Children Need Our Prayers
Every day—every single day—my parents
prayed for me. Do you have any idea how comforting that is? If you have or had
parents like that, then you know.
I actually didn’t realize this until I
was grown, but when I did, I was flooded with gratitude. That awareness
triggered great feelings of love—love for them and the receiving of love
from them. Only God knows of the bad things I escaped because of their
prayer covering.
During the last couple years of their
lives, when dementia invaded their minds, it occurred to me that their daily
petitions had probably ceased. Though saddened by that thought, I was confident
their prayers still echoed in the heavens and were easily recalled by our
Heavenly Father.
Have you prayed for your
children (and grandchildren) today?
Here are six reasons we should pray daily for the children in
our lives:
1. It’s our responsibility. Most likely no one
else on the planet will be praying for your child every day. If you’re a
grandparent or concerned adult, although you may not have the responsibilities
of parenting, you can still pray for the children you love.
2. Jesus set the example in praying for children (Matt.
19:13). We have no greater example in all matters than the Lord, Himself.
3. We need to set an example for children. Our
children need to know that prayer is important to us and that we pray for them
daily. Our own example is our chief teaching tool as we instruct children in
spiritual matters.
4. We want our
children to understand their need for salvation and that Jesus is the only way.
Even young children can comprehend this at a level that makes sense to them.
The Holy Spirit knows how to work in each young spirit and can guide us as we
speak.
Growing up in an evangelical church, I knew at a young age, I
needed salvation found only in Jesus. At age nine, I’d been pondering this for
months. I remember mentally listing my sins. Then one Sunday I decided it was
time. I walked forward and extended my hand to Pastor Rushing and gave my heart
to Jesus.
5. There’s a war going on and the lives and souls of our
children are the spoils. In the spiritual realm, warfare is taking
place between God’s angels and Satan’s demons. Rest assured, Satan is real and
wants our children. Jesus warned that he desires to “steal, kill, and destroy”
anyone he can (John 10:10a). That includes you, me, and the children we love.
We can pray with confidence, knowing our Heavenly Father wants
our children too. Jesus continued, “I have come that they may have life, and
that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b NKJV). Our children need to
know these things.
6. Pray for wisdom in parenting. The role as parent
is our most important job. Doing it well pays great dividends. We’d be
hard-pressed to be great parents without divine wisdom and intervention.
Consistency is key and that takes effort. Help from above is necessary.
Regarding His statutes, God spoke through Moses: “You
shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you
shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your
days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them,
like the days of the heavens above the earth.” (Deut. 11:19-21
NKJV).
Parenting is a daily responsibility
that requires daily invoking the help and power from our Creator. God loves our
kids and wants the best for them. Only with God’s help can we do our very best
to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV).
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Here are seven important things to
pray for our children:
1. Pray that, at a young
age, they will realize their need to have a relationship with Jesus and will
believe in and receive Him as Savior and Lord. If your children are already
older it’s not too late. Still pray they will accept this Great Salvation
(Hebrews 2:3-4).
2. Pray they will develop
a keen sense of right and wrong, based on biblical principles and a Christian
worldview.
3. Pray they will love
God’s Word and yearn for its daily encouragement and instruction.
4. Pray they will hunger
and thirst for righteousness which will be reflected in their behavior and
their thought life.
5. Pray they will develop
a strong prayer life that leads them into intimate fellowship with their Creator.
6. Pray they will be tuned
in to the Holy Spirit’s voice leading them day by day. This will help them
avoid such things as being unequally yoked in relationships, especially
marriage (2 Corinthians 6:14).
7. Pray God’s Word over
your children. As you read and study your Bible, when you come across a passage
you would desire for your kids, pray those words over them. Even speak it out
loud, calling out their names to God. When I do this, I sometimes write the
name of a certain child or grandchild next to the verse.
SO—we
need to pray! We need to pray big time—every day—for our children and for
ourselves as parents—grandparents—mentors.
I’ve seen the results of allowing children to
figure out spiritual matters for themselves and it’s often not a pretty sight.
When we sow to the wind, we may reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7a). It’s true that
sometimes they find their way to God without parental involvement. Nonetheless,
from what I’ve observed, the results of sewing to the wind regarding a child’s
spiritual upbringing has reaped the whirlwind indeed.
Examples I’ve witnessed have reaped addiction,
sexual promiscuity and confusion, prison, mental and emotional insecurities,
animosity toward God and parents, spiritual confusion, and all manner of chaos.
So,
let’s pray. Let’s pray every day for our children and grandchildren.
Their eternal destiny may depend on it.
What is your greatest prayer for the children in your
life? Tell God, right now. Release it to Him and take heart in knowing He
hears. Thank Him and worship Him because He loves, He knows, He cares, and He
can work in ways that astound us.
On my
Facebook page, I post a scripture-based prayer for children every day. Each one
is a good springboard for our appeal to God on behalf of the children in our
lives. I’d be honored for you to check it out. See the prayers on Facebook at
this link: https://www.facebook.com/ConnieWohlfordAuthor/.
©Connie Wohlford
2019
