My kids have been playing together a lot more lately.
Not in a begrudging, “Mom is making us do this” kind of way.
But in a, “Hey, I’ve finally realized just how much fun we could have together” kind of way.
But in a, “Hey, I’ve finally realized just how much fun we could have together” kind of way.
Now, you may be wondering why that would be such a big deal.
Well, I’ll tell you.
I have been praying for this.
Praying that they would discover the joy of having a sibling.
Praying that their relationship would grow and flourish.
Praying that they would just have fun together!
So, for me this is a BIG deal.
It is an answer to our prayers.
And it has served as a reminder of just how very important it is to be praying for our kids.
Not only for their safety, health, happiness and well-being.
But for so much more!
You see, I truly believe that a big part of the reason why my children have been playing so well together and growing in their relationship is because not only have we prayed for that specific area, we have also been praying for very specific character traits to be developed in them.
Some might even call them “Virtues“.
In the Fall of 2010, we found ourselves squished into those teeny tiny classroom chairs when we attended parent orientation at my son’s school. He was going into the first grade and we knew this was the beginning of a big change since he would be away from home all day long. My heart almost couldn’t bear it!
But knowing the love that his teachers (they job-shared) had for those kids was a huge comfort.
And then one of them handed all the parents a pamphlet entitled:
31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids
She said that she firmly believed in the power of praying for our children and that she hoped this would be a tool for us to use as we prayed for our kiddos.
She also said that she would be praying daily for each and every one of them.
She also said that she would be praying daily for each and every one of them.
Oh, how I love this school!
We took that little pamphlet and put it in our bathroom where we would see it every morning and say a quick prayer for our kids in one of the areas listed.
As part of the Praying for your Kids series, every Sunday in the month of March we will be providing you a week’s worth of Virtues to pray for your kids with accompanying scripture.
And, we are so thrilled to have some fantastic guests lined up who will share how the power of prayer has impacted their own families.
We hope and pray that this will be an encouragement to you as you navigate the challenging waters of parenting. Isn’t it so wonderful to know that we can look to God’s word for guidance and wisdom?
We are so grateful to not have to go it alone!
So, now let me share with you this week’s Virtues to be praying for your kids.
Week One
Sunday~Salvation: “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10)
Monday~Growth in grace: “I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18)
Tuesday~Love: “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them” (Gal 5:25, Eph. 5:2)
Wednesday~Honesty and Integrity: “May integrity and honesty by their virtue and their protection”
(Ps. 25:21)
Thursday~Self-Control: “Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do” (1 Thess. 5:6)
Friday~Love for God’s Word: “May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb” (Ps. 19:10)
Saturday~Justice: “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do” (Ps. 11:7, Mic. 6:8)
Be sure to come back next week when we will have the next set of Virtues AND a special guest sharing from their own experience in praying for their kids!
Thanks so much for joining me for this Simply Sunday at the Fence,
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Oh this is so important and it never ends. It is so special that you are raising your children to love the Lord and showing them by your example. Hugs, Marty
What a beautiful way to start the day Vanessa. Thank you for sharing this with us, I look forward to the next set of Virtues!
Amen Vanessa!!! Thank you for this important reminder!
Vanessa- I agree with this so fully. There is nothing more important for a parent to do than to pray over/for their children. When my kids got older and were going out with friends/dating I would always pray that they would be hedged by angels and I always felt some comfort in that act. They all endured the teenage years without a lot of distress. (well, except for having a crazy Mom that insisted their room be clean before they did anything with friends!;>) xo Diana
What a wonderful series, ladies! There is no greater gift we can give our children and grandchildren (or the neighbor’s children) than to pray for them, asking God to draw them to Him. How perfect that Day One is salvation.
Beautiful post – thank you for sharing!
Great post! I believe in the power of praying for our children! I truly believe it was the founding and foremost reason my daughter got into the college she has, and that we are provided the funds to pay for it! Giving Him all the glory! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series and the scriptures accompanying! Thanks so much for sharing this series! 🙂
So beautiful. I have a firm faith in the importance of praying for our children. I pray for each of my children for different things, but your prayer was so important, and was heard because it brought more love and more harmony to your home. The relationship we forge in our homes and with our siblings shapes us to how we will be as adults. You are doing a great job of making some future amazing adults!
LOVE this idea! And will be praying these virtues over my children. I will look so forward to all the future posts.
Thank you. I am sharing this with a couple of my good girlfriends so we can pray for our grandchildren.
There’s nothing more important we can do for our children than to pray for them, even when they’re grown, as mine is. I’m so thankful to have praying parents who still pray for me every day.
Hi , what an answer to prayer finding your blog has been…Praying for my children is something I do not do enough of…Thanks…I invite you to visit my blog as well…Blessings Lori…Your newest follower!!!
One of the amazing things about watching my “kids” (22,22, and 17)get older has been seeing them really become friends. Now that they have their own lives, they appreciate each other so much more. They actually see the wonderful people that their siblings are growing into. I love that. (It was almost worth all the years of sibling rivalry….)
Eilis
my-heart-lives-here
So good.
So true.
The power of prayer IS amazing!
Can’t wait until next week!
XO
Sounds like an awesome private Christian school. If a teacher in a public school did that (at least here in CT) she’d be fired! My son has autism and was in therapeutic day schools that helped tremendously (as did my church family prayers), my daughter went to public until high school. She was so abused, not just bullied, by peers, she was severely depressed. Private Christian high school that was only affordable by God’s grace (we sweated paying pre-school!)was SO different. If you’d like a guest post for a Sunday, email me? SO happy for you all. Janet craftythriftydecoratingwifemom.wordpress.com
Oh how I love this!! This came and the right time for our household. Thank you!!
Great post – thanks for inspiring on Sunday.
I’m praying for my four children from a prayer notebook I made ten years ago … it’s beyond wonderful to see how God has answered so many of the prayers I prayed for them when they were just little guys. I love these virtues & their corresponding Bible verses … I’ll be adding them to my prayer book. Thank you so much!