Praying for Our Children, Part 2

April, 2003

by: Brock Bolde

As we continue to look at prayer in regards to our children, I thought that it might be helpful to offer a few Biblical virtues that are worth praying for. The majority of this list was put together by Bob Hostetler with a few tweaks by yours truly, but it is in no way to be considered exhaustive. I do hope, however, that it will give many of you a starting point. As you come to have a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your child, give more attention to those areas that seem to be lacking:

1. Salvation (2 Timothy 2:10) “Lord, help my children to obtain the salvation which is found only in Christ Jesus. Allow them to be partakers of your eternal glory.”
2. Love for God/People (Matthew 22:37-39) “I pray that my children will love You Lord with all of their heart, soul, and mind. May they also have a genuine love for others!”
3. Love for God's Word (Psalm 119:97) “Father, help my children to love Your Word. Help them to know it and to apply it to their lives. May it be the meditation of their hearts all the day long.”
4. Growth in grace (2 Peter 3:18) “I pray that my children would grow in the grace and knowledge of You Lord Jesus. Help them to taste Your goodness and give You the praise You deserve.”
5. Honesty and Integrity (Psalm 25:21) “May integrity and honesty protect my children from the schemes of the wicked.”
6. Self–control (1 Corinthians 9:27) “Lord, help my children to live disciplined lives. May Your Holy Spirit strengthen them so that they might walk in a manner worthy of their calling. Help their lives to be such that their conduct would not disqualify them from witnessing to others.”
7. Justice (Micah 6:8) “I pray that my children would learn to love that which is good and just.”
8. Mercy (Luke 6:36) “Father, You are so merciful. I pray that my children would learn to be imitators of that mercy. Help them to keep short accounts of the wrongs suffered at the hands of others.”
9. Honor/Respect (1 Peter 2:17) “Lord Jesus, grant my children the ability to show honor to everyone just as Your Word says they should.”
10. A Hatred for Sin (Romans 12:9) “I pray that my children would come to recognize, abhor, and flee from sin. May Your Holy Spirit convict them of their sin and help them to reject any and all temptations to do evil.”

In the months to follow, we will take a look at some additional Biblical virtues that you can be praying for your children. By the time we are done, I hope that you will have a fairly substantial list of virtues to lift up to our Heavenly Father. As we hold these virtues up to the Lord, may He allow us all to examine our own lives to insure that our children are seeing these virtues lived out in us!