Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 11

I originally had fourteen days worth of Scriptures picked out for this blog. As it turns out, some of them went together so nicely that I combined them, so I've only ended up with eleven days of blogging my prayers. I don't know where I'll go from here, whether I'll look for more Scriptures or pray the same ones again. I am trusting that as I continue to read God's Word, the prayers for my kids will flow out of what I hear God speaking to me each day. Thanks for taking the time to read these prayers. Here is Day 11.

Thessalonians 5:17-18
Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Father, I ask that you would make my boys prayer warriors who are in constant communication with You. I pray that they would be mindful of You every moment of every day, and that speaking with You would be as natural to them as speaking to their dad and me is.

Lord, I pray that You would grant them a special ability to give thanks in all circumstances - to acknowledge every blessing in their lives and to recognize You as the source of those blessings, always giving You thanks. And not only when times are good, but also when times are hard. I ask that they would be able to see Your purpose behind every difficult circumstance and give You thanks, not because they are immune to the sadness and strife life can bring, but because they are resting in Your goodness and Your faithfulness to them.

Please help them not to struggle with fear and anxiety, Lord. I know firsthand what a struggle this can be, and I just ask that You would help them to overcome this tendency to worry about things incessantly. Help them instead to bring their fears, worries, and needs to You, placing them all in Your hands and leaving them there. I pray that they would know such intimacy with You that they will cry out to You in their time of need. I pray that they would not be afraid to ask You for miracles, and that they would never doubt Your ability to do the impossible - all the while remembering and thanking You for what You have already done in their lives.

Father, I pray that You would fill them with Your peace even through their most trying times in life. That Your peace would carry them through those moments, with utter confidence in You even when it doesn't make sense to our limited human minds. That Your peace would permeate and safeguard their hearts, strengthening their devotion to You. And that Your peace would protect their minds from entertaining doubts, accusations, and lies from the evil one who wants to turn them away from You.

Please use the prayers of my children to accomplish great things here on Earth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 10

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Ephesians 6:4

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Colossians 3:21

Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Father, we are doing our best to train up our children in the way they should go.  Thank You for the guidance and direction You have given us over the past thirteen years. Thank You that both of our boys have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. They are such good boys, and I thank You that I see in them a genuine love for You and desire to serve You.

I ask that You would continue to guide and direct us as parents, and that You would also give the boys a clear understanding of what it means to love and serve You. Help them to love You with all their hearts, souls, and minds. I pray that nothing would be able to sway them from that, so that even when they are old it can be said of them that they have loved and served You all their lives.

Father, I pray that the things they have learned and continue to learn about You will be always on their hearts. I pray that they will spend enough time in Your Word to know what You have commanded, and that they would hide Your Word in their hearts.

Lord, I pray that one day You would bless them with children of their own, and that You would help them to be wonderful, Godly fathers to their children. Please help them to teach their children about You, about grace, about the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His glorious resurrection. Help them to teach their children what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ and follow him wholeheartedly, and to exemplify that in their own lives.

I pray that they would teach their children the things You have commanded in Your Word, and that those conversations would be part of each and every day, as they experience life together. Please help them to be highly involved in their kids' lives, showing interest, engaging them in conversations, and spending time with them. Guide and direct their conversations and give them wisdom as they talk to their kids about You and how You would have them respond to different circumstances in their lives. I pray that You would be a natural part of their conversations at home and when they are out in the world, when they tuck their children into bed each night and wake them up in the morning.

In their role as father, please help my boys to show their children the kind of loving Father You are. Help them to be quick to listen and slow to speak, quick to forgive and slow to become angry. I pray that they would not do anything that will create a spirit of animosity between their children and them, or stir up anger and bitterness, but that they would maintain a strong and loving relationship with their children as they grow up. I also pray that they would be a constant source of encouragement to their kids, rather than discouragement. Help them to focus on the good rather than criticizing them. Help them to strengthen and build their children up, and never tear them down. And please help their children to come to know You as a result of what they see in their father.

Lord, I love my kids so much, and I want so much for them. I can teach them a lot, but I cannot teach them how to be fathers. Their dad is a great example to them, but, ultimately, their guidance and wisdom as fathers must come from You. Even now, please begin to mold and shape them into the Godly men and fathers you want them to be. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 9

Ephesians 5:25-28
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Father, I pray that, even now, You would prepare my sons' hearts to love their wives with a deep and enduring love, unlike any love they have ever known. I don't know who she is right now, but I believe You do. I don't know when and where You plan for them to meet, but I ask that You would bring a godly young woman into each of their lives. And when You do, please fill them with a love that goes beyond mere feelings to something far greater. Strengthen my sons and their future wives to maintain their purity before they are married, and to guard their hearts and remain always faithful to each other after they say, "I do."

Yes, there will be times when they are overwhelmed by feelings for their wives. In those moments, help them to be grateful for the precious gift a wife is to a man. But not just in those moments, Lord. I pray that they would never take their wives for granted, but treasure them above all earthly things. Even when she does something frustrating, annoying, or even hurtful. There are bound to be times when they hurt each other or let each other down. After all, they are both human. Please make them quick to forgive, and please help my boys understand that to love a wife the way You designed means being willing to give themselves up for her. Sacrificing their own needs and desires for her. Denying themselves in order to protect, strengthen, encourage, help, and build her up. 

