7 Things to Pray for Your Child

For years my husband had morning duty with the girls. My work schedule required me to often leave before the sun would rise and the girls and my husband started their days hours later.

Although I tried to prepare the girls the night before with what they wore and their hair styles, there were many mornings when it was left up to my husband to figure it out. He did a pretty good job -they are still here – but there were some days that when I picked them up from school, I wondered if they belonged to anyone, much less me! But they were happy, and that’s all that mattered!

There are no guarantees when it comes to parenting. We do our best and leave the rest to God. With that being said, we need to pray for our children – and not just blessings. We need to pray intentionally and with specifics for each child.

Here is a list of 7 specific things to pray over your child – TODAY.

Pray for their JOY

Notice I didn’t say happiness. We would do anything to make our child happy, but nothing we can do can give them joy.

In Nehemiah 8, Ezra encourages the people and reminds them that “the joy of the Lord is their strength…”

Miriam Webster’s Online Dictionary defines joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. Only God can give them that joy. Don’t pray a happy life for your child, pray a life of joy for your child. Joy will get them through the good times and the hard times.

Pray for their friends and frenemies

When my oldest daughter started middle school, I specifically asked God to send her the right friends. She is a social butterfly and loves love! I wanted God to put the right friends in her life.

I will never forget how she ran into my classroom at the end of the first day of school laughing and giggling with another little girl. I was skeptical because it was the first day of school – how did she have a friend already?? God immediately scolded my thoughts and reminded me of my prayer and to trust Him. Three years later, this young lady has proven to be a wonderful -God sent- BFF for my daughter!

Throughout those three years, she also had her share of frenemies – all children will! Pray and ask God to give your child the courage to love their frenemies and wisdom to know the difference!

Pray for their teachers and mentors

Although we would love to hold our children in our arms forever, we will have to release them to the world!

Pray and ask God to place the right people in their lives, particularly teachers and mentors. There will come a day that your child will not want to tell you the specifics of every situation in their life. Ask God to open the ear and heart of the teacher and/or mentor that will guide them and not harm them.

Pray for their endurance

When my daughter first started track, she did not like to run the 400. She hated going ‘all the way around’ at full speed. I knew it was in her to do the 400 and even longer, so we went to work on her endurance. She practiced her pace and she began to pick up her endurance for the dash. By the end of her first season, the 400 was her #1 event and she ended up one slot away from the Junior Olympics.

Kids will want to quit – grown-ups too! Ask God to show your child how to pace and endure during things they want to give up on.

Pray for their humility

After 20 years of teaching, I can say that it wasn’t the misbehaving child that got under my skin. I rose for the challenge of getting the misbehaved to behave in my classroom.

It was the arrogant, cocky, know-it-all kid that I had a hard time dealing with. As a choir teacher, I ran into my share. I once had a poster made that read:

Beyoncé and Justin Beiber did NOT register for Chorus this year… so check your egos at the door and let’s make beautiful music TOGETHER.

This world shuns humility and glorifies pride. No one wants a stranger on the street or the justice system to “humble” your child, so ask God to give your child the humility to carve vainglorious, exasperating, and self-destructive behavior.

Pray for their confidence

I used to take pride in dressing the girls for church on Sunday mornings! Back in the day, before they had an opinion about what they wore, I dressed them in the cutest and fluffiest dresses with matching bows and lace socks. They were my baby dolls and I loved to play dress-up with them. Every parent wants their child to look their best, but nothing is more unattractive than a person with no confidence.

When children take their first steps, we encourage them and cheer them on. Somewhere between 11 months and 11th grade, our influence on our children lessens, but it never disappears. Continue to encourage your child and guide them through scripture that outlines who they are in Christ. Pray and ask God to show you how to inspire confidence in them and balance it with humility.

Here is a link with more information on building your child’s confidence:

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/developing-healthy-self-esteem-in-children/

Pray for their spiritual relationship with God

It would be nice if we could pray our kids into heaven, but we can’t. Each person must have their own relationship. Pray for your child’s personal relationship with God. You remember your story of how God became an important aspect in your life, tell them that story and pray for theirs. Ask God to show your child who He is in His own special way so that they will have their own personal story.

There are so many more things we can pray for our children. This list is just a start. Discipline yourself to pray for your child every day. Be an example. Let them see you pray for them

Little POW-wow, Pearls of Wisdom

This list is just a beginning. What are other ways you can pray for your child?
Talk to your child and see if they have a prayer request. Let them know that you will pray for them. That prayer request can open a window of opportunities for future conversations and connections.
Write out some of your prayers for your children. 75 years from now, they can look at those prayers and see how God is faithful to all generations.

Tune My Heart…

When my girls were young, I had little tolerance for kiddie music. Some mommies could listen to a seemingly infinite playlist of songs made for kids – I couldn’t.

I was VERY picky with what we played in the house and the car. I needed real music for my sanity.

Maranatha! A Capella Kids was one of my FAVORITE compromises! Their harmonic voices compare to Take 6 and Pentatonix.

“As the Deer” is the prayer I have for my children. Based on the text found in Psalm 42, my prayer is that my girls long to worship God, just as the deer pants for water. Enjoy!