HOW TO PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD

It is a great comfort to even the very young child to know that his parents love and care for him so much that they pray to their Heavenly Father for their child.
The following suggestions might be helpful as you think of praying for your child ‑‑‑ for his /her needs now and for his /her needs in the future.

Pray that your child will:

1. Know Jesus Christ as savior early in life. (Psalm 63:1 ; Psalms 71 :17; 2 Timothy 3:15)
2. Have a hatred for sin and a fearful respect for his own vulnerability to temptation.
(Psalm 97:10; Matthew 26: 41)
3. Be caught and called to account when guilty. (Psalm 119:71;Psalms38:5‑6 17‑18.)
4. Be protected from the evil one in each area of his life: spiritual, emotional, and physical. (John 17:15; Luke 22:31)
5. Have an attitude of Christian morality and responsibility in all his interpersonal relationships. (Romans 14:21; I Corinthians 13:4‑5; I Timothy 4:12)
6. Respect those in authority over him. (Romans 13:1)
7. Desire the right kind of friends, be protected from the wrong associations, and be hedged in by God so that he/she does not find his/her way to wrong people or wrong places and that the wrong people do not find their way to him/her.
(Proverbs 1:10‑11; Psalm 91:9‑11; Hosea 2:6)
8. Rely on God's direction in choosing a mate, being kept from the wrong choice, and being saved for the right marriage partner. (2 Corinthians 6:14‑1 7; Psalm 37:4‑5)
9. Be kept pure until the time of marriage ( as well as the one he is to marry).
(1 Corinthians 6:18‑20)
10. Learn to submit totally to God and resist Satan actively in all circumstances.
(James 4:7; Psalm 119:1, Psalm 143:10)
11. Be single‑hearted in loving and applying God's Word, using its wisdom rather than the world's standards to make decisions in his life. (Psalm 84: 10; Psalm 119:10; Romans 12:1-2)
12. Allow God to mature within him/her the character of Christ that will be lived out in a lifetime of service and submission to him. (Psalm 90:12 and 17, Luke 2:52; Romans 8:29)

Pick one point a month on which to concentrate. Within a year you will have consistently praved this entire list. Is your child's unknown future‑ ‑his/her choices and decisions‑‑‑a source of anxiety for you? The following scripture is especially comforting) to a parent's heart:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ: (Philippians 4:6‑7 NIV).