Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 6

Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

(heartily: sincerely, genuinely; without restraint, exuberantly, vigorously)

Father, I pray for my boys, that even now, at twelve and ten years old, you would give them a sincerity of heart in everything they do. May they worship, serve, and obey you with an undivided heart, fully devoted to you. May they be genuine in their relationships, truly caring about others and loving them with Christ's love. May there never be cause for anyone to call them a hypocrite or question their motives in what they do. Please help them to be sincere and genuine in all they do.

I pray also that they would put their very best effort into every task set before them, knowing they are working for you, and you deserve their best. Help them to look at school as an opportunity from you to help develop the minds you have given them and better prepare them for the calling you are placing on their lives. And then help them to respond by working diligently, so they can accomplish more for you. 

I thank you for the gift you have given Stefan on the piano, and I pray for Lukas as he chooses an instrument and begins band next year. Please help them to work to develop their musical gifts in order to use them for your glory. Help them to devote the time needed to practicing and improving their abilities. Thank you for a church that allows them the opportunity to develop their musical abilities in a worship setting, and for leaders who are teaching them that worship is so much more than just playing songs. I pray that they would always have the desire and the ability to use their gifts to worship and glorify you; that their music would be an offering that pleases you, and that they would always give you the glory instead of seeking it for themselves.

Even in the things they do for fun, like baseball, I pray that they would give it their all, and always give you the credit for any special skills or abilities they have. Help them to be good sports, sincerely and genuinely wanting to see other players succeed as well. Please help them to work hard and respect their coaches, setting an example for their teammates, and even the coaches and parents. Give them a joyful spirit even if things aren't going well, committed to doing their best even when they can't control the outcome of the game.

Father, I pray that they would always remember they are serving you, not other people. I pray that their desire would be to serve you and please you, rather than seeking the praise of men. And that the knowledge they are serving you would inspire them to achieve amazing things for you.

I don't know your plan for my boys and for their future. I look at them and wonder how you'll continue to shape and mold them as they grow. I see glimpses of the men they are becoming, and I believe you will do mighty things through them if they will allow you to use them for your glory. Whatever you have as a career path for them, I pray that they would always do their very best and remember they are working for you. May they always follow you and find fulfillment in serving you. And in their relationships, hopefully someday as husbands and fathers, may they be genuine, sincere, and fully committed to putting forth the effort it takes to maintain a healthy relationship. I pray that they would love without restraint and hold nothing back.

Finally, Father, I pray they would know their reward is in heaven. I do pray that you would bless them here on earth, but Lord, more than anything I want them to know this world is not the end; their inheritance is in heaven with Jesus, and that is more than enough. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 5

I took some time off from the blog when my grandpa passed away - not because I stopped praying for my kids, but because I didn't have the energy to blog, and the prayers were simply for enough strength to get through another loss of a loved one. Now I'm ready to take this back up again, so, although not consecutive days, here is Day 5. This is pretty much what I've been praying for the past week, not just for them, but for all of us.

Psalm 73:25-27
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Since that awful day in December when we said goodbye to Dad, all of us have been longing for a better day, when we will be with him in heaven. Now Grandpa is there, too. The list of people we long to see again is growing, and our hearts yearn for heaven more and more with each earthly loss.

Father, may we realize that to be with You in heaven is far greater than the joy of seeing Dad and Grandpa again. May our longing for heaven not just be to see our loved ones again, but to see You face to face. To be allowed to witness Your glory, Your majesty, Your splendor. To fall at Your feet in perfect worship of Your holiness. Father, let our desire to be with those who have gone before pale in comparison to our desire to be with You.

And while we are still here on this earth, help us to place You in the highest position of authority and devotion in our lives. Help us to take no stock in the things of this world, but only in following You and knowing You more. I pray for my children, that as they grow, their greatest desire would not be for financial wealth, power, fame or notoriety, or worldly success, but that they would have servants' hearts, desiring only You and what You have for them. May they be willing to abandon everything in this world for Your sake, oh Lord.

Father, I pray that they would always remember the example of their grandpa, who found strength in You even when his body was failing him. Even when he could no longer physically do so many of the things he loved to do. Even when he felt like he wasn't of much use anymore, he relied on You for the strength he needed and trusted in Your purpose for all he was going through. Thank you for allowing my boys to see that incredible example of his faithfulness to You, and Your faithfulness to him. Help them to never forget it, and to follow their grandpa's example in the times when their own physical strength and abilities are gone. Help them to only trust in You to sustain them.

And Father, when their hearts are broken and they don't know how to carry on, please cause them to look to You for strength. Lift them up in Your loving arms and hold them close. Help them to remember that You will never leave them or forsake them, but You will strengthen their hearts for the things they can't handle on their own. May they never, ever run from You, but only to You in their darkest moments. Be their strength and everything they need. Help them to remain steadfast and fill them with your peace.

