By Joshua Straub
I genuinely believe there is no greater parenting technique than to pray boldly for our kids.
For many of us, sending our children back to school can feel like an emotional roller coaster ride. Fears and questions concern us. Will they make friends? What challenges will they face? Who will influence them? Can they keep up academically?
If you homeschool, your fears about your kids may be a little different, but are no less valid or worrisome.
The reality is that God gave us our kids to steward well. God chose you to raise your kids. I think that’s incredibly generous and really cool of Him. It’s also humbling.
That’s why we need God’s help.
Whether you homeschool or send your kids off to school, here are some prayers you can regularly pray for your kids each day this coming school year.
Monday: Father, though grades matter, I pray that you instill in my children a love for learning. Give them wisdom, insight, and understanding above all else.
Tuesday: Dear God, surround my children with friends, mentors, and loved ones who champion and affirm their worth, strengths, and gifts. Place people in their lives who love them dearly for who they are.
Wednesday: Father, help my children to be honest, hard working, rested, patient, faithful, empathetic, and kind. (Insert your own values into these prayers for your kids. You can pray a different value for your kids each week as well).
Thursday: Dear Lord, instill in my children the courage to do the right thing, even in the face of being unpopular or being picked on for it. Give my children the call and resolve to be kind and strong, and to walk confidently in Your love for them.
Friday: Father, your eyes are looking throughout the earth for a heart that is completely yours. I pray for these hearts for my children. Woo them to be undeniably in love with you.
Here are a few extra I pray regularly as well:
A prayer for character: Dear God, develop my children’s inward character. Help me to show my kids, by how I live and teach, that I value it more than outward success or the accolades of others.
A prayer of lovingkindness: Father, whether it’s a word of affirmation, helping with a task, standing up for someone, or giving a gift, help my child to show someone they’re valuable today.
A prayer for good belly laughs: Dear Lord, I pray for a belly laugh today for my children. Teach them the value of having fun and laughing hard. And, Lord, do the same for me.
Tell us, what prayers do you regularly pray for your children?
Joshua Straub has two cherished roles—as husband to wife, Christi, and dad Landon and Kennedy. He serves as Marriage and Family Strategist for LifeWay Christian Resources and leads Famous at Home, a company equipping leaders, organizations, military families, and churches in emotional intelligence and family wellness.
This article appears in the September 2018 issue of ParentLife.
