Praying for our kids
I read a book recently that had a great list of things we could pray for our children and I thought I’d type it up (because I liked it so much). I then thought I’d post it here as well in case anyone else wanted to see it and perhaps use it to prod them to pray as well. Enjoy! Email me if you want a copy emailed to you in MS Word (it would have some formatting I won’t bother to try to duplicate here like italics etc. to make it easier to read and pray through).
–Melanie
Praying for Your Children
(Taken from The Stay-at-Home Mom, Donna Otto, pp. 50-54)
1. Pray that your children will fear the Lord and serve Him: “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name” (Deuteronomy 6:13).
2. Pray that your children will know Christ as Savior early in life: “O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).
3. Pray that your children will hate sin: “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10).
4. Pray that your children will be caught when they’re guilty: “It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Thy statutes” (Psalm 119:71).
5. Pray that your children will have a responsible attitude in all their interpersonal relationships: “Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom” (Daniel 6:3).
6. Pray that your children will respect those in authority over them: “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1).
7. Pray that your children will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong kind: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent . . . . Do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path” (Proverbs 1:10,15).
8. Pray that your children will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one: “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; or what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
9. Pray that your children and their prospective mates will be kept pure until marriage: “Flee immorality . . . . Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (I Corinthians 6:18-20).
10. Pray that your children will learn to submit totally to God and actively resist Satan in all circumstances: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
11. Pray that your children will be single-hearted, willing to be sold out to Jesus: “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
12. Pray that your children will be hedged in so they cannot find their way to wrong people or wrong places, and that wrong people cannot find their way to your children: “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths. And she will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; and she will seek them, but will not find them” (Hosea 2:6-7).
13. Pray that your children will have quick, repentant hearts: “Be Gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:1-3).
14. Pray that your children will honor their parents so all will go well with them: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on earth” (Ephesians 6:1-2).
15. Pray that your children will be teachable and able to take correction: “ And all your sons will be taught of the Lord; and the well-being of your sons will be great” (Isaiah 54:13); “A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke” (Proverbs 13:1).
16. Pray that your children’s lives will bear the fruit of the Spirit: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
17. Pray that your children will live by the Spirit and not gratify their flesh: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
18. Pray that your children will trust in the Lord for direction in their lives, including their occupation: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
