The Importance of Praying for Our Children

(Carol Nettleton - Director of Children's Ministry)

One of the things I am passionate about is prayer, especially praying for my children. I did not always have this passion, but as I look back over the years I see how The Lord put prayer warriors into my life so that I could experience and see the power of prayer.
 

If you have children, there are certain milestones in their lives that you remember. When I think of Matt’s first day of kindergarten the first thought I have is standing by the front door and praying before I took him to the bus stop. This started a tradition that I am still doing with Jamie. The last thing we do before we walk out of the house is pray. Since I was blessed to be able to stay home with my children, this was the first time they would not be in my care for an extended period of time. So I went to God for prayer. I found peace in it, and I also saw so many answers to prayers. I felt that this was showing Matt and Jaime the importance of prayer. Although I was praying to God for Matt’s day at school, I was also very involved in his classroom. Consequently, there were things I did not completely give over the The Lord, because I was I trying to fix them.
 

I remember when Matt entered middle school. I still prayed for him before he left every day, however, I would no longer be going into his class to help. This really stepped up my prayer life. I found myself constantly praying for my children. Years ago I had started a “Mom’s In Touch” group. This is a group of moms that meets to pray for their school-aged. Although it was not well attended, God blessed it. I remember weekly God answering requests.
 

One of the things I love is praying over the telephone. There are many days when Jamie gets into the car as I pick her up from school, and I am finishing up praying with someone. She hears this, and she hears the prayers. She knows when something is going on in her life that I will call people and have them pray. Not only is this a good example for her, but when I mention that adults that I have prayed are praying for her, I have to believe this strengthens her relationship with them.
 

Many years ago I was able to go to workshop. One piece of it was praying for your children. We assembled a book with a prayer and scriptures for our children. I pray these for my children (and their future spouses), and my grandchildren. This was a resource that was shared with me, and I would love to share it with you. If you would like a copy of this, please email me at caroljnettleton@gmail.com . I have listed below the 12 prayers that I rotate through.
 

If you have a child/grandchild that will be attending school in the fall, start praying now for their schedule, their teacher and even where they will sit. I have found that once I started praying for these things, God blesses them. And when things happen, it is good to know that He has a better plan.

Before Jamie leaves I always pray for her safety, but more importantly, I pray that she be used of The Lord and that she calls on His name. Isn’t that what we want for our children, to live a life that brings glory to God?
 

As I shared my heart, I hope you also caught the passion. Listed below are prayers I rotate through, and I pray that these will bless you and your family. If you would like a complete copy of the prayer pamphlet with these prayer requests, along with scriptures, please email me at caroljnettleton@gmail.com.
 

1. Pray that they will know Christ as Savior early in life and treasure their inheritance as Sons of God; that they will not accept satan’s design against them but walk in light as heirs of the kingdom.
 

2. Pray that they will have a hatred for sin and a love for godliness.
 

3. Pray that they will appreciate discipline and instruction and be quick to repent; that they will be caught when guilty.
 

4. Pray that they will be protected from the evil one in each area of their lives: spiritual, emotional and physical. Pray that they stand firm in persecution. Pray that they will be patient in affliction and look to God, trusting in His faithfulness, when they have problems.
 

5. Pray that they will have a responsible and loving attitude in their relationship with others. Pray that they will walk in humility and look to the need of others.
 

6. Pray that they will respect God’s Lordship over them, and those He has placed in authority over them.
 

7. Pray that they will choose Godly influences; that they will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong ones; that they will be “hedged in” so they cannot find their way to wrong people or places and that the wrong people cannot find their way the them; that they will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one.
 

8. Pray that they would desire inner beauty and Godly character, and they would grow more Christ like daily; that they, as well as those they marry, will be kept pure both before and after marriage.
 

9. Pray that they will learn to totally submit to God and actively resist satan in all circumstances.
 

10. Pray that they will be single-hearted, willing to be sold out to Jesus Christ and joyfully invested in the cause of the kingdom.
 

11. Pray that they would grow in faith and obedience, and in love for God; that they would “love not the world nor the things of the world.”
 

12. Pray that they would treasure God’s Word and stand up for truth; that they would be set free from deception and the lies of the evil one, and have great understanding of the Word.