The Privilege Of Prayer - Praying for Your Child from Head to Toe

“All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace.” (Isaiah 54:13, NIV)

“Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.” (Psalm 127:3, NIV)

When I was pregnant with my first child, my husband, Steve, and I took a six-week childcare class at the local Red Cross. Nothing prepared me, though, for the inexplicable bond of love when my son was born.

The minute the nurse placed that little human on my chest, I knew motherhood was going to be very different from what I had experienced with the plastic doll in that class! I had no idea the effect that one moment would have on my heart, my soul, my very being … forever.

God has given moms the privilege to shape and to mold not just another human being but an eternal soul. What a privilege we have to pray for these children we love so much, releasing God’s power on earth as it is in heaven (see Matthew 6:9-13)! It’s not that God can’t act without the prayers of His people, but He has established prayer as the gate through which His blessings flow.

God’s ways are not our ways, and sometimes we don’t know what to pray. But we can rest assured that when we pray the Word of God, we pray the will of God. What a relief!

Each day in this reading plan you’ll find three areas of your child’s life to pray over, along with Scripture words to use in your prayer. Focusing on one body part at a time in our prayers isn’t a magic formula or a pattern for rote prayer. It is simply a guide for pursuing a more consistent and effective prayer life as a parent.

So let’s start at the top in praying over our kids!

Pray the following verses over your child:

• Mind — (What they think about) Heavenly Father, I pray my child will love You completely—with heart, soul, and mind. I pray intellectual knowledge of You will lead to an emotional affection for You. (Matthew 22:37)
• Eyes — (What they look at) I pray my child will turn their eyes away from worthless things. I pray they will divert eyes away from anything or anyone that would cause them to stumble, trip, or fall in thoughts or actions. (Psalm 119:37)
• Ears — (What they listen to) I pray my child will pay close attention to what they hear about godly living and godly principles, knowing that the closer they listen, the more understanding they will receive. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Mark 4:24)