7 Things to Pray for Your Children

By Erin Bird

Last week, in the News & Notes blog, I talked about marriage. So it only seems natural to talk about parenting this week. (If you don't have any children, skip to the postscript.)

I don't know about you, but I find parenting to be incredibly fun, yet incredibly challenging. No one handed me a manual on "How To Raise Your Children So They Don't Terrorize You or The World." I'm thankful for the awesome example my parents gave to me in raising my brother and I, but I still didn't know exactly what I was doing.

But that insecurity led to a good thing. It forced me to pray!

LeAnn has a bookmark in her Bible that she pulls out every once in a while that has 31 Things You Can Pray For Your Children.  Thirty-one items seems like a bit much for a blog post, so I found this article called Seven Things to Pray for Your Children. (I can handle 7 far better than 31!) Here are seven things Jon Bloom, the author's article, shares:

1. That Jesus will call them and no one will hinder them from coming. (Matthew 19:13-15)
2. That they will respond in faith to Jesus’s faithful, persistent call. (2 Peter 3:9)
3. That they will experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will increasingly desire to fulfill the greatest commandments. (Matthew 22:37-39)
4. That they will not be unequally yoked in intimate relationships, especially marriage. (2 Corinthians 6:14)
5. That their thoughts will be pure. (Philippians 4:8)
6. That their hearts will be stirred to give generously. (Exodus 35:29)
7. That when the time is right, they will GO! (Matthew 28:18-20)

Having a Future Focus

As you can see, many of Jon's prayers have to do with your child's future. Future-focused prayers do something powerful in you. They keep your spiritual eyes on the One who holds the future, and yet they help you operate now with an end in mind. Which means you won't just discipline your child in the present because he or she is frustrating you; you will discipline them with the goal of helping them be a Jesus-centered adult some day.

So let me encourage you to pray for your kids. In fact, go ahead and print out this list (or Jon's article) and pray one of these things each day for the next week.

If you want more help as a parent, then consider joining the Wednesday Night Growth Group this summer as they do a video series on parenting called It Starts At Home. If you have questions, feel free to email Joel or Jess.

As a parent, one of the most important things you can do for your children is to pray for them.  A praying parent is truly a powerful influence.

In this with you,
Erin

A postscript to those of you without children:

You are probably thinking the above post doesn't apply to you. And you're right. You don't have any children to pray for.

Or do you?

If you hope to have children some day, why not begin to pray for them in faith? And if you don't plan to ever have kids, why not pray for your nieces and nephews, or the children of the people at Riverwood, or the kids of one of your close friends? I'll even let you pray for mine! If you are part of the Riverwood family, we'd love to have you pray with us, even if you are without children right now.