Recently I came across a book that I absolutely love. It’s entitled “Praying the Scriptures for Your Children” by Jodie Berndt. It is a wonderful resource for really learning how to pray for your child specifically.

I believe that there is “plain English” and then there’s “churchy English”. This is written in plain English and is so quick to read. Each chapter is based on a certain topic that you pray for your child. Examples are Praying for Your Child’s Faith, Praying for Your Child’s Future, etc. Then each of those topics are broken down again into more specific things like Salvation or Spiritual Protection or Wisdom. At the end of each chapter, there are prayers and scripture references that you can use when praying for your child. It’s so helpful and is a really valuable tool.

TODAY – PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD

Each child in this world is different. It only takes the birth of your second child to become ever so aware of that. The older my kids get and the more each personality emerges, the more I sense that I need to pray for them specifically based on their individual gifts and talents, and based on where they are at that point in their development.

I’d challenge you to make a list of specific things that your child needs you to lift up for them. For example, my son, Avery, is touching the edge of coming into the Tween scene. He knows what’s cool and what’s not, yet he really likes and enjoys some things that aren’t considered cool by the bigger kids. (i.e. Playhouse Disney) I’m praying for him to be able to enjoy the things he loves without worrying about what others might think.

I won’t be listing the prayers for each specific child on my site, but here are some that things that I’ll pray for pertaining to both children.

I’m praying

• For my children to be able to light someone’s day each day of school
• For my children to love the concepts that they are learning this year and be able to absorb them and use them in context
• For my children to begin to learn organizational and time management skills that will serve them for the rest of their life
• For my children to be respectful to everyone – child or adult – and learn why that is important
• For my children to have fun being kids and enjoy all of the cool things that come with being a first-grader and a kindergartener
• For my children to know that they are loved unconditionally and that their home is a safe place where they can talk to us about anything that they hear or see at school

What prayers do you have for your child this year? Share them and let’s pray together for our kids!

Tomorrow … Praying for Your Child’s Friends