Prayer For Our Children

 Prayer For Our Children

Amy Carmichael

Father, hear us, we are praying,

Hear the words our hearts are saying,

We are praying for our children -

Keep them from the powers of evil,

From the secret hidden peril,

Father, hear us for our children -

From the whirlpool that would suck them,

From the treacherous quicksand pluck them,

Father, hear us for our children -

From the worldlings hollow gladness,

From the sting of faithless sadness,

Father, Father, keep our children -

Through life's troubled waters steer them,

Through life's bitter battle cheer them,

Father, Father, be Thou near them -

Read the language of our longing,

Read the wordless pleadings thronging,

Holy Father, for our children -

And wherever they may bide,

Lead them home at eventide.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due...

I've been purging, the last couple of days.  No, I'm not doing anything that would alarm my doctor... I'm purging STUFF.  Papers, mostly.

And you know what?  I found something :D

When I introduced the March Pray-for-our-Kids theme, I couldn't remember where I got the idea, originally, (here), but I thought probably Focus on the Family.

Yep.  It was an article from eleven years ago, by Bob Hostetler.  Thank you, Bob, wherever you are, for a great idea :D

31 Gratitude

Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness, giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:7
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Ephesians 5;20
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

30 Courage

May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions.

Deuteronomy 31:6
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.”

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

1 Chronicles 28:20
Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you...

29 Joy

May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:16
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

28 Self-Discipline

Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.

Proverbs 1:3
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
   doing what is right and just and fair;

 John 9:4
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings a profit,
   but mere talk leads only to poverty.

27 A Willingness And Ability To Work Hard

Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

26 A Heart For Missions

Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Psalm 96:3
Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

25 Purity

Create in them pure hearts, O God, and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions.

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
   and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Ephesians 5:3
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

1 Peter 2:11
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

24 Faith

I pray that faith will find root in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them.

Luke 17:5-6
 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Hebrews 11:6
 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Romans 4:20-21 
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,  being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

23 Contentment

Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength.

Philippians 4:12-13
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

22 A Servant Heart/ Good Works

Lord, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly as if they were serving the Lord, not men.

Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,

Galatians 6:9-10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

21 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.

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray continually

20 Humility

Lord, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all.

Titus 3:2
to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

1 Peter 5:5-6
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
 “God opposes the proud
   but gives grace to the humble.”
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

19 Perseverance

Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

18 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
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

17 Compassion

Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion.

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

16 Generosity

Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for th coming age.

1 Timothy 6:18-19
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

15 Kindness

Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

1 Thessalonians 5:15
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

14 Peace

Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace.

Romans 14:19
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.