Praying for Your Children

Lisa asked me to post a picture of the prayer card ring I was given at my 1st baby shower and I am finally getting around to posting a few pictures. I believe they are done on scrapbook paper and then laminated.

Each card has a prayer on the front and on the back is the corresponding scripture. There are 31 cards total, one for each day of the month. The first one says, "Our prayers for Joshua JoonSeo" (on the back is Col 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with {an attitude of} thanksgiving." Here are the prayers and the corresponding scripture references:

1. That he "would obtain salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" early in life - 2 Timothy 2:10
2. For God's guidance in his life - Psalm 119:105
3. To be strong & courageous in his character and his actions - Deuteronomy 31:6
4. For his parents to have wisdom & discernment in training - Proverbs 22:6
5. To love obedience & justice - Psalm 11:7 & Micah  6:8
6. That he will be faithful - Luke 19:17
7. To be rich in good deeds, generous, and willing to share - 1 Timothy 6:18
8. To learn the secret of being content in every situation - Philippians  4:12-13
9. That he will hate sin - Hebrews 3:13
10. For his future spouse - Proverbs 18:22
11. That he will learn to regard your Word as more precious than gold and sweeter than honey - Psalm 19:10
12. That he will respect those in authority - Romans 13:1
13. To learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who lives in him - Ephesians 5:2
14. To persevere in all he does, and help him run with perseverance the race set before him - Hebrews 12:1
15. To have  a love for and commitment to family - Deuteronomy 6:5-7
16. To make every effort to do what leads to peace - Romans 12:18, 14:19
17. That he will grow in and extend to others the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - 2 Peter 3:18
18. For God's abiding protection in his life - Numbers 6:24-26
19. To know joy and laughter that comes from the Holy Spirit - Proverbs 17:22
20. To develop a servant's heart that he may serve wholeheartedly - Ephesians 6:7
21. For wisdom to choose friends wisely - Proverbs 27:17
22. To find security and confidence in the Lord - Proverbs 3:5-6
23. For an understanding and appreciation of his own unique gifts and personality - Ephesians 2:10
24. That he will learn to be alert and have self - control - 1 Thessalonians 5:6
25. To be kind and gentle - 1 Thessalonians 5:15
26. To fight the good fight of faith, taking hold of the eternal life to which he is called - 1 Timothy 6:12
27. For emotional and physical purity - Psalm 51:10
28. To overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit - Romans 15:13
29. To have compassion for others - Colossians 3:12
30. To be responsible, for each one should carry his own load - Galatians 6:5
31. To show true humility towards all - Titus 3:2

These are the ones given to me, but they could easily be modified or other scriptures could be substituted. I see these prayers as a jumping off point to pray for Joshua and not some rote thing to recite every day. Many times as I am praying for Joshua, I see my own shortcomings (which are many) and find myself praying that these things would first be true of John and I, that we may be able to model a life that is glorifying and pleasing to God for Joshua.

I think it makes a wonderful gift, so hopefully others will find this useful.

It is never too early to start praying for your children (or future children in a step of faith)!