Praying for & with your Children

A praying mother is POWERFUL. From the time our little ones come out of the womb we want nothing but the best for them. As a new mother I remember having a lot of fears and anxieties with my fragile newborn. Even before he was born a lot of thoughts and worries ran through my head and that is when I really started learning how to pray for my child. Praying to God and giving him all my worries and fears gave me total relief and peace of mind. I can remember sitting in Michael's nursery before his was born and praying over it, asking God for protection, peace, and comfort. I may or may not have prayed circles around my boys crib as my hubby was putting it together ;) !

With a newborn comes a lot of rocking chair sessions at 2:00 in the morning, which can also lead to some good prayer time. Sometimes some of those prayers may have been were for my sleep deprived sanity, but most of the time they were for my sweet boys heart and soul.

Here is a little bit of what we do:

Each night Michael and I have a special routine. As I am lathering him up with lotion I pray for him from head to toe. As I am putting lotion on his legs and feet I ask God to protect them and help him to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to Him. Next I pray for his heart that God would fill his heart with His Holy Spirit and that Michael would have a heart full of love for the Lord and others and not anger. I pray that Michael would remain pure until marriage and that he would honor God with his body. I move to his head and pray that he would have a sound mind that is full of God's wisdom, and that he would retain God's word and think positive thoughts. I pray for Michael's eyes to see things the way that God sees them. I pray for his ears to hear good things that are pleasing to God. And lastly I pray that God would guard his lips & that Michael would proclaim God's name and spread that gospel to others. I know all that may sound like a lot and may be weird to some but its a sweet time for Michael and I to spend with the Lord!

Once he gets his pj's on we read a little devotion called Bedtime Prayers by Bonnie Jenson. I really like this book because it starts out with a bible verse, then has a short devotional/poem, and ends with a little prayer. It is very toddler friendly and it helps teach children from a young age how to pray and spend time with God (the pictures are pretty cute too).

After the book I say/pray aloud Proverbs 4:20-27 over him. It is such a beautiful verse and kind of sums up our "head to toe" prayer! As I turn out the lights and finish getting him ready for bed I say my own prayer silently over him. I thank God for his health, happiness and growth. I thank him for the shield of protection that He has around him, and ask him to continue to protect and bless him. I pray more than anything that Michael will come to know the Lord at an early age, and be fully devoted to Him. I pray that he will have an unconditional love for him and lay down his life. I pray that he won't fail or fall astray as a teen, but that he will stay focused and active with the Lord. I pray that as he grows he will become a man of God that marries a godly woman, and his happy, healthy and successful in life...someone who is always willing to help others, who is slow to anger, a godly leader to his family, and a hard worker. I ask God to surround him with godly influences each and everyday that will help him to grown closer the God. Lastly I ask God to give Hunter and I wisdom as we train him up, and to cover us with patience and peace. To guide us as we discipline him, and to help us to be godly influences & to bring Him honor and glory with Michael's life.

We also pray aloud each morning on the way to work and daycare for others in our life, people who may be sick or hurting, and any other things that may be on my heart. I hope that by praying for things that are on my heart in front of Michael (even though he is just a toddler) that it will teach him how to pray and have a heart for God and others. I want to set the best example I can for him in hopes that he will grow to have great communication with God. We say many more little prayers throughout the day, and it is always such a joy to hear that sweet little AMEN coming from my little guys mouth! Oh and he also said his very first mealtime prayer the other day...it consisted of "ahjhdhi hishdihd sjhuahudhu...AMEN"! :) Even though I have no idea what he prayed for it sure did make this momma's heart smile!

I hope by this sort of detailed example of how I pray over & with my child gives you some ideas of ways to pray for & with your children. I know other moms may do it differently and I would love to hear them. Feel free to tell me things you may do... I am always up for learning new things/ways to do prayer time!

God bless,

Haleigh