by April L. Cao
When I think of back to school I think of checklists and forms, backpacks and pencils. I think of new sneakers on freshly polished linoleum, cheerfully squeaking in the start of fall and the excited hum of children getting to know one another. A new classroom is brimming with new supplies: boxes of tissues, hand sanitizer and dry erase markers. Each empty crevice becomes a storage space for the years supply of glue sticks and markers, rulers and pencils. Our children have been supplied with the physical tools they need for a successful school year. Now what?
As mothers the biggest influence we can have in the lives of our children is to pray for them. As they spend countless hours away from our care during a school day, sports and extra curricular activities, we may find our time with them limited Monday through Friday. Yet God has given us a way to remain focused on their needs through the power of prayer.
Praying scripturally, injecting our child into the very Word of God, is a powerful tool in our parenting arsenal. There are times when our own words may feel insufficient as we help them cope with the challenges of living in a fallen world, and by using Bible verses our prayers become specific, direct and efficient.
Taken from the book Praying the Scriptures For Your Children by Jodie Berndt, the following are a few examples of how the Bible so graciously gives us words of wisdom and mercy as we pray for our family:
Heavenly Father…
Clothe (your child’s name here) with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Col 3:11)
Give ___________ a wise and discerning heart so that she can distinguish between right and wrong. (1 Kings 3:9,12)
Let ____________’s light shine before others, that they may see his good deeds and praise you, our Father in Heaven. (Mat 5:16)
Do not give ____________ a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. (2 Tim 1:7)
Set guard over ____________’s mouth, O Lord; keep watch over her lips. Don’t let her heart be drawn to what is evil or allow her to take part in wicked deeds. (Psalm 141:3-4)
Fill _________ with your Holy Spirit, that she might bear the Spirit’s fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)
About the Author:
April Lakata Cao is a native of Northern Virginia and currently resides in Virginia Beach, Va., where she has just completed her eighth move in eleven years of marriage. April and her husband, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, have two beautiful children ages four and seven. As a military spouse who has experienced five deployments and countless months of separation, April shares her personal challenges and life lessons as a freelance writer. She is a stay at home mom, a reading and writing enthusiast and for the past three years has published the blog, Amazing Grace (www.intoourheart.blogspot.com) to encourage, educate and inspire adoptive and prospective adoptive parents. Not only does she have a heart for orphans, she is fiercely passionate about religious freedom and women’s rights across the globe. But above all else teaching her children to love, trust and obey God is her most precious job.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a fabulous reminder, April! Since moving I have yet to connect with other moms to pray, but I will say that I have been so blessed the past 3 years by praying with other moms through Moms In Touch International (momsintouch.org). They have an incredible support network, all borne out of one mom’s desire to cover her children with prayer as they went off to school. Even though I haven’t found anyone yet to pray with here, I do pray scripturally over them and their teachers and schools while I’m walking the dog in the mornings. It is a beautiful privilege and gift to us to cover our children with prayer. Thank you for the suggestion!
April,
Although I do not have children, this blog spoke to my heart. We attend a church with an absolutely fabulous youth group! The kids recently returned from a week long youth conference, where they were fully immersed in Scripture and the things of God. They returned to our church and led a “Youth Sermon” where they testified to all of the marvelous ways Christ had worked in their lives during the week. Two of our young men even answered the call to enter full-time ministry!
Our children are still very able to be influenced by the same God who has sparked revival in our nation so many times before and their voice is important now as it will continue to ring important in their futures! I think this column was a marvelous reminder to pray for our young children’s spiritual standing.
After all, they are our legacy and our future! God bless you!
Love in Christ,
Erin
Thank you so much! Those are such beautiful prayers. I will be using them for sure.