Shortly after the birth of our first child, I kept a detailed prayer book for her. I penned long prayers for God’s guidance and provision in her life.
I prayed she would have a tender heart and a deep desire to walk closely with the Lord. I was faithful in prayer and lifted her before the Lord daily.
Somewhere around her third birthday, everything changed. We were blessed to discover that we were expecting our second child, and somehow, my prayers began to lack focus.
The nausea and exhaustion of the pregnancy shifted my eyes away from focused prayer, and I prayed sporadically instead of daily.
When our son finally came into the world, my prayer life was lacking, to say the least. Life with two young children required all of my energy and focus, and I struggled to pray for them regularly. What was once such a high priority was faltering.
Our son was a few months old when I decided I needed to make focused prayer for my family a high priority once again.
I found a picture board and placed it on a wall I looked at every morning. I wrote the names of my husband and two children on a piece of paper and taped it to the wall. I vowed to pray daily.
While the visual reminder was helpful, I found that my prayers often lacked focus and direction. It was too easy to cover them with the standard, “Lord, please be with each of my loved ones today,” and move on with my day.
In this season of searching, I decided to post several Scriptural truths from the third chapter of Ephesians on the wall and pray these over my children every day. This kind of praying revitalized my prayer life, and I cling to the promise that these words will not return empty!
5 Prayers Every Mother Should Pray For Her Children:
1. That God will grant them power through His Spirit (Ephesians 3:16)
Whether we’re praying for a teen to stand firm in the face of temptation, an adult child to persevere through the struggles of life, or a child to have the strength to step into a new social situation, we all need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Praying this for our kids breaks up the ground of their hearts for the Spirit to come with power.
2. That Christ will dwell in their hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17)
Above all else, I pray that my children will receive Christ and walk in the security of his salvation.
Praying that Christ will dwell in their hearts is one of the most powerful prayers we can pray for our kids. It takes faith to follow Jesus, and praying for seeds of faith to grow is a life-long prayer for those we love.
3. That they will be rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17)
I want my children to live out of the overflow of God’s love in their hearts.
When they grasp his love, they are free to love others without the great fear of rejection and give without requiring anything in return. This is true and selfless love.
Let’s pray that our children will be grounded in this kind of radical love.
4. That they will grasp the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:18-19)
If we sincerely grasped just how much Christ loves us, it would change everything about the way we view the world, treat others, and perceive the trials of our lives.
His love is radically greater than we could ever fathom, and his love was made perfect at the cross.
Let’s pray that our children will grasp the fullness of this love in deeper and deeper ways as they grow in faith.
5. That they will be filled up to the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19)
Most of us crave greater satisfaction, abundance, and fullness in our lives.
Let’s pray that our children will encounter God in such a way that he transforms the deepest parts of their hearts and brings them to a place of promised abundance.
My prayer is that these five truths will offer direction and focus as you lift your children before the throne of the Most High God. Together, we trust that He hears these prayers and honors them.
- 4 Ways to Make Time For God When You Have Kids - August 14, 2020
- Why You Might be Overlooking the Most Important Part of Your Calling - August 2, 2019
- Four Prayers for Insecurities - April 9, 2019