Thank you that we never have to go through times of heartache alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 4

Matthew 6:19-21, 33
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

John 10:10b

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Father, in this culture where our children are told they need to have the latest and greatest of everything, I pray that you would help them not to fall into the trap of materialism. I pray that they will not buy into the idea that "things" will make them popular, prosperous, successful, and happy - or that "things" determine their level of worth and success in life. Help them to understand they have infinite worth in your eyes because they are your children, and that "stuff" doesn't matter. And please help that to be enough for them.

Lord, I ask that they would set their hearts on things that are eternal, not the things of this world that fade away and have no eternal value. I pray that they would invest their lives in furthering your kingdom, even if it means making material sacrifices in this life. I pray that they would love and serve you, that they would not withhold anything from you but acknowledge everything they have belongs to you.

I pray that my children's hearts would be set on heaven, and not on things of this world. I ask that you would help them to be content with whatever they have, knowing that those things are gifts from your hand. I pray that they would truly seek you and pursue righteousness rather than temporary pleasure here on earth. And I pray that you would bless them for that.

Please help my children to understand that an abundant life is not a life of accumulated material wealth, but a life filled with Jesus. In His precious name I pray, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 3

Philippians 2:3-5
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I Thessalonians 3:12-13

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Father, I lift my children up to you now, knowing that for the first time in their lives, they are surrounded by non-Christian kids every day in their school. They have an opportunity to be a light in their school, and to radiate the love of Christ to everyone around them. But middle school isn't always an easy place to be, and every day they will be faced with the choice of putting themselves first, or setting their own desires aside in order to do what is best for someone else.

I pray that selfishness would not be what motivates my boys. That they would see in every moment an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else rather than looking for ways to gain something for themselves. I pray that they would not ask, "What's in it for me?" but rather, "How can I help meet someone else's need?"

I ask that you would help my boys to acknowledge their worth does not come from what they own, who they hang out with, or how good they are at certain things. Help them to understand their worth comes from the fact that they are children of God. Only when they understand and accept this truth can they abandon conceit and embrace humility. Allow that to guide their steps and motivate their actions.

Lord, I pray that my kids would speak kindly to others and listen with love and compassion. Give them empathy and a genuine concern for others. Stir their hearts to give of their material possessions, time, effort, and talents in order to make a difference in the lives of the people around them. Even if a task may seem unpleasant at the time, I pray that they would do it willingly in order to help someone in need. I pray that they would be the hands and feet of Jesus, and that others would see Christ in their actions and glorify you as a result.

Father, please cause their love for each other as brothers to grow and fill them. Cause their friendship to deepen as they get older, that they would encourage and challenge each other, laugh and cry together, and be held together with an unbreakable bond. I pray that their love for all others would grow as well; that they would see others through your eyes and begin to love them as you do, Father - fully and without discrimination.

I pray that as love stirs them to action, it would also rid their hearts of any impurity. I ask that their love would keep them from gossip, hurtful words, criticism, spite, unforgiveness, anger, lies, deceit, or malice of any kind. Help them instead to be kind and compassionate, forgiving and loving, giving and caring. Through the love of Jesus Christ dwelling in their hearts, may they be found blameless in your eyes, holy and set apart to be used by you.

May others know they are Christians by their love. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Praying Scripture for My Children: Day 2

I Chronicles 28:9 (David's words to Solomon)
…know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you…

John 10:3b-5
The sheep hear [the shepherd’s] voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

Father, more than anything I want my boys to know you - not just to know about you, but to truly know you. I pray that they would understand that going to church and learning the right rhetoric is not enough; to know and understand your heart and your character they must spend time with you in prayer and in your Word. Please set a fire in their hearts until knowing you is an all-consuming desire, so that every moment of every day they are driven by a passion to know you more.

And as they begin to know you more intimately, I pray that they would be still enough to hear your voice in the midst of life's chaos. I pray that they would know your voice without doubt or question and recognize it when you speak to them. Thank you, Father, that you call them by name. Help them to see what a personal, loving God you are, and that you care enough about them to call them by name.

Oh, God, I pray that my children would serve you wholeheartedly - that they would follow you as the sheep follow the shepherd, trusting you to lead and guide them through life's journey. Thank you that you have promised to lead them and go before them. Please help them to keep their eyes on you, watching and following, listening and discerning your voice. I pray that their gratitude for your sacrifice on the cross would cause them to serve and follow you willingly. That they would know you so well, they would not question, but simply follow.

I pray that when you search their hearts, you would find their plans and thoughts to be pure and upright. Please help them to resist the voices of those who would entice them to wander away from you. Keep them from being led astray by those who would speak lies and lure them away from the Good Shepherd. Help them to flee from those voices, following only yours and listening only to your words of truth.

