Praying For Children

Praying for Children

I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace. Isaiah 54:13

MANY BELIEVERS DO A WONDERFUL JOB of imparting faith and values to their children. Many others wonder where they went wrong. The difference is sometimes hard to explain; children have unique personalities, develop independent wills, and respond in individual ways. Good parenting is no guarantee of spiritual upbringing; bad parenting is never an insurmountable obstacle for God. The best we can do is our best, obviously—and then trust God with our children’s hearts and the direction of their lives. But part of trust is praying diligently, persistently, and passionately for him to nurture them spiritually and guide them all of their days.

When we do, we are expressing the heart of the Father over his children. Perhaps better than any other experience, our love for our children reveals something of his nature. We bond with him in the joys and griefs of parenting, knowing that his love is far greater than ours. We are partners with him in his desire to impart truth, bless our sons and daughters, and see them grow as Kingdom citizens in this world. We long for them to know and love him even more than we do. He longs for that too.

We can be forever grateful that he gives wonderful, beautiful promises to our children. He pledges to teach them himself, even in areas where we’ve missed our opportunity to teach them well. He promises to rescue them from the forces that hold their hearts captive (Isaiah 49:25). He encourages us with proverbs about the wisdom and eventual maturity of our children (Proverbs 22:6) and makes his promises of salvation inclusive of entire households (Acts 16:31). He gives us everything we need to pray with confidence and expectation for our children.

Make that a priority, whether you have children or not. Pray for the next generation of believers. Ask God to raise up a generation of passionate believers who know and love him well and demonstrate his wisdom, power, and love throughout the world. Pray in complete faith that he would teach our children directly regardless of where we as parents may have fallen short. Ask that his Kingdom would come in their hearts, just as it is in heaven.

Your prayers for your children are the greatest legacy you can leave.