Lord, we know that it is good and pleasant to You when we strive to be at peace with those around us. Please help these children to do their part in establishing solid relationships with others.           Psalm 133:1           In Jesus’ Name.  Amen

Friends are an important part of growing up.  We want our children to be well-liked and accepted.  But as Christian parents we want most of all for our children to have Jesus as their Best Friend.  Friends will come and go, but Christ alone remains forever.  Sometimes it takes a rough patch with their peers for them to truly see Jesus as the best friend of all.  When those rough patches come, be prepared to point them to Jesus as the Friend who will never leave them nor forsake them.

I often pray aloud over my children this prayer.  And in addition, my children hear me pray that God would send them friends who would build them up, not tear them down.   And I pray, “Most importantly, may my children be a good friend.”  They need to know that it is more important for them to be a good friend than for them to have good friends.

Friends are very important, and they grow more and more important as our children grow older.  Pray now for the right friendships for your children and that your children would be a leader in what is true, good, and right.  If there are siblings in your family, pray for a divine connection between them.  What a blessing to have close friends among your family!

Lastly, get to know your children’s friends.  Pray for them, too.  If your children’s friends are walking in truth and growing in grace, it will be much easier for your children to do the same.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Lord, may these children be strong and courageous.  Help them to not be terrified or discouraged.  May they know that the Lord their God is with them wherever they go. May they be willing to stand for You.        Joshua 1:9

                                                                                                             In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

This is one of those prayers that we have prayed aloud over our children on a regular basis.  Fear is such a stronghold in our society.  Rates of anxiety have never been higher among our children and teens, so we must pray that fear and anxiety and weakness to peer pressure will not take root in our children, nor should it have its way in our own hearts.

The above verse comes from the book of Joshua in the Old Testament.  Joshua is one of my favorite Biblical characters, I guess because he is a person in whom I can relate.  Joshua outwardly appears so strong and courageous, yet inwardly must have dealt with fear and discouragement.  Repeatedly, God tells Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, and do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  In the first chapter of the book of Joshua we see that God told Joshua three different times to “Be strong and courageous”, and three different times God reminded Joshua that He would be with him, and that He would never leave him or forsake him.  And that is just in the first chapter.  Now why would God have to tell him so many times?  I think it is because Joshua was an ordinary man, called to an extraordinary job by his extraordinary God.  And because he was ordinary, just like me and you, he waxed and waned between great seasons of faith, courage and confidence, and fear, doubt, and discouragement.

Our children have been called by God to an extraordinary purpose.  The quickest way for the enemy of our souls to sidetrack those purposes is with fear and discouragement.  We must guide our children to the truth that only God will never forsake them.  Only God will be with them wherever they go.   I will let my children down.  I will not be able to be with them all the time.  In fact, it would not be healthy if they never gained independence from me.  But as they grow more independent from us as parents, they should grow more dependent on the only One who can really be there for them in every way they need.

Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the ability to press on despite the fear.  And true courage comes from the Source of all good things…God.

Lord, may these children know that Your plans are to prosper them and not to harm them, to give them a hope and a future.  May they seek you with all their hearts. Jeremiah 29:11-13          In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

We have prayed for the future of our children from the time we first held them.  In fact, I began praying for my birth children when they were still being formed in me.  And I began praying for my adopted children from the time I first laid eyes on their photos.  It is never too early to pray for the future of your children.  When I say future, I mean future far away and near future.  Pray for God to bring them the friends that He has selected for them.  Pray for the teachers He chooses for them to have.  Pray for their future spouses when they are still babies.  Pray for their passions in work and hobbies and talents.  Pray that their purposes in life will be revealed without too much floundering or aimless wandering.  Pray most of all that they themselves would trust the Lord to guide them to the good future, full of hope and prosperity, that He has planned for them.  (Just a note:  prosperity means flourishing and thriving.  It can mean wealth, but God’s view of wealth is very different than ours.  If we are blessed with wealth, we are blessed so that we may be a blessing to others.  Sure, I hope my kids are able to make a good living, but more importantly, I want them to flourish and thrive and have the wealth of joy.)

