For the week of: Monday, January 28th 2008

"Pray 'Em Through"

Now that the New Year’s resolutions have had a chance to wilt, I want to urge, encourage, bodily press you into adopting one that keeps for the long haul of ’08 and beyond.

Our children, regardless of age or walk of faith, are targets for satan and they need our momma prayers. Listen dear ones, there may be good friends and sweet relatives who offer up petitions for our kiddos but no one will do it with the momma bear heart we will (you know what I mean, it’s that bare your teeth, bare your claws kind of protection that we feel for our babies, big and small). We have GOT to get serious about spending time every single day on our knees for the sake of our children. God is on the throne and has told us He will hear our cries so let’s believe Him for it and ask big things for our children from a big God with words taken straight from His Word.

My friend, Jo, brought me a card to church a few Sundays ago that she had ordered from a website – www.praymag.com - and since the card is not copyrighted, I am going to share it with you word for word. It lists thirty-one Biblical virtues to pray for your children. A rocket science brain is not required to figure out that this works out nicely to one prayer topic per day each month (you can double up on the last day of months with 30 days). I will share 11 this week and then 10 each the following two weeks.

Let me suggest you take this one step further and let your children know three things:
You absolutely believe in the promise and power of prayer
You have committed to pray for them daily (let them know where your place of prayer is – and if you can hold them there and pray with them when their hearts hurt and knees hurt and fears overwhelm, it will become a place of sweet retreat close to the heart of God)
You are praying these specific things for them (if your children are still at home, I would encourage you to re-word the scriptures so that they can understand them for their age level and pray these out loud over them as each day begins and as each day closes)

And if I can suggest one more thing…these make great memory verses for you. You know, memorizing the Word gets it in there where it can just ooze out when you need it. All you need to do is copy the verse down on a note card and carry it with you for a week, glancing at it and reading it over every time you’re at a stop light, or in the line at the grocery store, or fixing dinner, or taking a bath, or shaving (hey, there may be a dad or grand daddy reading this!), or taking a break from your computer at work. Trust me, if you look at it enough times during a week, you’ll come to know it and you can pray it over and over all day long for your child…a faithful prayer of a believing parent …mmm-hmmm God loves it!

Oh dear, just thought of one more thing…what of you were to sit down with your child and let him get his Bible and you get yours (I realize there are “her” children but we don’t make ‘em in this family so I’ll just be using “he” and “him”) and you look up the scripture each day and highlight it in each Bible and talk about what it means. Then when they act out of their human nature and lie or love less or behavie unkindly, you can take them back to the Word and pray with them for the character of God to be developed in them so they live a life of joy, peace and love. Oh, I like that, I like that a lot.

May you be blessed as you bless your precious ones.

31 Biblical Virtues To Pray For Your Kids – by Bob Hostetler

Salvation – “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10)
Growth in grace – “I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
Love – “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them.” (Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:2)
Honesty and integrity – “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection.” (Psalm 25:21)
Self-control – “Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do.” (1 Thess. 5:6)
Love for God’s Word - (my note: please pray this one every day along with whatever other one you’re supposed to…if they come to love the Word and the One who breathed it, it will be their shield and sword in the battles of life) “May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb.” (Ps. 19:10)
Justice - “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do.” (Ps. 11:7, Micah 6:8)
Mercy – “May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
Respect (for self, others, authority) – “Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands.” (1 Peter 2:17)
Biblical self-esteem – “Help my children develop a strong a self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:10)
Faithfulness “Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts.” (Proverbs 3:3)

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