Prayers of the Bible and Prayers for the Kids You Serve and/or Are Raising in Your Home
This month I want to focus on Prayer. Maybe today I sense a lack of intense prayer in my own life, perhaps a feeling of inadequacy, or just need the assurance that my prayers are being heard for my own life and the lives of others. Do you ever feel this way? Then keep reading with me as I explore some famous prayers in the Bible and then some ways we can pray for the precious children in our lives -those that we may have under our own roof, or those that we serve in church or elsewhere. I’m not going to do a commentary on these verses. Perhaps put on some prayerful music and let God just speak to you.
· “LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Isaiah 33:2
· ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
· “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” Psalm 24:5
· “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” Ephesians 1:15-23
· “I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Corinthians 1:4-9
· “O give me life according to your word. O teach me your statutes. and so shall I meditate on your wondrous works. be gracious to me through your law.” Psalm 119:26
WAYS TO PRAY FOR THE KIDS YOU SERVE OR ARE RAISING IN YOUR HOME
à Pray that kids will come to know Christ as Savior.
à Pray that they will love God with all of their hearts.
à Pray for their parents and families. (This might be yourself!)
à Pray that they will choose the right kind of friends.
à Pray for spiritual stability during tough times.
à Pray for the needs of their hearts that you may not know about.
à Pray for physical protection in their lives.
à Pray that kids will love God’s Word.
à Pray for their continued connection to the body of Christ.
à Pray that kids will find their identity and worth in Christ and not in our world.
à Pray that God will give them compassion for others.
à Pray that they will have integrity in all areas of their lives.
à Pray that they will look for ways to serve the Lord.
à Pray that kids will learn to pray too!
My favorite hymns/songs about prayer:
Sweet Hour of Prayer
I Must Tell Jesus and Tell It To Jesus
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
God of Revival (Phil Wickham): A plea for God to act and revive
Lord, Have Mercy (Graham Kendrick): A call for mercy and intervention
Chain Breaker (Zach Williams): A cry for help and deliverance
Lord, I Need You (Matt Maher): A classic of confession and dependence
Make My Life a Prayer to You (Melody Green): A song of commitment and turning one’s entire existence over to God
Hear Our Prayer (Tanya Riches): A cry for a touch from God
-- Written by Shari Coelho, VBS Director and Children’s Ministry Director of SRBC