This is a great verse to memorize for yourself, as well as help your children memorize.  They need to know that God has good plans and purposes for them, and they will find these plans and purposes when they seek Him with all their hearts.  May we be certain of this truth in our own hearts and minds.  May we savor this truth and may it lead us to peace and trust.

Lord, may these children walk in truth and be led by the Holy Spirit, who will guide them into all truth. May truth invade every area of their lives and may they recognize the counterfeit plans of the enemy.  May they wisely use truth as a means of discovering who they are and what direction they should go.  May they boldly speak truth, however may their words be seasoned with love.  As they speak truth in love, may they become great leaders of those around them, leading in what is true, good, and right, while at the same time maintain a humble heart, loving others and wholeheartedly following You.   John 16:13; 3 John 4, Ephesians 4:15  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

In our world today, truth is a hard thing to maintain.  Our society tends to stress that each person can define their own brand of truth.  This is a sad and unstable approach, and it is not truth at all.  Let’s invite our children to explore truth found in the Bible.  Let’s pray that they will be hungry for truth and will be able to easily discern truth through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And yet, truth should be lived out with love and humility.  If truth has made our hearts haughty and mean, we drive people away from the truth we want them to see.  And we can do that to our own children as well.  Ask the Lord how you can hold out truth to the children around you in a way that is inviting and appealing, while at the same time uncompromising.  This is tricky and can only be achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I tend to be one who would love to shield my children from the harshness of this fallen world.  But we cannot shield them forever and if we do, we will not equip them properly to handle the world.  I wholeheartedly advocate monitoring what our children see and hear and plant in their minds.  However, when they are older I have let them learn to discern truth for themselves with my guidance.  For example, if they tell me a scenario that happened at school, rather than lecture, I may say, “What is wrong with that situation?”  Or when they are older, if there is a show on television which is not necessarily bad, but still has messages that I do not want them to accept at face value, I will allow them to watch it, but require that they look for 5 ways that the subject matter goes against what we know to be true, good, and right.  Please don’t take that as an endorsement to let your children watch too much or unhealthy programs, but even the cleanest, best of the lot still may send mixed messages, and we must teach our children to be strong in discernment.

Mostly importantly, you cannot guide your children to truth if you don’t understand truth yourself.  Pray for the Lord to open your eyes and understand truth.  Seek truth and wisdom and they will richly reward you.  Spend time each day in the Word of God and in prayer, and if you do, the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.

1. 1. 1. Then you will know the

      truth

      1. , and the

      truth

      1. will

      set

      1. you

      free.

1.                                                                                              John 8:32

Lord, may these children obey their parents and teachers in the Lord, for this is right.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

                                                                                                                Colossians 3:20

I have often told my children that this is my favorite Bible verse!  Of course, I am kidding—but not really.  I do want them to obey. Obeying is a part of being a Christian.  We must obey God, we must obey the laws of the land, we must “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s”, and yes, we must obey our parents.  Honoring our father and mother, even when we are grown, is vital—so vital that it is included in the Ten Commandments and is the only commandment with a promise attached to it.

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.                                                                                                                   Deuteronomy 5:16

In Genesis 5:1, Moses summoned all of Israel for these commandments.  We tend to use this one to teach children to obey, but we must not forget that honoring our parents is a lifelong commandment.

But us parents have a bit of responsibility, too.  We must not nag and control so much that we push them away into rebellion.

Ephesians 6:4 says:

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

I must confess that I have, at times, exasperated my children.  I have had to apologize on numerous occasions.  And thankfully, my kids are quick to forgive.  I think we tend to exasperate and nag and over-parent when we make an idol of their good behavior—when we make it about us, not about them.  But these verses clearly point to Lord, not the parent.  We should instruct them to please God above all—even above us.

Today, if you are blessed to have parents still living on this earth, find a way to honor them.  We are never too old to honor our parents in the Lord, for this is right.