nine prayers we should pray over children

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

Clare Herbert Woolston, a preacher from Chicago Illinois, wrote the words to Jesus Loves the Little Children in the late 1800s. Later, those lyrics were set to music by composer George F. Root. Jesus held little children near and dear to his heart. In fact, in Mark 10:13-16 (NIV) we see Jesus chastising his disciples for trying to prevent the children from getting to him.

“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Do you have a passion for your children and or grandchildren to know the Lord? Are you someone who doesn’t have children in their life but is concerned about the future of the family, this country, the church, or society in general? Do you ask yourself when you watch the news, how in the world can I do anything to bring about change in this world?

If you answered yes to any of those, I have good news! You, me, we all have a super-power that we should be using each and everyday to trump the enemy who wants nothing more than to destroy the family, and destroy this world, and he is not above using children to bring his plan to fruition.

That super-power is prayer!

There’s power in faithful prayer.

Full disclosure, it is challenging not to buy into the lies that I am only one person, that I cannot possibly make a difference, or that I should leave it up to all the people who are raising their kids or grandkids. After all, what do I know about kids? But believe me when I say, each of us have more power than we might realize, and we do have a responsibility to do our part. One day we will all be held accountable for doing our part or not. So, what exactly is your part? It is to pray.

The responsibility to pray for the children of this world lies not only with parents of children, or grandparents of children. It lies also with all of us who believe that what Jesus found precious and held dear, like the children, so should we.

There’s no doubt, Jesus found tremendous value in all children. So much so, that he even said that we (all people, adults included) we all need to be like children, in other words, coming to him with a blind faith and trusting innocence.

Children growing up in this world, especially in this specific day and age need to be covered in prayer. Today’s children are growing up in an extremely compromised society, a society where right and wrong are relative and not absolute.

I adore our grandchildren. I love them all deeply and my heart wants nothing more than to protect each of them from this crazy world we live in, to set their feet on a solid foundation that knows truth from compromise, right from wrong, and most importantly for them to know that they are loved and loved deeply by their creator, God.

It can be challenging for grandparents, family, or any of us, to instill Godly principles and truths into children when perhaps the parents don’t necessarily have the same beliefs, or if faith isn’t even a priority their lives. So, how do you impart faith, God’s love, and solid truths on those precious little ones and be respectful to not overstep your boundaries?

“Your prayers are prophecies. You can write the future of your family with your prayers”
~Mark Batterson

We are not always given “permission” to speak directly into the lives of children, nor do we always have the opportunity to be a part of building their foundation, but we do not need anyone’s permission to pray over the children of this world, including our grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors, etc. It’s imperative that we pray over the children of this world, and we that entrust them to God, asking the Holy Spirit to watch over them, guard their hearts, and protect them from the enemy.

Why do I believe so soundly in prayer? First and foremost because Jesus prayed. If Jesus, who is also God, understood the power of prayer so much so that he prayed often and he prayed fervently, then why on earth would I not use this “super-power” too! Second, because we are called by God to pray for the children of this world, and third, because I know first-hand the power of prayer!

I can personally testify that prayer works. It doesn’t mean that God always answers our prayers exactly as we prayed them, or in our timeframe, nor does he always answer them in ways that we would know they have been answered. There are prayers that we will pray that might be answered in ways we cannot humanly see or comprehend, and there are prayers that might be answered long after we leave this earth that we prayed faithfully over someone when we were here.

But rested assured God hears and God answers prayers.

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 12-13 (NIV)

So, you might be saying to yourself at this point, ok, I’m in. I want to do my part and pray for the future of this world, for our society and its future, and for our future leaders. I see the importance and value of lifting them up to God because these problems today are too big for me and for them. I want the foundation of our future leaders to be solid, based on truth, love, and absolutes. So, what’s next?

Some of you are already in a routine with this and what to pray just comes naturally. For others, you might not know where to start, and that’s normal and fine. So, here are nine intentional and consistent prayers I believe we should pray over children. Of course, there are many, many more. I have prayed these over my sons in a variety of ways, and they are what I pray over our grandchildren and the children/youth of today.

Nine prayers to pray over children.

Pray for children to…

1. Have a solid Foundation of Faith. Personal identity and knowing who we are, and whose we are, is foundational to each of us. I pray they believe the truth about who they are in Christ. That they know who they are, and whose they are. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

2. Gain Wisdom & Discernment. Wisdom is so much more than knowledge. Wisdom is knowing how to apply knowledge. Wisdom gives perspective and long-term, big-picture thinking to make decisions. Discernment is judgment. So, with wisdom, they will have discernment, or the ability to make wise decisions, especially when faced with the lies of our enemy and this world.

