What is Your Prayer for Your Children?
If you as a parent are not praying for your children, then who is?
This occurred to me a few years ago as I thought about my prayer life and my own children. If I am not praying for my own children, then who is? Perhaps one of the greatest gifts that I can give to my children is faithful prayer.
Our children, whether small children or adults, live in a very difficult world. How important and encouraging for mom and dad to lift them up in prayer every single day of their lives.
My two children are now adults. One is married and the other is single. They each live a great distance from Charlotte and me. In some ways, we have little influence over what they
do each day. Yet, we lift them up in prayer each day, believing God will work intimately and powerfully in their lives wherever they are. We believe that God loves them, cares for them, and calls them to live under his rule. It is important that we pray for them.
Question:
What is your prayer for your children?
Good words Jim, thank you. Someone asked me recently what regrets I have at this stage of my life. I told that sister that thankfully, I have now lived long enough to see all three of my children married in the Lord and raising their children to serve God. They’re all college grads and involved in doing what they enjoy. Both of my daughters are stay-at-home moms but heavily involved in ministry to others. I no longer have any real regrets, only blessings to praise my Father for.
Rosie and I began praying for each of our children the same day they were born. We prayed for the parents of whoever was raising the mates our children would grow up to marry. I could never have designed more perfect mates for all three of them. God did it in His own way. Hallelujah!
Now, we are praying for our 7 grandchildren in the same way.
Thank you for writing this blog. I truly am blessed by your thoughts.
ks
Kent,
So good to hear from you. Good for all of us to hear from someone who now has 7 grandchildren and can look back at the many years of faithful prayer. Now you continue to pray for these grandchildren. This is a good reminder that prayer really is a life discipline, a life-long gift to our children and grandchildren. So good to hear from you, Kent. Thank you for your kind words regarding the blog.
Thanks for this post. That is one potent question you ask. Most of all, my prayer for my children is that in this culture of false gospel that God allow my children to be able to not only stay faithful to Him but be able to properly discern the teachings they are certain to be exposed to. Is it bad that I worry more about what they may hear in the church than out?
Dave, thanks very much. If I hear you, you simply want your children to hear truth and reality from God. So important if they are to learn to be a people who live authentic and true lives before God.
Every evening when my children were little I would pray over them the blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you…” then I would end with almost this same prayer: “Give them peaceful sleep in your arms tonight. Let them wake refreshed in the morning. Let them grow in you care to become servants of you in whatever way you see best.If they marry, please bless these young men right now and help them develop into your servants.” This has always been my prayer for my daughters and this is anything but rote. It will remain my prayer (with certain alterations if and when they marry). It seems simple and rather generic, but I cannot for the life of me think of a better way to express my heart’s desire for my children.
Darryl,
This is a beautiful prayer that you prayed over your children. They are fortunate to have a father who would pray for them like this.
I would also add, that even now my youngest daughter who is a sophomore in High School (my oldest lives in another town) will say: “Daddy? Before I go to sleep will you bless me tonight?” It is a request I am always honored to fill.
During the past chaotic year, my husband…father of my boys, passed away. I constantly pray that my sons grow into happy, healthy, productive, responsible, Christ-following young men. I also pray for mentors to come into their lives to help in the areas where Mom just isn’t enough. I pray for their peace of mind and their safety. Always.
Dear —–,
What a year you’ve had. I am so sorry. The death of your husband and the father of your boys. This must be a very tender time. As I read your note, I stopped and began praying for you and all that you must have experienced over the year. As I read your prayer for your boys, I also echoed that prayer on their behalf your boys. I’m honored that you would share this prayer with all of us.
I rountinely pray over my 3 children, ages 9,6, and 8 months. Until about 2 years ago, I alone prayed for them at bedtime. I now ask them to pray and am blessed to be in the presence of some of the most precious, honest, sometimes humorous, and real prayers I have ever experienced…and I have a true peace knowing that that in “teaching” them to pray rather than just me “saying” the word, they are learning to have conversations with the Father who will always be there and have full access to the power of God.
Mark, what a wonderful, sacred moment that you are experiencing with your children each evening. We did something very similar when are children were growing up. Years later I am so glad we did this.
That they make good decisions each day that will honor God. Since we work with our son in a family business, we have opportunities to pray with him. Our daughter lives about 85 miles away and works full time while attending graduate school in the evenings. Neither is more than a prayer away from us. I also pray that God will bring into our children’s lives friends that will encourage them in their walk of faith.
That they will marry well.