Prayer for Our Children
by Pastor Shin Asami, Orange Coast FMC, Costa Mesa, CA

"Jesus the Children's Friend" by Warner Sallman

We ought to commit and dedicate our children to the Lord. I know of nothing more enjoyable and fulfilling as being with my kids. I'm certain that we all feel the same. And we feel this way because it is the Lord who has blessed us with children. And even as He has blessed our lives with our children, we should give our children back to the Lord. A wonderful model of this is observed in the life of Hannah, where I Samuel 1:25, 27, 28, narrates that "She brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him... 'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.' And he worshiped the Lord there." As Hannah committed Samuel to the Lord, so we ought to present our children to the Lord.

In committing our children to the Lord — an issue of the heart — we are essentially saying several things. We recognize that our Lord is the true God. We recognize our need for His wisdom and strength to raise our child. We desire His Lordship over their lives. And we desire that our children walk in the ways of the Lord.

We need to know our children in order to effectively pray for them. We grow to know them by asking questions like, "How did the Lord create my child's personality?' "What kind of temperament does he/she have?" and "Is my child an introvert or an extrovert, shy or social?" It is from our daily routines and activities in life that we grow to know them. Getting to know them plays a significant role in our prayers, because we can then pray specifically for their needs.

Let's say that your child is entering kindergarten in the fall, and one of the personality traits you see in him is that he is timid and shy, so he avoids interacting with others. Because you know this, you can pray in very specific terms and in several directions: "Lord, give me wisdom to know how I can encourage him, so that he can begin to overcome his timidity. Show me practically what I can do to nurture his heart. Help him to feel comfortable with his teacher and his classmates on the first day of school."

Perhaps your child has to take the SAT in several months and you know that she gets very anxious and nervous during exams. This pattern has been a part of her life especially through high school. You can specifically intercede on her behalf: "Lord, provide wisdom so that she might be able to overcome her anxieties. Help me know how to support her. If there is an issue that we are not aware of, bring that to surface, so that we might be able to deal with the root causes of her anxieties."

In every phase of our children's growth and development, there will be obstacles and challenges in their journey. There will be major transitions in their lives. They will participate in countless activities. They will enter into numerous relationships, both casual and serious. They will encounter victories and hardships. And there will be many challenges to their faith. But if we know our children, their strengths and weaknesses, we can effectively support them in prayer. And we will be blessed to see our Lord move to touch the lives of our children.

Our children are precious to us. Let us commit ourselves all the more to prayer for them. Let us constantly remember to commit them to the Lord. Let us seek to know them intimately, so that when issues arise in their lives, we can pray for them specifically.