*** I’ve revised this recent post to participate (for the first time!) in Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer. Head over there to check out everyone else’s great ideas! ***
I’ve been trying to do better lately about praying for my kids. My attempts at praying for my kids often lapse into brief prayers like this: “Please Lord, help them to obey. Change their hearts so that they love you with all of their heart from an early age. And please, help them to obey. Please.”
What I’ve been doing recently is using a notebook from two years ago when I studied the book 31 Days Of Prayer For My Child
When I read the book a couple of years ago, I got a small notebook and for each chapter, I summarized what I wanted to pray regarding that topic, an attribute of God that relates to it, and a relevant Scripture passage, usually one of the several referenced by the authors. (This was suggested by the authors, not a brilliant idea of my own.)
For example, on the chapter about Sibling Rivalry, I wrote: “Praying that Christopher and Will would be lifelong friends, not for outward appearances, but for Your glory. God is triune–our perfect model of unity. Romans 15:5-6: May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now that I have all 31 days recorded in my notebook, I can use it each month. I look at the listing for that date and pray about that topic for my kids. If you don’t want to buy the book or feel overwhelmed by the thought, you could simply brainstorm 31 prayer topics, perhaps with Scripture references, and create your own prayer list.
What I love about my notebook is that when I inevitably miss a day, I just keep on going and hope that I don’t miss again on the same date next month! Surely over the course of a few months I’ll get all 31 topics covered with prayer.
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Great idea! I feel like I end up praying the same thing for my kids over and over again when there’s so much more on my heart. I’ll definitely be trying this.
A great vehicle for praying for your kids and their school is Moms In Touch. It’s an international prayer movement that uses scripture to pray for kids. Their web site has a group locator to see if your school is covered. HS moms can form groups, too. If there’s not a group for your school, START ONE! http://www.momsintouch.org
I really like Stormie O’Martian’s book “The Power of a Praying Parent” and all her prayers are scripture-based. It is especially helpful those days when I am at a real loss for words and completely exhausted by my kids that the only thing I can think to pray is “Please make them obey. Please, please, please.”
I can’t wait to ask Jesus how many times He has had to sit before the throne and intercede on my behalf that I would just obey. Oh, wait … maybe I really don’t want to know.
🙂
Oh, thanks for the book recommendation! I have an Amazon Gift Certificate & now I know what I want to use it for!
Abby
Have you read “Praying the Scriptures for your Children” by Jodie Berndt? (you probably know all about it, I just jumped in here via WFMW) It’s a great book, we have just read it in our bible study group.
http://www.amazon.com/Praying-Scriptures-Children-Jodie-Berndt/dp/0310232163
This is something I want to start doing better.
Hey marissa – thank you for the book rec! I ordered through Amazon and have been using it. The Day 1 prayer brought me to tears and confirmed that God was indeed going to use this book mightily in my prayer life. I could have written it word for word about my daughter.
thanks again for the recommendation!
Hope you are well!
Julie