I would love to be able to protect my children 100% of the time, but reality sets-in and I realize that I will not always be around them. Every day I turn on the news, I realize that if my children are going to survive in this world, I have to keep a prayer in my heart. The days, when school was a safe haven and protected environment are no longer a guarantee. Although this is reality, we cannot live in gloom afraid of what could happen; instead, we have to help our children make intelligent decisions. We should teach them how to choose encouraging friends and how to ask for help when things are not going well.
1. Early Morning Prayer for Individuals
Rise early in the morning before your children are awake and pray for your children individually. Call them by name and pray for their success, relationships, and self-awareness.
2. Mid-Day Prayer for your Child’s Health and Protection
Keeping a prayer in our heart will need to be a conscious effort at first, you may need to even schedule it on your calendar or add a daily prompt in your phone. Around noon-time stop and pray for your child’s health and safety. Regardless of whether or not your child has a diagnosed condition, it’s important to pray that your children will be able to live peaceably without suffering.
3. Afternoon prayer for your child’s choice of friends and interactions with others
Sometimes children may behave differently while away from their parents. One of the important lessons we can teach them is how to be kind and stand up for themselves when we are not around. Time has shown many people, that a good indicator for a child’s success in school is to have friends who are also doing well. Therefore, we need to pray that our children will choose friends who uplift and encourage each other. At the same time, it’s also important to pray that our children learn how to cooperate, empathize, and be kind to others. Our children’s actions are often a reflection of how they are being treated, so as parents, we must show these characteristics in our own daily lives.
4. Evening prayer for academic success, proper decision-making skills, and effective discipline
Most parents want to see their children bring home good grades. For the first 12 years of a child’s life they are spent sitting in different classrooms. As a result, it’s important to pray that this overall experience is positive because it will consume most of your child’s day and waking thoughts. It is also during these formative years that children learn how to make decisions and develop self-discipline. Placing your child in a ripe environment that will teach these lessons will help set the foundation of his or her life forever. It is also during this time that we can pray that our children will develop their own spiritual connection and prayer life. Teaching children to pray gives them hope and assurance that even if a situations appears too much for them to handle on their own, with God’s help they will be able to get through it.
5. At bedtime pray for guidance, peace of mind, and determination
Praying for wealth and fame won’t keep a child your child safe from harm. Instead, choose to pray for their guidance, peace of mind, and determination. Additionally, pray that they will learn how to follow through and will have the skill-sets they need to achieve their goals. Overall pray that your children will learn to govern their actions through love, if they are able to live under the guidance of love, then many other positive outcomes will fall in place.
Nelson Mandela the former activist and President of South Africa said “
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Fortunately, hope does exist regardless of society’s compass, our children can live successfully in the world with God on their side. We must hold our heads up and fill them with prayer, guidance, and love.
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