Let me start by saying that this isn’t a post that aims to add one more duty or obligation to your already over-full list and then make you feel guilty about struggling to get to it. On the contrary, we will consider in this post and the next the WHY and the HOW of praying for your children, including the ways that a regular practice of lifting them up in prayer will actually lighten your load, not add to it.
Today, let’s talk about WHY to pray for your children and how it blesses them as well as you.
Prayer Blesses Your Children
The most important reason to pray for your children is because of its power to change things. We know from Scripture that (as unfathomable as it is) prayer is powerful to motivate God.
God is at work redeeming the world (including our children), and he invites us to participate in the work. What a privilege!
There are many times in Scripture that God directs people to ASK. In Genesis 18, God gave Abraham the opportunity to pray for Sodom, and God willingly responded to Abraham’s petitions for the city. In Exodus 32, God relented from his judgement against the idol-worshiping Israelites when Moses interceded for them. In John 5, Jesus invites the paralyzed man at Bethesda to ask for healing and then gives it to him.
Richard Foster said, “We are not locked into a preset, determinist future. Ours is an open, not a closed, universe. We are co-laborers with God…working with God to determine the outcome of events.”
Prayer Blesses You
Prayer is where we build our relationship with God, where we find intimacy with him. And, honestly, there is no greater gift on earth.
Of course, we know from any relationship we’ve ever been in that there is no intimacy without communication. Through prayer, we talk with God and we still ourselves to listen. We invite his guidance, conviction, correction, and care. In this intimacy, we connect to the peace he offers. Peace comes from seeking God, not from seeking peace.
Prayer Shapes Us
Prayer exercises our faith and reminds us that we can trust the character of God. The more we consistently entrust our cares to him, the more we learn that he is faithful.
Do you find yourself losing patience on busy days or feeling exasperated? This can by a symptom of inconsistency in prayer.
This is similar to what we see in the Israelites in Exodus, Chapter 16. Over and over again, they know to trust God for their daily needs. They’ve even seen undeniable divine provision multiple times. But as they deal with hunger in the desert, worry and fear creep in, and instead of talking with him about that and asking him for what they need, they continue on in fear until the need is so great, they can’t take it anymore, and they explode with an emotional outburst, full of complaint.
God does not intend for prayer to be like this - something that happens mostly during highly dramatic crisis points. Rather, it’s meant to be consistent, a way for us to walk with him moment-by-moment.
Keeping in step with the Spirit requires daily interaction with God, frequent reminders of his goodness and faithfulness, and intentional yielding to his leadership.
All of this contributes to our spiritual formation. We all probably know from experience and observation that we cannot change ourselves. Trying to conform to God’s ways will not truly reform us, because it doesn’t engage the depth of who we are and does not reach the motives behind what we do. Only the Holy Spirit (and our daily yielding to him) will truly form us spiritually.
Prayer Clarifies Reality
As we come to God in stillness, reality comes back into focus – the reality of our smallness (and the relative smallness of what we are dealing with – our needs, struggles, and sins), the reality of God’s greatness, and the reality of God’s goodness.
That’s certainly not to say that our struggles and concerns are small, only that they are miniscule and powerless in comparison with the creator of the universe who loves us and advocates and acts for us.
I don’t know if you needed a reminder of the value of praying for your children, but I hope this post gives you fresh inspiration and a refreshed desire to draw near to God on behalf of your children.
If so, I invite you to join Savvy's free program - 7 Days to Becoming a Prayerful Parent. It's designed to inspire and equip you in developing a practice of praying for your children regularly. Click the button below to check it out!
Our next post will look at some specific ways a busy and often overwhelmed parent can develop an effective practice of prayer. It’s information designed to encourage and help. I hope you’ll check it out!
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