Praying For Our Children

I love this article from Titus 2 At the Well. Prayer is so powerful! If we don't pray for our children, who will?

Praying For Our Children

Written on April 13, 2011 by Jenn

Days passed, and I realized I hadn’t been seriously praying for my children. I’d give a little shout out to the Lord about the one who needed help with his attitude, or ask for healing for a sick little one, but I wasn’t spending deep, quality time lifting my children up to the Lord. Life in my home was reflecting my neglect. Angry words and bad attitudes were abundant. Even I had jumped on the cranky bandwagon. Instead of feeling at peace in my home, I was wanting to run at top speed out the front door.
How easily I get caught up in the busyness of life. How easily I fall asleep without praying. How easily I hit snooze 10 times and successfully sleep through my prayer time. How easily I let distraction fill my head when I do take time to commune with God.
No wonder I felt like taking an extended vacation! I had left God in the dust of my life. And in the process my life got very uncomfortable. How like God to bring me to my senses by making my life a bit miserable! I suppose I wouldn’t be as likely to humble myself in prayer, if my days were all rosy and perfect, now would I?
So, with my lesson from God, tucked into my heart I began to think of ways to pray for my children. I needed a step by step process. Something written out. Something I could depend on and follow daily. Without it, well…bits and pieces might fall through the cracks of my mind, and we’d be right back into that uncomfortable place.
I decided to dedicate a whole section in my prayer journal just for my children. I worked out a plan for prayer that I would revise slightly each month.
Step 1: Choose a monthly verse to pray over my children.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen [you, my children] with power through his spirit in your inner being(s), so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love surpasses knowledge…” Ephesians 3:15

I read this over and over, turning it into a prayer as I go along. My goal is to memorize the verses, so that I can pray them easily.
Step 2: Each day of the week has a specific topic:
Monday: Compassion for others
Tuesday: Pure thoughts and motives
Wednesday: Future spouses
Thursday: A deep love for the Lord
Friday: Wisdom
Saturday: A servant’s heart
Sunday: that they will worship and praise the Lord wholeheartedly
Step 3: Write down each child’s name and list specific needs and praises in this area.
The best part about this system is that it is written right out in front of me. I can read right from my page, not dig around in my mind, and subsequently get lost on the topic of how I’m going to get permanent marker off the kitchen table.
Cheri Fuller writes in her book When Mothers Pray, “Prayer isn’t a secondary thing; it’s the most important thing we can do for our children and ourselves, and it will dispense the most blessings. If all that we do as mothers flows out of the fountain of prayer, we will experience grace, joy, and rest in the heart of the Father. It doesn’t mean we won’t have difficulties, but we will be able to face them with more energy and confidence.”

About The Author

Jenn has written 25 articles on this blog.

Jenn is a country girl living the country life with her husband and four children. Her deepest desire is to grow more in love with the Lord each and every day. She yearns to shine with Christ's love for all to see and make a difference in those around her by sharing her heart. Visit Jenn at her blog, A Country Girl's Ramblings.

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