Praying for our Children

I don’t think there’s any greater responsibility that we have as parents than praying for our children. In the end, it’s not really going to matter what type of diapers we used, toys we bought, or food we made (okay, well maybe the food is a little closer to mattering since our bodies are a temple that the Holy Spirit lives in!). But, if our children grow up and don’t know the Lord, what will we have? Or, if they know the Lord but don’t live to serve Him completely . . . they’d have heaven but what would they have in this life?!

What an awesome responsibility we've been given to bring up our children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Not only are we to teach our little ones about the Lord, we’re to pray for them. I love what John Piper has to say about prayer in Let the Nations Be Glad!:

“Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth . . . It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den.”

If we don’t pray for our children, who will? And, even for those who are blessed to have extended family and friends who are prayer warriors, who is going to spend the time, day in and day out, diligently praying for our little blessings? Lamentations 2:19 says “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children.” It is our privilege and responsibility as parents to be on our knees for our children.

I definitely would not consider myself a “prayer warrior.” Though I want to be, my “self” and the busyness of life gets in the way so many, many days. I do try to spend my time jogging each morning praying. As I go throughout my day I try to have a spirit of praise and thankfulness to the Lord and lift up small prayers as I cook, clean, or even play with Lydia. I’m trying to learn to do this out loud so I can teach Lydia at a young age to pray. Perhaps one of my favorite times to pray is when I’m able to push Lydia in her stroller. I spend this time praying aloud with her and it’s such a sweet time of praise; it’s so amazing to be able to worship and praise God together with my little girl.

Here are some of the ways I try to regularly pray for Lydia:

~From the very beginning of my pregnancy, I prayed that she would be a joy and blessing to our family and He would use her to glorify His Holy Name among the nations. I continue to pray this, as well as praise Him for the incredible joy and blessing she is in our lives.

~1 Samuel 1:27-28: Even before she was conceived I gave my children to the Lord. She belongs to Him; I just have the incredible blessing of raising her for the short time she’s in our home. I pray that she not only would come to know the Lord at a young age, she would serve Him completely all the days of her life.


~1 Peter 3:4-6: I pray that Lydia would have a gentle and quiet spirit; that the Lord would bless her with a godly husband and she would be humble and submissive to him; and that she would be a “daughter of Sarah” obedient to the Lord in all she does


~Galatians 5:22-23: That she would be filled with the fruit of the spirit and others would see this in her life


~That she would be a godly friend and that she would attract godly friends as she grows up


~Matthew 5:5-9: That she would be meek, hunger for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and a peacemaker


~Psalm 56:3: That when she is afraid she would run into His arms and trust Him


~That Josh and I would be godly parents and raise her to be the godly woman He created her to be; encouraging her in the gifts and abilities He’s uniquely given to her


~1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Her body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and she was bought at a price! I pray that she would honor God with her body in every way– mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I pray for purity in her life in all areas.

~1 Corinthians 10:31: (I know this is probably no surprise for those of you who know what a “health nut” I am) I pray that Lydia would glorify God by choosing to put healthy foods and drinks into her body so that she could be as healthy as possible to glorify Him with her life.

Even as I typed these I was convicted of not praying enough for my baby girl. We are in a war and I pray I could run this race with excellence. Because I am a mother, I cannot run this race well if I’m not battling for my daughter on my knees. O that we would run this race to the best of our ability and one day hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant!”

We want to spend this week encouraging one another in becoming prayer warriors for our children and sharing how we pray for our little ones. Are there specific verses you pray over your children? Has the Lord given you specific verses or things to pray for different children? What other hopes and dreams do you regularly pray for your children? There is such power in praying scripture over their lives. Seeing how others pray can challenge and help each of us in praying for our children. We hope you won’t hesitate to share the ways you pray (or want to grow in praying) for your little blessings!