Pray For Your Children

Pray For Your Children

My wife, Reda, and I have been praying for our children since before the birth of our first child in 1981. When we go to bed at night we pray for God's blessing on our children so that they might be pleasing to him.

We are devoted to prayer because we believe that there is particular efficacy in praying about such an important issue. God has appointed us as the guardians of these precious souls and he expects us to be devoted to their spiritual well-being. I think God is pleased to honor the prayers of those whom he has entrusted with such great responsibility. Prayer not only brings the help of God directly to our children but it also helps channel our thoughts in the right direction so that we may be more receptive to the grace of God available to parents.

One thing that we have prayed for is that God would open our hearts to his wisdom and guidance. One of the hindrances to being a good parent is the tendency to look in the wrong places for wisdom or to assume that we already know enough. It ought to be obvious that we are not smart enough on our own for this great task so we ought to be diligently seeking all the wisdom we can get from God. I am anxious for every bit of truth or wisdom that I can get. Or, at least, I know that I should be so minded. Therefore I ask the Lord to open my heart so I will truly be receptive to his guidance and wisdom.

My wife and I also pray for God to call our children directly to himself. We have a work to do of teaching our children about the Father but he is the one who must call them to himself. Discipling children is not a mechanical thing that produces identical results every time. It is necessary to lean on God. He is the one who gives the increase. He is the one who teaches our children. "All your children shall be taught by the Lord" (Isaiah 54:13). We do not see the Lord's part going on but we accept it by faith. It makes sense therefore to call on God to bless our children by drawing them to himself. He is the only one who can do it.

One of my emphases in prayer is that God will use us to accomplish his will for our children. We do not know the best life our children could have besides the obviously important matter of being trained in godliness. But our minds are often rigid in ways they need not be. Some want their children to follow a particular course when another would possibly be more suitable. I would rather not impose my will on my children if the Lord has a better idea. A few years ago I would have hoped that my children would fill standard roles in church and missionary work. But my children think outside the box and so three of them are in a band called "The Redding Brothers". They produce their own brand of music and will be appearing at the Charleston Civic Center for a concert on March 9, 2007. I would not have chosen such a course for them but I couldn't be more comfortable with their decision.

My prayer is not that God lead my children down my preconceived path but that he use me to fulfill his will in these children. I simply want to be a co-worker with God.

Here are some other prayers worthy of Christian parents:
1. That our children love God with all their hearts for as long as they live.
2. That our children will marry a godly person who will help them in serving God.
3. That our children will rear godly children themselves.
4. That we might protect our children from temptation and the evil one.(Mt. 6:13)

No one has all the answers to child rearing, not even home schoolers. This task is much bigger that any of us, so it makes sense to lean on the Lord and pray, pray, pray for our children.

-Lawrence Redding