I pray that they would seek you, day and night, and I ask that they would find you. I don't know what that means for them. Sometimes it's in our darkest moments when we find you. Maybe that's because we are more likely to seek you when we are desperate. My mother's heart does not want them to experience that kind of darkness. I pray it won't take desperation to cause them to seek you. But if it does require a storm, I ask that they would cry out to you and you would show yourself to them, for you have promised to be found by them if they seek you.

Thank you for these promises. I claim them for my children in the name of Jesus, whom they have confessed as their Lord and Savior. It is in his name I ask all these things. Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children: Day 1

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Father, I pray that you would show my children what is good. Please speak to them and reveal to them what pleases you. Give them wisdom to discern what is right and what is wrong. Help them to recognize goodness and focus on it, rather than dwelling on the negatives and allowing that to weigh them down. Please stir their hearts to desire and pursue goodness, and let that motivate their actions as they grow into the men you want them to become.

I ask that you would not only show them what is right, but that you would also help them to do what is right. Convict their hearts and strengthen their resolve to act justly. Give them boldness to speak out against any injustice they may witness, and to defend those who are not able to defend themselves. Remove any prejudice and judgment from their hearts and cause them only to speak the truth in love. Give them courage to stand up for those who need an advocate and a supernatural ability to point out sin that needs to be dealt with in a gentle and loving way. And please help them to always recognize and repent of their own sin first.

Please help my children to be ever mindful of your loving kindness and mercy, which you poured out over them in the blood of Jesus Christ. I pray that in response to that, your kindness would flow out of them to everyone who comes into their lives. Father, please help them to love showing kindness to those around them, so that they are always looking for ways to be a blessing in someone else's life. I pray that they would not keep a record of wrongs, but that a spirit of forgiveness would allow them to show kindness even to those who have wronged them, so that others would see Jesus in them.

Father, I pray that my boys would walk humbly with you all the days of their lives. Help them to see that they have infinite value in your eyes, and that their value is not based on anything they have done or accomplished, but on their identity as your children through their faith in Jesus Christ. Help them to remember that every talent and ability they have is a gift from you, and all the glory is yours. Please help them to make their relationship with you their top priority, spending time seeking you, pouring out their hearts to you, and listening for your voice. May they go through life in step with you and hand in hand with you, Father.

This is my prayer for them: that you would tell them what is good, and that they would do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children: Preface

I don't know if other moms struggle with this, or if I'm just a little strange. I suppose it wouldn't surprise me to find I'm in the minority, since I seem to have plenty of quirks in other areas. But I really don't believe I'm alone in this: I'm having a hard time letting my kids grow up.

The older they get, the more independence they seek - and need, much to my chagrin. Oh, I love the fact that they don't depend on me to do every little thing for them anymore. Yet, there is so much going on in their lives over which I have absolutely no control. And this is a terrifying thing for me.

I find that I am often in prayer for my kids, whether it's an on-my-knees-pouring-my-heart-out prayer, or a simple, "God, please help them with this" as the car door closes and they head toward the school. I pray for health, safety, and happiness. After all, what mother doesn't want those things for her children? I can't bear the thought that they might have to endure pain, suffering, or sadness. Just thinking about them enduring sickness or sadness is a wound to my soul.

Several months ago, Lukas got sick in the night. As I sat in the dark, waiting for him to fall asleep, I simply said to God, "It's so hard watching one of my kids suffer." I immediately felt God stirring in my heart, speaking these words: "I know." And I thought of Jesus hanging on the cross. God's beloved Son. Blameless. Pure. Holy. Enduring the scorn and the shame and the agony of the cross. And God couldn't even comfort him; He had to turn His face away.

I realize that, sometimes, in order for God to refine them into the men He wants them to be, they will have to endure hardships in their lives. Now is the time for them to find their identity in Christ and begin forging the Godly character that I pray will define them in adulthood.

But it won't happen accidentally. They need the support, encouragement, instruction, and example of Godly parents. They need the Godly mentors and teachers they have in their youth group at church. They need the positive influences of other Christian kids who are growing and struggling with the same things in their lives. And they need a mother who is on her knees in  prayer - regularly, faithfully, and praying for a whole lot more than health, safety, and happiness.

For the next several days, I will be praying Scriptures for my kids. I will share each day's Scripture and the prayer that comes from it. These will be my prayers for my kids, based on who they are, what I know they are struggling with, and what my heart's desires are for them. You might pray something completely different for your kids, and that's okay. I just hope this will inspire you to go deeper in your prayers for your kids, if you aren't already doing this. Seeing the trends in our nation and our world, I believe our kids will not have an easy go of it as adults. They need us to start praying these things for them now. Even when they are fully grown and out of the house, I will be my boys' biggest prayer warrior until Jesus returns or the Lord calls me home!