What is God’s will for 21st century
parents toward their children? What a difficult time for the parents of today!
We have a nation that continually gets further from God, we have a degraded
outlook as to what a family is, and we have laws that encourage abuse of God’s
will for the family unit. Broken marriages are rampant, and dysfunctional homes
are an evident part of society, resulting in children who are deprived of ever
seeing the nature of God in the home.
Mankind as a majority tends to
travel away from God, but for the minority, for the Christian, we seek to get
closer to Him. The battle for parents today is to have homes that God
intended and not as the world has fashioned them to be. Truth is, the will of
God for the parents toward their children is the same today as it was in the
1st century, as God’s nature does not change with each century.
Here are 31 Biblical virtues to
pray for your children:
1. Salvation. “Lord, let
salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that
is in Christ Jesus, with external glory” (Isaiah 45:8, II Timothy 2:10) .
2. Growth in grace. “I pray
that my children may grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ” (II 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” (Galatians 5:25. Ephesians 5:2).
4. Honesty and integrity.
“May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Psalm 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” (I Thessalonians 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” (Psalm 19:10)
7. Justice. “God, help
my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do” (Psalm 11:7,
Micah 6:8)
8. Mercy. “May my children
always be merciful, just 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” (I Peter 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” (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 that 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” (I 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” (I Timothy 6:18-19)
16. Peace-loving. “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” ( I Thessalonians 1:16)
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” (Colosians 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’s heart. “God,
please help my children develop servant’s hearts, that they may serve You
wholeheartedly, always serving the Lord, not men” (Ephesians 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” (Romans 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, not for men” (Colossians 3:23)
27. Passion for God. “Lord,
please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after thee’ (Psalm
63:8), one that clings passionately to You.”
28. Self-discipline. “Father,
I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what
is right and just 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 power in their prayers with all kinds of prayers and
requests” (Ephesians 6:18)
30. Gratitude. “Help my
children to live lives that are always overfilling with thankfulness and always
giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Ephesians 5:20, Colossians 2:7).
31. A heart of missions.
“Lord, please help my children develop a desire to see Your glory declared
among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3).
None of us are perfect parents, so
how can we be perfect parents? It’s being a praying parent that makes the
difference.
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