realize many mothers have done that for years without a ‘title’. There are many Deborahs all over the world. This is presently a way to organize and encourage us. The idea here is to pray: (1) for our children, (2) the youth of our country and (3) to raise mission minded young people who will impact the world for Christ.

I was challenged by the project. I got out of my comfort zone, and called the women who live in the neighborhood I did. I usually have no problems speaking to hundreds of women in conferences or teaching a Bible class, but to get on the phone and talk to people I don’t know, that is out of my comfort zone. But, I did. I called nine women, saying, “this is Laura, you don’t know me, but  I’m having a meeting here in our home for mothers whose children will be taking the college entrance exams. Would you like to come?” To my amazement, they all came. I didn’t know one of them. We met for three years until we moved. A few months into it, a non-Christian lady knocked on my door and asked, “Is this the place here where we pray for our children?” I said yes, come on in! We became close friends and yet today we pray for each other's children.

I have not met a mother yet, Christian or not, who does not feel the need to intercede for her children. Wake-up Deborah. It’s our turn. It’s our time.