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Editor's note: How do you pray for your kids? What prayers for them will be effective? If you want to pray for your children, praying for them from head to toe is a great place to start.
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Prayer is the most powerful tool we have as a child of God. You and I may wholeheartedly believe that, but until we realize its importance, we won’t take it out of our toolbox. Imagine for a moment trying to saw down a tree with a hammer. Perhaps you decide to measure a wall with a wrench. Or maybe you decide it’s a clever idea to hammer a hole in the wall with a saw? All these sounds absurd, right? Then why do we try to parent without prayer? Prayer is the most important parenting tool in our toolbox!
I’m a very visual learner and seem to best apply the truths of scripture and life that way. So here are 5 prayers from the top of your child’s head all the way down to his or her toes.
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MIND
Father, give my child pure thoughts. More specifically, as Your Word exhorts in Philippians 4:8-9, pursue their minds to think on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praise worthy! Help them to practice these things daily so that Your perfect peace will control them.
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WORDS
Lord, there is so much hurt in this world, and so much of it begins with our words! What we say to others has the power to give life or kill! May my child understand the value of hope-filled words! May they be kinder to those around them, especially the ones that are outcasts and forgotten. May You give them words of compassion to speak to others. May they know what great power that words have! Right now, I pray Proverbs 12:18 over my child which says, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” May my child’s tongue’s wise words bring healing. Refrain their lips from speaking rash and hurtful words towards others!
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HEART
Dear God, I pray that my child’s heart will be softened towards the Gospel. There is nothing that saves but Jesus! You call Your children to Yourself by Your love. May Your love draw them even today! May they have a heart of compassion for lost souls. John 14:6 says that Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. You love my child even more than I do, and I thank You for that!
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GUT
Heavenly Father, give my child a discerning spirit! May they know in their gut if something is right or wrong. Many things in this life are permissible, but not all things are necessary. Give them convictions to stand strong in their peer groups. May they be leaders, and not followers. Give them such a keen sense of what will benefit their life and not hinder it! Proverbs 3:21 talks about not losing sight of wisdom and having discretion. I pray that for my child right now!
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FEET
Father, may my child’s feet bring Your truth to the world they live in. May their feet go to the needy, go to the orphan, and go to the neglected. May they seek to give, and not receive. I ask that You show them the blessing of serving others. I ask right now that You give them mission-minded hearts in their community! Help them to know that they are never too young to use their feet to go places to serve You! 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” May You use my child today for Your glory, and not their own. Help me to be prepared to hold them with loose hands however You may choose to lead them, even if it is across the nations one day on the mission field. They are Yours, Lord!
Petitioning our Heavenly Father on behalf of our children takes discipline and dedication. We must constantly lay our own hopes and dreams for our children on the altar. Ask the Lord to make His plan and purposes for our children known to us. Even when we don’t know His exact Will, if our will is surrendered to God’s, He will bless our faithful petitions on their behalf. Sometimes our prayers won’t seem to match with God’s answers. I Prayed for You is a wonderful picture book that illustrates the love of a parent! It’s a story about a Mama Bear and her Baby Bear. Every day she prays for her baby. Even before she had a little one, she prayed! This heartwarming story illustrates how a parent never stops covering her child in prayer. May we do the same!
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Your Turn
How do you pray for your children? Do you find it powerful to pray for them from head-to-toe? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
RESOURCES
Teaching Kids to Pray: Nurturing Their Faith Journey
Follow Jean Fischer on Instagram.
Check out Jodie Berndt's site.
