Inside: Praying for children of any age takes perseverance, intentionality and—if you’re anything like me—a user-friendly plan. Here are a few other thoughts about parental prayer that I hope encourage you today. ~

My parents prayed for their children—faithfully and consistently—throughout their 60 years of marriage. In fact, I used to joke that if I ever wanted to know what was going on in the lives of my six siblings, all I had to do was drop by my parents’ house when they were doing their devotions together and pretend to be a fly on the wall.

My mom and dad have been gone for more than seven years. I don’t believe specific prayers have expiration dates, but I do miss knowing they are praying for me and my family now.

These days, I’m the one lifting my own children before the throne of heaven, and how could I not? I’ve seen the impact of a praying parent in my own life and the lives of my siblings, so it’s my joy and privilege to carry this on for my own family.

Plan to Pray

That said, I’ll be the first to acknowledge it’s not always easy. It takes perseverance, intentionality and—most importantly for me and perhaps also for you—a plan that is easy to follow and not too overwhelming.

I realized this about 13 years ago, when my daughters were 11 and 8. Although I had prayed for them regularly over the years, I sensed a strong need to be more focused and strategic as they began to navigate their pre-teen and teen years.

I had been using Stormie Omartian’s wonderful book The Power of a Praying Parent as a devotional of sorts, reading one of the 30 topical chapters every day and personalizing the prayers at the end of each one.

This was a lot of material to cover, so I eventually went through the entire book, pulling specific requests from each chapter to form a daily list of my own. I printed out the prayer guide and have used it ever since.

Timeless Requests

A few items don’t apply anymore. Lilly doesn’t need me to pray that she’ll have a teachable spirit regarding math, for example, and I no longer include spelling on Molly’s list of growth opportunities.

But as I look at specific requests under topics ranging from “Being the Person God Created” and “Feeling Loved and Accepted” to “Living Free of Unforgiveness” and “Growing in Faith,” I’m amazed at how relevant they still are for my now-young-adult daughters.

My way of praying for my children is not the only way, of course. The point is to pray—intentionally and consistently—so long as you have breath in your lungs (or strength in your fingers if you prefer to write or type your prayers).

Encouraging Reminders

As I think about what I’ve learned from more than decade of praying for my girls, a few thoughts come to mind that might encourage you, no matter how old your children are and what prayer strategy works best for you.

I’ll begin with a message for mothers, specifically.

• Never, ever underestimate the difference that you can make when you pray for your children yourself.

It’s wonderful if you can pray for your kids with your spouse or perhaps a group of other praying mothers. But as individual moms, we often have a sense of what our children need, what they are struggling with and what they can become that others don’t always have.

Although we might not pray about every tiny detail about their lives, every single day, no need is too small to cover in prayer.

• The older our children get, the more critical it is that we pray for them intentionally. I’m sharing fewer spoken words with my girls now that they are living in another state, but I’m talking to God about them more than ever.

The world seems to be getting darker and crazier with every passing day, and if we want our children to survive and thrive out there, the best thing we can do is pray for them.

• God knows what our children need to become who He designed them to be. This often includes allowing them to experience hardships that we might prefer to “pray away.”

We can see from our own life stories that it’s often the hard times that build our character, teach us important lessons and grow our faith. We can expect the same for our children, even as we ask God to shield them or rescue them from their struggles.

• Tell your children how you are praying for them, especially when you can show them how those prayers have been answered. For example, I have long prayed that hidden things will come to light, and that people who aren’t good for my girls will disappear from their lives.

God has answered both prayers in powerful ways, And while I sometimes keep this to myself, I also haven’t been shy about pointing it out to my daughters when it seems appropriate.

• Don’t give up. We’ve all heard stories about moms and dads who prayed for their kids for decades before seeing any tangible results. I watched this happen with my own parents, and—to a lesser degree—I’ve seen it happen in my own prayer life.

There’s no instant gratification when it comes to praying for our kids. We are grateful for answers when they come, but we’re in it for the long haul. So, to borrow some words from the Apostle Paul, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

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If you have children, what is your approach to praying for them? How has this changed over the course of your parenting life?

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No Post Here Next Week

Next week, I’ll send out my subscriber-only, email newsletter, Courage, Dear Heart, which replaces my third blog post of each month. If you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, I’d love for you to do so here:

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As my way of saying thanks, you’ll receive a free copy of my 7-day devotional, Faith, Fear, and the God Who Goes Before Us.

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♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with InstaEncouragements and Let’s Have Coffee.