Jan. 1, 2009 - Are You Praying For Your Children?

Help your children to become winners today by starting to pray for them!

“I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. . . . By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” (2 Timothy 1:12, 14)

Dec. 6, 2008 - Prayer Tree

Prayer Tree—A Faith Builder

A Prayer Tree is a tool for a family to use to show God’s faithfulness. It has many benefits to spiritual growth that you will begin to see in yourself, as well as in your children.

Make one and place it in your family room or by your kitchen table. It can be used as an evangelism tool as you share with visitors to your home how God has answered your prayers, and don’t forget to offer to pray for their special needs.

The Prayer Tree will help you:

• To remember to pray.

• To see God working in our lives and the lives of others.

• To remember His past blessings—count them “one by one” when you feel defeated.

• To remember to thank Him for each trial.

• To remember not to worry about the cares of the world.

• To know why we need His Word to stand on.

• To build your faith and your children's faith.

To assemble: You’ll need a poster board, construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers. Then explain the following to your children:

1. Flower—“Prayer Request.”

Write one request on each flower. (Include the prayer requests of family and friends.)

a. Every fruit begins as a flower.

b. On the request make sure you include the date.

2. The Sun—“Son of God.” Write Jesus, Lord or Son on the sun.

a. The Son gives us light and strength.

b. Without the Son, we (the tree) will die.

3. Clouds—“Satan.” Write on each raindrop the trial or affliction that your family is experiencing.

a. Rain is necessary for growth and it is only temporary!

b. Rain could be: finances, illness, things that are broken, lost or stolen, a job, or relationship problem.

c. In life we have trials, tests, and temptations that help us to seek the Lord.

4. Weeds—“Sin in our life.”

a. Repeated sin—when we don’t pull it out at the roots.

b. Unconfessed sin.

c. Worries in our life.

d. All the things that will choke out the blessings.

5. Fertilizer—“Scripture.” Write Scripture verses on the grass area.

a. Gives strength to the tree.

b. God’s Word is our strength.

c. It’s at the root and foundation of our faith.

6. Fruit—“Answered Prayer.” Write on each fruit God’s answer to your prayer.

a. You have to wait for fruit to come in its “season.”

b. God says you will know us by our fruit.

c. You will see how He blesses you beyond what you have even asked.

d. Date the flower and the fruit to see how we must learn to “wait on the Lord”!

Dec. 1, 2008 - Ways to Make Prayer a Natural Part of Your Everyday Family Life

1. Help your children to become aware of answered prayer.  Tell them about the times in your life when God has answered your prayers.  Encourage them to share when God answers their prayers-even if His answer isn’t what they wanted or expected.  When you have other believers-especially missionaries and full-time Christian workers-in your home, ask them to tell you about answered prayers they have experienced.  Point out God’s answers to your children’s prayers, even the smallest requests. 
    
2. Help your children to see the beauty of God’s creation and thank Him for it.  Don’t miss opportunities to appreciate His handiwork around you.  Take time to point out sunsets and beautiful flowers . . . and thank God for them right then. 
    
3. Whenever you see or hear about someone in need, take time to pray about it with your children.  It could be something on the news or in the paper, or something you come across during the course of your day.  Teaching them to pray when they see an accident or when you pass a homeless person could have a lasting influence not only on your children, but on those who are prayed for. 
    
4. Wrap family traditions or events in special times of prayer.  For example, lay hands on the person with a birthday and bless him or her; thank the Lord for two things that you love about her, etc.  At Thanksgiving, go around the table and have each family member pray about what he or she is most thankful for over the past year. 
    
5. Pray blessings over your children.  Lay hands on them at bedtime or at another time when they are hurting in some way, and pray scriptural blessings over them.  Numbers 6:24-26 is a good one to memorize: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” 
    
6. Teach your children to prayerfully put on the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) at the beginning of each new day.  Each of us needs to be aware that we are in a battle and that God has provided us with some very important equipment with which to protect ourselves and fight.  This can be done as a family, but don’t ritualize it or make it a legalistic thing. 
    
7. Have family devotions and prayer time.  While any time is good, early mornings before everyone goes separate ways is probably the best time.  This will remind children that God will be with them throughout the day. 
    
