Prayer For Our Children
I was once given a handout from a friend as we were discussing prayer for our children and this handout has been a huge blessing to me in my prayer life for my kids. There are so many things that we as parents want for our children, but do we remember to PRAY for them on a daily basis. Are they GODLY things that we're praying for? The things on this list are wonderful, but there are a few more things that I always pray for my children (listed at the bottom). I hope that this touches you. I hope that some of you can use this tool in your own prayer life and I pray that this post would be God-honoring.
1. salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10)
2. growth in grace "I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18)
3. love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2)
4. honesty and integrity "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Ps. 25:21)
5. self-control "Father, help my children not to be like many others
around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled
in all they do" (1 Thess. 5:6)
6. love for God's Word "May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than
much pure gold and sweeter tan honey from the comb"
(Ps. 19.10)
7. justice "God, help my children to love justice as You do and act
justly in all they do" (Ps. 1:7, Mic. 6:8)
8. mercy "May my children always be berciful, just as their Father
in Heaven is merciful" (Lk. 6:36)
9. respect (for self, others, authority)
"Father, grant that my children may show proper respect
to everyone, as Your Word commands" (1Pet. 2:17)
10. BIBLICAL self-esteem. "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is
rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10)
I was once given a handout from a friend as we were discussing prayer for our children and this handout has been a huge blessing to me in my prayer life for my kids. There are so many things that we as parents want for our children, but do we remember to PRAY for them on a daily basis. Are they GODLY things that we're praying for? The things on this list are wonderful, but there are a few more things that I always pray for my children (listed at the bottom). I hope that this touches you. I hope that some of you can use this tool in your own prayer life and I pray that this post would be God-honoring.
1. salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10)
2. growth in grace "I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18)
3. love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2)
4. honesty and integrity "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Ps. 25:21)
5. self-control "Father, help my children not to be like many others
around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled
in all they do" (1 Thess. 5:6)
6. love for God's Word "May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than
much pure gold and sweeter tan honey from the comb"
(Ps. 19.10)
7. justice "God, help my children to love justice as You do and act
justly in all they do" (Ps. 1:7, Mic. 6:8)
8. mercy "May my children always be berciful, just as their Father
in Heaven is merciful" (Lk. 6:36)
9. respect (for self, others, authority)
"Father, grant that my children may show proper respect
to everyone, as Your Word commands" (1Pet. 2:17)
10. BIBLICAL self-esteem. "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is
rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10)
* A great book I recommend...Raising Unselfish Children in a Self-Absorbed World
by Jill Rigby. Remember that SELF esteem is to esteem one's self. The Bible teaches the opposite. I don't much like using the actual word "self esteem", but that's what was on the list that I used.
11. faithfulness "Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but
bind these twin virtues around their necks and write
them on the tablet of their hearts" (Prov. 3:3)
12. courage "May my children always be strong and courageous in
their character and in their actions" (Deut. 31:6)
13. purity "Create in them a pure heat, O God, and let that purity
of heart be shown in their actions" (Ps. 51:10)
14. kindness "Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each
other and to everyone else" (1 Thess. 5:15)
15. generosity "Grant that my children may be generous and willing
to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a
firm foundation for the coming age" (1 Tim. 6:18-19)
16. peace-loving"Father, let my children make every effort to do what
lead to peace" (Rom. 14:19)
17. joy "May my children be filled with the joy given by the
Holy Spirit" (I Thess. 1:6)
18. perseverance "Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do,
and help them especially to run with perseverance
the race marked out for them" (Heb. 12:1)
19. humility "God, please cultivate in my children the ability to
show true humility toward all' (Titus 3:2)
20. compassion "Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of
compassion" (Col. 3:12)
21. responsibility "Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for
each one should carry his own load" (Gal. 6:5)
22. contentment "Father, teach my children the secret of being content
in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength" (Phil. 4:12-13)
23. faith "I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's
hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been
promised to them (Luke 17:5-6, Heb. 11:1-40)
24. a servant's heart "God, please help my children develop servants' hearts,
that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were
serving the Lord, not men" (Eph. 6:7)
25. hope "May the God of hope grant that my children may
overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power
of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13)
26. the willingness and ability to work hard "Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'." (Colossians 3:23)
27. a passion for God "Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8)
28. self-discipline "Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair' " (Proverbs 1:3)
29. prayerfulness "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18)
30. gratitude "Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' " (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20)
31. a heart for missions "Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3)
Some other things I pray for my children...
32. That they would Love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
33. That they would teach their children about Jesus and his Word all throughout the day as they are "at home, walking along the road, lying down and getting up". (Deuteronomy 6:7) OR doing laundry, playing outside, finishing up math work, jumping rope with Mommy, doing chores throughout the day, learning to play an instrument, etc.
