Parked in our driveway, enjoying the peace accompanying a sleeping child, I was weeping & praying for the families of recently martyred Christians in Turkey. Three year old Grace, still buckled in her safety seat, woke up and quickly asked, “Why are you crying, Mommy?” I simply told her I was praying for other people who were hurting, and asking God to hold them…to heal them. Tenderly, Grace began to pray, asking Jesus to hold and heal.

What a moment for this mission’s hearted mom.  Even before her birth, I prayed for my daughter to have a heart for the harvest. If you are like me, you want God’s very best for your child…every gift cultivated, wisdom in situations, protection and so much more. I’ve found a great tool to help me pray effectively for my daughter.

A praying parent himself, Bob Hostetler developed a parent’s prayer program which assists us in covering all the bases when it comes to covering our children in prayer.  31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids pairs a character trait or fruit of the spirit with a scripture for every day of the month.  Per Mr. Hostetler, feel free to duplicate it — or improve upon it — to help you pray specifically and purposefully for your children to experience and evidence:

1    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).

2    Growth in grace
“I pray that they may ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,’ ” (2 Peter 3:18).

3    Love
“Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to ‘live a life of love,’ through the Spirit who dwells in them,” (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4    Honesty and integrity
“May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection,” (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5    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 Thessalonians 5:6).

6    A love for God’s Word
“May my children grow to find your Word ‘more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb,’ ” (Psalm 19:10).

7    Justice
“God, help my children to love justice as you do and to ‘act justly’ in all they do,” (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

Posted under Children