This Christmas at SABC...

31 Things to Pray for your Children...

31 things to pray for your children/grandchildren

(H/T Neil Robbie... http://transforminggrace.wordpress.com/)

Being a new Dad certainly brings many joys, but with the joy comes responsibility... to love and care for my wee girl and pray for her life ahead. I was grateful for Neil Robbie's recent post giving us 31 things to pray for our kids.

1. salvation - Lord, grant your salvation to my children, ‘that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus’ (Isa 45:8, 2 Tim 2:10).


2. grace and knowledge - I pray that they may ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).


3. adoption and love - Grant, Lord, that my children may learn that they are loved as your adopted children and so ‘live a life of love,’ through the Spirit who dwells in them (Romans 8:15-16, Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).


4. sin and righteousness - I pray that my children would know that you, God, made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become your righteousness. ‘ (2 Corinthians 5:21)


5. holiness - Lord, may my children know that “just as he who called them is holy, so they should be holy in all they do (1 Pet 1:15-16)


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 and mercy - God, help my children to love justice as you do and to ‘act justly’ in all they do (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8) and may they always ‘be merciful, as their Father is merciful’ (Luke 6:36).


8. Unity and glory - Lord God, please give my kids a spirit of unity with all believers as they follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth they may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6 )


9. respect and authority (for self, others, authority) Father, grant that my children may ’show proper respect to everyone,’ as your Word commands (1 Peter 2:17a).


10. biblical self-worth - Help my children develop a strong self-worth as they realise they are ‘God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus’ (Eph 2:10).


11. Let love and faithfulness never leave my children,’ but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts (Proverbs 3:3).


12. strength and courage - May my children always ‘Be strong and courageous’ in their character and in actions (Deuteronomy 31:6).


13. purity - Create in them a pure heart, O God, let their purity be shown in their actions (Ps 51:10) remembering that ‘To the pure, all things are pure’ (Titus 1:15)


14. patience - Lord, grant that my children will be ‘patient in affliction’ (Rom 12:12)


15. money and generosity - Grant that my children may ‘be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age’ (1 Timothy 6:18-19).


16. peace and joy - May my kids be filled with ‘the joy given by the Holy Spirit.’ (1 Thess 1:6). Father, let my children ‘make every effort to do what leads to peace’ (Romans 14:19).


17. May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection (Ps 25:21).


18. perseverance - Lord, teach my children to persevere in all they do, as they ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for them’ (Hebrews 12:1).


19. Selflessness - I pray, Lord, that my children will have the same attitude as Christ Jesus, ‘looking not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil 2:4-5)


20. Lord, ‘as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,’ may my children ‘clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.‘ (Col 3:12).


21. responsibility - Grant that my children may learn responsibility, ‘for each one should carry his own load’ (Galatians 6:5).


22. contentment - Father, teach my children ‘the secret of being content in any and every situation; through him who gives them strength’ (Phil 4:12-13).


23. faith - I pray that as they focus on Christ, faith will root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith alone they may gain what you have promised to them (Luke 17:5-6, Heb 11:1-40).


24. a servant heart - God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, ‘as to the Lord, and not to men’ (Eph 6:7)


25. hope - May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).


26. hard work - Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, ‘as working for the Lord, not for men’ (Col 3:23).


27. a passion for God - Lord, please instill in my children a soul that “follows hard after you,” a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8).


28. self-discipline - Father, I pray that my children may be self-disciplined, living ‘a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair’ (Prov 1:3).


29. prayerfulness - Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to ‘pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph 6:18).


30. gratitude and rejoicing - Help my children to live lives ‘overflowing with thankfulness,’ ‘giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ as they ‘Rejoice in you always’ (Col 2:7, Eph 5:20, Phil 4:4).


31. a heart for mission - Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for mission, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples (Psalm 96:3).