Parents And Prayer: Part Two: “What Should We Pray For Our Children?”

Parents And Prayer:  Part Two: “What Should We Pray For Our Children?”

You know God wants you to pray for your children, but what should you pray for them?  A better question might be, “What should you NOT pray for when it comes to your children?”  Here’s why.  God tells us in Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  …Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  So whatever challenges your children are facing, whatever struggles you are having raising them, whatever happens during any given day that weighs on your mind or heart- pray about it!  Entrust your children to their all-powerful, flawlessly wise, and devoted Heavenly Father.

And here are a few specific suggestions.  The apostle Paul was not a father, but the young minister Timothy was a like a son to him.  Paul said he constantly remembered him in his prayers, day and night. (2 Timothy 1:3)  If he told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” I think it’s safe to say he also prayed that God would keep Timothy strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  The devil and this world will always try hard to deceptively lure us or forcefully push us away from Jesus and the comfort and security of his saving grace.  It’s good to pray that God keep our sons and daughters safe and strong in his grace in Christ Jesus.

This is what David prayed for his son Solomon: “And give my son Solomon wholehearted devotion to keep your commandments, requirements and decrees…”(1 Chronicles 29:19)  We want our children to be more than well-mannered and well-behaved. We want them to be more than good neighbors and responsible citizens.  We want them to glorify the God who is their Savior with a life of faith and faithfulness.  We want people to see by their professions of faith and their lives of love that they belong to Jesus.  That’s another good thing to pray for when we pray for our kids.

Ezra, a Jewish priest, was about to lead a large number of exiled Israelites back to Israel from the land of their exile, Babylon.  Listen to what he prayed before they all left: “There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.” (Ezra 8:21)  We can join Ezra in praying that God keep our children safe in their faith in Jesus until he brings them safely through this journey of life to their home in heaven.

You may have noticed that the focus is on praying for the spiritual needs of your children especially, for their faith in Jesus is the greatest gift they have from God.

There is one final suggestion that I just ran across online, and I think it is a great one.  When you are reading your Bible, use what you read as the basis of a prayer for your children (or yourself as a parent).  For example, if you read Philippians 1, you could be prompted to pray that God help you to fervently pray for your children, that God carry the work he began at our kids’ baptism to completion when he takes them to heaven, that God helps us to love our children with as much affection as Jesus has for them, and that God enables our children’s faith and love to grow, as well as their ability to discern right from wrong so they can live for Jesus’ glory.  Why not read and pray through 10-15 verses of Philippians a day this week?