34. That they would train their children as in Proverbs 22:6. Notice that the verse reads,
"(You) Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
Getting a little into the grammar of this verse,
11. faithfulness "Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but
bind these twin virtues around their necks and write
them on the tablet of their hearts" (Prov. 3:3)
12. courage "May my children always be strong and courageous in
their character and in their actions" (Deut. 31:6)
13. purity "Create in them a pure heat, O God, and let that purity
of heart be shown in their actions" (Ps. 51:10)
14. kindness "Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each
other and to everyone else" (1 Thess. 5:15)
15. generosity "Grant that my children may be generous and willing
to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a
firm foundation for the coming age" (1 Tim. 6:18-19)
16. peace-loving"Father, let my children make every effort to do what
lead to peace" (Rom. 14:19)
17. joy "May my children be filled with the joy given by the
Holy Spirit" (I Thess. 1:6)
18. perseverance "Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do,
and help them especially to run with perseverance
the race marked out for them" (Heb. 12:1)
19. humility "God, please cultivate in my children the ability to
show true humility toward all' (Titus 3:2)
20. compassion "Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of
compassion" (Col. 3:12)
21. responsibility "Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for
each one should carry his own load" (Gal. 6:5)
22. contentment "Father, teach my children the secret of being content
in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength" (Phil. 4:12-13)
23. faith "I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's
hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been
promised to them (Luke 17:5-6, Heb. 11:1-40)
24. a servant's heart "God, please help my children develop servants' hearts,
that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were
serving the Lord, not men" (Eph. 6:7)
25. hope "May the God of hope grant that my children may
overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power
of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13)
26. the willingness and ability to work hard "Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'." (Colossians 3:23)
27. a passion for God "Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8)
28. self-discipline "Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair' " (Proverbs 1:3)
29. prayerfulness "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18)
30. gratitude "Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' " (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20)
31. a heart for missions "Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3)
Some other things I pray for my children...
32. That they would Love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
33. That they would teach their children about Jesus and his Word all throughout the day as they are "at home, walking along the road, lying down and getting up". (Deuteronomy 6:7) OR doing laundry, playing outside, finishing up math work, jumping rope with Mommy, doing chores throughout the day, learning to play an instrument, etc.
34. That they would train their children as in Proverbs 22:6. Notice that the verse reads,
"(You) Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
Getting a little into the grammar of this verse,
(after all, I used to teach English and aw, why not? tee hee)
notice that the subject of the sentence is the understood YOU. Who do you think the understood YOU is aiming at? Your next door neighbor? No. Your great auntie? No. The best friend? No. This verse is meant that the child be brought up and trained by the parents God gave the specific child(ren) to.
Parents, WE are to do the training. I might be stepping on some toes here, but I think this is why it's so important, in fact, Godly, to keep our children with us as much as possible. Shipping children off for 6+ hours a day and then adding on activities until dinnertime isn't what God intended. When does the training happen?
I love Connie's story over at SmockityFrocks.com because her story is almost to the "T" of where I came from. It's amazing how we can be SO concerned about fitting into the "American Mould" that we loose sight of what God's Word says. (Proverbs 1:1-7) Does God really care about how many soccer trophies our kids have? Does He really care about if our child received a 4.1 GPA or a 3.2 GPA? Just food for thought. :) I think this is why I love the person who rewrote the Hilary Clinton quote about it "taking a village to raise a child". Quite honestly, I don't trust a whole village to raise my children that God gave to Rob and I. Do I have good friends/family who occasionally help out in times of need? Yes. They are friends or family that I trust, but are they RAISING my children? NO! There's a big difference.
Another thing to remember about Proverbs (referring to the verse Prov. 22:6) is that is it NOT a book of promises, but a book of suggestions and things to follow. There's no guarantee that our children will turn out perfect, even if we think we're parenting perfect. Just no such thing. They will make mistakes. They will have temptations and sin in their lives just as we do. It is our job to train them and guide them the best we can, seeking God's will, reading his Word and then turning them over to him.
Here's Connie's article in a 3-part series...
Another thing to remember about Proverbs (referring to the verse Prov. 22:6) is that is it NOT a book of promises, but a book of suggestions and things to follow. There's no guarantee that our children will turn out perfect, even if we think we're parenting perfect. Just no such thing. They will make mistakes. They will have temptations and sin in their lives just as we do. It is our job to train them and guide them the best we can, seeking God's will, reading his Word and then turning them over to him.
Here's Connie's article in a 3-part series...
Part I ,
Part II,
Part III.
35. This leads me to my #35 where I pray that our children not conform to this world and feel the pressures of fitting into a certain mould that society says is "proper" or "normal". Define proper or normal. :)
Romans 12: 2 says..."Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
(John 15:19; John 17:14; I John 2:15; James 4:4)
36. I pray that if the Lord has my children marry, that they have a spouse that loves the Lord above all else and loves my child such as I Corinthians 13. I just love this chapter! So pure.
There's so much we want for our children in this world, but even more important what we should want for them in the next world...salvation and a relationship with Jesus Christ, God himself and the Holy Spirit.
Part II,
Part III.
35. This leads me to my #35 where I pray that our children not conform to this world and feel the pressures of fitting into a certain mould that society says is "proper" or "normal". Define proper or normal. :)
Romans 12: 2 says..."Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
(John 15:19; John 17:14; I John 2:15; James 4:4)
36. I pray that if the Lord has my children marry, that they have a spouse that loves the Lord above all else and loves my child such as I Corinthians 13. I just love this chapter! So pure.
There's so much we want for our children in this world, but even more important what we should want for them in the next world...salvation and a relationship with Jesus Christ, God himself and the Holy Spirit.
"Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opprotunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Galations 6:7-10
Keep on prayin' parents!!! Blessings to you all.
Keep on prayin' parents!!! Blessings to you all.
2 comments:
A very wonderful list. I really liked what you said about us parents being in charge of raising our children. I agree 100% with you.
Do you mind if I print this out for my own use? I had seen something like this on line before but I couldn't remember where. Thanks so much.
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