If ever I want to see my boys give themselves wholly to someone, it is first to You, and then to their wives. Help them to make their wives and their marriages second priority only to You, and to devote their time and energy into strengthening their marriages and making their wives feel adored. Help them to get to know her intimately, to spend time learning and studying her character, her personality, her past experiences, her hopes and dreams. I pray that they would celebrate her strengths and be strong where she is weak. And I pray that, in turn, their wives would love, support, and encourage them as they journey through life together.

I ask that You would help my boys see the incredible responsibility they bear for their wives. Christ shed his own blood in order to cleanse his bride, the church. If this is the example my boys are to follow, then they must be ready to give everything for the spiritual wellbeing of their wives. I pray, first of all, that they would only choose to marry a woman who has accepted Christ as her Savior, and who is fully devoted to Jesus Christ. I pray, second, that You would make my boys strong spiritual leaders in their homes. 

I know they cannot cleanse or purify their wives; only the blood of Christ can make them blameless and holy. I just ask that they would never do anything that would cause their wives to sin or draw them away from You in any way, but that their wives' relationship with You would be of utmost importance to them. Make them prayer warriors, spending time on their knees praying for their wives, and encouraging them in their walk with You. And please help their wives to respect them and submit to them as spiritual leaders in their homes. 

I pray that my boys and their wives would seek after You with all their hearts. Make them like minded, with the common goal of following and glorifying You in all they do. Help them to love their wives selflessly, and help their wives to respond with that same kind of love for them. Father, I pray that you would bless them with a happy marriage, and that their wives would truly be their best friends. Please help them to care for their wives with as much diligence and attention to detail as they take care of their own bodies. I pray that they would never be manipulative or motivated by personal gain, but that they would recognize that loving their wives in the way You have instructed brings about rewards. 

Please help them to love their wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 8

Ephesians 3:14-19
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Father, I bow before You, knowing I am not worthy to approach the Throne of Grace except by the blood of Jesus Christ that covers me. Thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which makes it possible for me to be called Your child and You my Father. 

You alone are worthy of all praise and adoration, and Your heaven is magnificent in all its riches. Father, I ask that out of all the riches of the splendor of heaven you would give my children strength. I do not ask for gold, silver, or earthly riches. I know You have a plan and a purpose for each of their lives, and I ask that You would strengthen them for whatever plans You have laid out for them. Uphold them through the storms and trials that come their way and sustain them with the understanding that You are good, and Your way is perfect. Fill them with the power of the Holy Spirit, that they would boldly stand for You in the midst of a world that seems to be turning away from You. Give them power to proclaim Your Name, conquer the enemy, and do the impossible in the name of Jesus Christ. Oh, Father, this is what I want for my children so desperately.

Thank you that they have both accepted Christ as their personal Savior and that, through their faith in You, Christ has come to dwell within their hearts. May this always set them apart, holy unto You. Help them to remember that the same Christ who rose from the grave and conquered death lives within them! May they never forget He is the source of their strength, and it does not come from their own efforts.

I pray that love would be what anchors them. That it would be the motivation for everything they do. That they would wake up each morning saying, "How can I show the love of Christ to someone today?" I pray that they would be so rooted in love that it would define and characterize them as a natural part of who they are. I pray that others truly would know they are Christians by their love.

Father, I ask that You would give them a supernatural understanding of Your love for them. Help them to see that Your love has no limits; it cannot be measured because its width and length and height and depth are infinite. Nothing can separate them from Your love or change the love You have for them. Help them to know that love, which is really beyond all human understanding. In Your goodness, open their eyes and reveal Your love to them. Cause them to grasp just how relentless Your love is. And help them to respond with a relentless love and pursuit of You.

And, Lord, I ask that You would empty them of all selfishness, pride, self-reliance, and earthly desires, so that they can be filled with You. Fill them until there is no room for anything else. They are Yours. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Praying Scripture for my Children, Day 7

Galatians 5:16-24

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Father, I pray that my boys would be so closely in step with Your Spirit that they would live righteous and upright lives, able to resist temptation and not give in to the desires of the flesh. Please help them to follow You so entirely that their desires would not be those of our sinful human nature, but those of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Lead them by Your Spirit and let their good deeds flow out of gratitude for Your grace, not an attempt to earn Your favor by doing good deeds.

Please help them to resist the sexual temptation that is sure to come their way as they become teenagers and adults. Strengthen their resolve to wait for the woman You have for them, and help them to remain pure. Please don't let them fall into the trap of pornography, but to keep their eyes and hearts pure. I pray that, if it is Your will for them to marry, they would be faithful and committed to their wives.

I pray that nothing in their lives would ever take the place of You, or be given a higher priority than their relationship with You. I pray that You would always be the sole object of their worship and adoration.

I ask that hatred or feelings of ill will toward others would be foreign concepts to them, that they would not even know those kinds of feelings. I pray that they would not be in conflict with others or have argumentative spirits, but that the love of Christ would flow out of them into the lives of others. Please help them not to be jealous or envious of others, but to be grateful for the many blessings You have poured out upon them and to be genuinely happy for others who have been blessed. Please help them not to respond to difficult situations with anger or judgment that would cause division between them and another person.

Father, I pray that they would never get drunk or experiment with any kind of drugs. Please give them the strength and determination to resist peer pressure that might come their way. I know they understand the dangers of these things and want to stay away from them. Please keep that desire in the forefront of their minds and help them to remain steadfast.

Lord, I know they want to be good kids and grow to be godly men. I see this desire in them and I love that. Please don't let the flesh keep them from doing the good they want to do. Help them to be led by the Spirit in all things, so that what is evident in their lives is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Thank you that they belong to Jesus Christ, and that the passions and desires of the flesh have been crucified with Him. Please help them always to remember that. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.