31 Ways to pray for our Children...(and loved ones!)

One of my FIAR Friends, Lisa had this on her blog. I think it is really good and plan to implement it into my prayer time, one virtue a day I hope it ministers to you as well.
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31 Ways to pray for Our Children

By Bob Hostetler


Following is the list I have developed, complete with brief suggestions for prayer from Scripture. Feel free to duplicate it--or improve upon it--to help you pray specifically and purposefully for your children to experience and evidence:



1 salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 growth in grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 honesty and integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 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 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 a love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

9 respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 strong, Biblical self-esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 a servant heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 the willingness and ability to work hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 a passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 self-discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 a heart for missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).



After several weeks of praying through the above list for my children, I discovered an additional benefit to my prayer program; as I prayed with my children each night, the Lord brought to mind the subject I'd prayed for that morning, and I would repeat my request in Aubrey and Aaron's hearing. Before long, they began to echo my praying, and pour out their own hearts in prayer for the very virtues and qualities I desired to see in them. Thus, my simple prayer program not only changed how I prayed, but also how my children pray. . . and, by God's grace, how they live as well.

Out of My Comfort Zone

After 17 years of marriage, I have finally relented to let my dh buy a motorcycle. I have been against motorcycles for years. In the neighborhood I grew up in, everyone has either been crippled or died from motorcycle accidents. (Over half a dozen people! )

Now with the gas prices at $4.32 a gallon, my dh has brought up the motorcycle option. He is so sweet! He used to have a motorcycle before we were married, but sold it at my wish. He has blessed me by playing along with my wishes for these many years.

Now I need to grow up and trust God to take care of my dh. As he has told me, "If it is my time to go, it won't matter what I'm driving." I know it is true. I need to put aside my fear. I just don't want to lose him kwim?

Someone stole my bike!!

I'm so frustrated! We got home from family camp last Friday, and my husband took all six of our bikes out of the back of his truck and put them in the open carport. We have never had any trouble with anything getting stolen in our neighborhood. I just went outside to ride my bike and it's gone! All the rest of the bikes are there, but mine.

I'm sad because I've had that bike for nearly 17 years. Dh and I took some money my boss gave me and bought matching bikes for our wedding present. It was sentimental among other things. It was in practically new condition, as I hadn't been riding it extensively since I was either pregnant or had little ones!

I'm just now getting to a point in my life that I can ride my bike, and now it's gone. I'm sad. We don't have the funds to buy a new one.

Sometimes I get so tired of this old world...

I believe I can fly!!!

There is this great company called Challenge Air. We heard about them through the Starlight Starbright Foundation. They have a program where seriously ill kids can take a day and go flying! We all got to go up in the planes as a family, since we have two kids that are seriously ill. Each kid can have two guests. Josiah went up with Mike and Joseph and Christalin went up with Joshua and I. The kids had such a great time! I had never been up in a little airplane before. We were able to fly over Everett for half an hour. The pilot let Christalin and Josiah fly the plane too! It was a real rollercoaster ride for us until Christalin got the hang of it!! It was so incredible! Unfortunately, the batteries died on my camera, so I only got pictures of Josiah's crew on the plane. I was bummed. It was an incredible day. I can't wait until next year! Thank you Challenge Air!

Captain Critter & Sergeant Slime

At camp this year, Josiah was asked to be Sergeant Slime. Captain Critter is a Marine biologist and Assistant Scoutmaster who loves to teach kids about nature. This year they went on a hike and explored some of God's creation. The talk came about survival, and Captain Critter had a surprise for us the next day! He brought crickets and wax worms for our tasting pleasure! It was a hoot! The poor worms slithered around on the grill, while the crickets tried to hop away. We all had to taste them. Once you got past the thought of cricket heads and guts oozing between your teeth, they weren't half bad! The crickets tasted like sunflower seeds and the worms tasted, ummm, I'm not sure. Some of the kids thought they tasted like french fries!

Family Camp!

One of my kid's very favorite things to do is Family Camp. No matter what we do in the summer, it wouldn't be summer unless we go to Family camp. The older boys have Boyscout camp that has always ended up on the same week. However, given the choice, they slways choose family camp. What do we do at family Camp? Well, there's archery (taught by dh), swimming, canoeing, paddle boating, skits, tree climbing, excavator running, slip n slide, games, Country store, hiking, crafts, biking, teaching, yummy food three times a day that I didn't have to cook, friends, and freedom. Since the camp is just our church on a private campground on a private lake, I feel comfortable letting the kids explore. This is a growing thing for me, but it probably is one of the most favorite things for the kids. It is a relaxing week for all of us. We even brought my hammock and I was able to take a nap in the shade with no worries. Aaaahhh... can't wait until next year!

Drama camp!

For the past two weeks, Josiah, Joshua and I have been in a drama camp at church. I was listed as one of the instructors, but I learned a lot right along with the kids! The days were long 8:30-3:00, but filled with fun games and challenging parts. The kids had their performance of Aladdin last Thursday night. They really did an amazing job! I can't believe they were able to get all their lines, songs and dance steps down in such a short time! Josiah played the part of Iago. Joshua played a guard. They are pretty tired now, but they had such fun. They definitely want to go to camp next year as well.