8. Put together a family prayer journal.  Place each family member’s picture in it, as well as pictures of your pastor and his family, relatives, unsaved friends, and neighbors.  Pray through the album together, and encourage one another to pray individually on a daily basis for those represented. 
    
9. Teach children to keep a personal prayer journal.  Here they can record personal prayer requests, praises, and answers to prayer. 
    
10. Develop a missionary prayer notebook.  Place prayer cards or pictures of missionaries your family and/or church supports in a three-ring binder with plastic page protectors, colorful paper, etc.  Include pages with pockets for recent newsletters, prayer needs, e-mail messages, etc.  Pray through the notebook on a regular basis.  Help your children make the connection between prayer and saving the lost.  Pray together that the Lord of the harvest (Mt. 9:38) would send workers into His harvest fields. 
     
11. Adopt a people group to pray for- perhaps one of the unreached groups of the 10/40 Window.  Pray for your people group daily, research its needs, and be open to what God will do through your family.  To adopt a people group, contact Adopt-a-People Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 1795, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1795.  There is also a wonderful video that teaches children about the 10/40 Window called The 10/40 Window for Children.  It is available from Joey and Fawn Parish, 6673 Sora Street, Ventura, CA 93003. 
     
12. Develop a family prayer calendar each month.  Take turns, or do it together.  Put each family event or activity on the calendar, so it can be prayed for.  Wouldn’t it be great to have the entire family pray for a child to do his best at the track meet or that Mom would meet someone who needed to hear about Jesus at her meeting? 
     
13. Go on a prayer walk in your neighborhood.  Pray for all the families that live around you.  For help on how to do this, obtain the book Prayerwalking by Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick (Creation House) or the video Prayerwalking for Kids, available from Joey and Fawn Parish (see address above). 
     
14. Adopt a leader to pray for.  The objective of this National Day of Prayer Task Force program is to have families adopt a local, state, or national political leader.  The family commits to pray for and communicate with this leader for at least one year.  Kits are available from NDOP at (800) 444-8828. 
     
15. Participate as a family in prayer events.  Join with other believers for the National Day of Prayer (first Thursday in May), PrayUSA!, Praying Through the Window, March for Jesus, etc.  Encourage your junior- or senior-high school children to take part in See You at the Pole. 
     

By Kim Butts

Dec. 1, 2008 - 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children

For years, I have prayed for my daughters. I prayed God's blessing, protection, and provision throughout their lives. I prayed for wisdom and understanding in making wise choices, for their happiness, guidance in difficult decisions. Although my prayers are heartfelt, they were repetitive as well.

A guest speaker came into church about a year ago, and had shared her testimony about her children that peeked my interest. Praying for a specific character trait or virtue to be planted and nurtured in the lives of my girls.

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

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. Honesty and Integrity—"May integrity and honesty be their virtue
and their protection." (Ps. 25:21)

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 Thess. 5:6)

6. 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)

7. Justice—"God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do." (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)

8. Mercy—"May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)

9. Respect (for self, others, and authority)—"Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands."
(1 Pet. 2:17)

10. 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." (Eph. 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." (Prov. 3:3)

12. Courage—"May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions." (Deut. 31:6)

13. Purity—"Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions." (Ps. 51:10)

14. Kindness—"Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1 Thess. 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 Tim. 6:18-19)

16. Peace-Loving—"Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace." (Rom. 14:19)

17. Joy—"May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."
(1 Thess. 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." (Heb. 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." (Col. 3:12)

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

22. Contentment—"Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength." (Phil. 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; Heb. 11:1-40)

24. A Servant's Heart—"God, please help my children develop servant's hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men." (Eph. 6:7)

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

26. Willingness and Ability to Work—"Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." (Col. 3:23)

27. Passion for God—"Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' one that clings passionately to You." (Ps. 63:8)

28. Self-Discipline—"Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair."
(Prov. 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." (1 Thess. 5:17)

30. Gratitude—"Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)

31. A Heart for Missions—"Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the peoples." (Ps. 96:3)

Originally published in Pray! Magazine by Bob Hostetler, to download these prayers into a beautiful "Prayer Card", click here.