Life was not easy for Susanna Wesley, often referred to as the mother of Methodism. Her health was poor, her marriage to a penniless preacher was deeply dysfunctional, and she lost nine children in infancy and raised 10 more almost single-handedly. Her home was burned down twice, and her husband was imprisoned twice. Despite her challenges, Susanna gave her children six hours of schooling a day, and gave each of them an additional hour every week of undivided attention. 

How on earth did she do all this? How did she survive the loss of nine children, along with the heartbreak of a volatile marriage, without becoming broken and bitter? And how did she manage such a frenetic household while also establishing a Sunday school and educating 10 children, two of whom would rise to the heights of international influence? Prayer.

Susanna Wesley was a woman of prayer. It was as she waited on the Lord each day that her strength was renewed again and again. But it wasn’t easy. There was nowhere at home she could hide to pray, so whenever Susanna wanted time with the Lord, she would pull her apron over her head. This was her prayer room, and her children knew not to disturb her. 

While under her apron, she would pour her heart out to God, mourning her tragedies, interceding for her infuriating husband, and praying for each of her children by name.

That small act shaped history. Two of her sons, John and Charles Wesley, would go on to spark a revival that swept across continents. But it started in a kitchen, with an apron and a woman who carved out space to be with God.