3. Be Healthy-mentally, physically, BUT especially spiritually. Mental health is at all time crisis right now, especially with our children. Pray for protection over their minds. The enemy wants to drag them into to darkness and hopelessness and pull them further and further from God’s hope and light, so that they are spiritually dry and not fruitful. “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” 3 John 1:2 ESV

4. Understand what true Happiness is. This world is full of lies about happiness, how you “find” it, where it comes from, and what we can “do” to have it. I pray they develop a genuine understanding that happiness is not a feeling, but a choice. It is not anything anyone else can give to them. “The world looks for happiness through self-assertion. The Christian knows that joy is found in self-abandonment. “If a man will let himself be lost for My sake,” Jesus said, “he will find his true self.” ~Elisabeth Elliot

5. Seek God’s protection and strength. Pray that they do not conform to the ways of this world, but that they have courage to seek God’s strength to be different. Pray for God to build a hedge of protection around them to protect their heart, mind, and soul from temptation and danger. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

6. To have Friends-specifically Godly friends. Children need friends that will challenge them to be better people, who will hold them accountable to do what is right and good and discourage harmful behaviors and choices. “Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.” ~W. Clement Stone

7. Have Godly adults to invest in them and a community of believers to support them. There often comes a time in life where children will not listen to their parents or grandparents. I pray for wise and discerning, Godly adults to invest in today’s youth to speak truth and love into their lives in those moments.

8. Understand Love and commitment. Pray for the future of marriage and the nuclear family. (It’s never too early to pray for your child or grandchild’s future spouse.) In a world where divorce is rampant and living together is commonplace, pray for children to value the family unit and monogamy. ” So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:6 (NIV)

9. Fill their minds with truth & to believe and love God’s word. The Bible gives us all we need to navigate this life, but people want to make it “fit into” their agenda of how they want to live. God’s word is the light to guide us, the shelter in our storms, the rock on which we can stand, and a sword to fight the enemy. Pray there’s a revival in today’s youth and they fall in love with the word of God.

I have prayed over my sons their entire lives, and I am just now seeing certain prayers being answered that I have prayed over them for years and years. They are grown men now, and God is just now answering some of those prayers I have prayed over them since they were toddlers/children, and he is answering many of those in his way, and his timing, and not at all as I had asked him to, or as I expected him to.

To be honest, I am grateful he didn’t answer them as I had prayed because he is speaking to them in individual ways, personalized for each one of them. I realize I was often praying for him to resolve things in the ways I thought were best for them from my small human perspective, but God has bigger and better things in store for them than I could possibly imagine.

One more thing…Know that we don’t have to get it just right or provide God with the solutions. We just have to pray with expectation that God will be faithful to hear and answer. We need to have an open heart, open hands, and child-like faith. God doesn’t ignore my prayers because I don’t always pray “perfectly.” What matters most is our posture in prayer when we come to him. Are we humble in spirit? Have we have we repented of our sins? Is our heart in the right place.

“I believe that every blessing, every breakthrough, every miracle traces back to the prayers that were prayed by you or for you. One of the greatest moments in eternity will be the day God peels back the space-time curtain and unveils His sovereignty by connecting the divine dots between our prayers and His answers. That infinite web of prayer crisscrosses every nation, every generation. And when God finally reveals His strange and mysterious ways, it will drop us to our knees in worship. We will thank Him for the prayers He did answer. We’ll also thank Him for the prayers He didn’t answer because we’ll finally understand why. And we’ll thank Him for the answered prayers we weren’t even aware of.”
― Mark Batterson

I believe it is worthy to note that while praying over children is imperative, living a life that represents Christ and his truth in a world that wants to deny absolutes, right and wrong, is also crucial. Children learn far more from what they see lived out day-to-day, than what they hear. Pray fervently but walk with intention and integrity in step with God’s word so that God will honor your prayers over the children and use your walk as a testimony to speak into their lives.

“If our children grow up with no understanding of right or wrong…no desire to live with integrity…no faith in God…their souls will be impoverished, and they will miss life’s highest good.” ~Billy Graham

Great quotes:

“You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent.” ~Mark Batterson

“Prayer is your highest privilege as a parent.” ~Mark Batterson

“One of the greatest responsibilities of parenthood is praying for your kids, but an even greater responsibility is teaching your kids to pray. Don’t just pray for them; pray with them.” ~Mark Batterson

“Parents, pray that God may crown your home with grace and mercy.” Billy Graham

nine prayers we should pray over children

Nine prayers to pray over children.

Pray for children to…

from mess to message

the girl I used to know