This week has been a BIG week at our house. My oldest started first grade and my youngest turned 4 years old—that’s a lot for a momma in one week! Since I dropped my 1st grader off, and he walked away into the school building by himself (thanks COVID), I have been thinking about ways that I can be intentionally planting seeds in his life when he is not with me during the school day.
My mom has always been a big prayer warrior and encourager in my life. She recently shared with me how she has always prayed and spoken over my sister and I, biblical characteristics that she saw in us beginning at a young age. I love that she shared this with me, because I want to be able to raise my boys with that same dedication she had to pray, plant and develop seeds in my life. Getting to intentionally affirm my boys and speak these words of encouragement over their lives as they develop and grow now, will be such a gift in the future to see those prayer seeds planted come to fruition.
Let me give you a few examples of this:
I keep it simple with five things for each of my boys, with the first being the same for both of them: That they would grow up to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Now that Jake has done this (Praise!), I pray that he would continue to build on the foundation of his salvation with a desire to know more about the Lord and a desire to tell others about Him.
Now getting more specific with number 1-4 for each of my boys….if you have more than one child, you already know God has made them all very unique and different…and that is a GOOD thing for a specific calling placed on their life for the Lord! (I even know some people get creative and do an acrostic with their child’s name…but personally I have found that to be limiting with be able to only use certain words.)
So, for my oldest Jake (7):
- Kindess
- Leadership
- Compassionate
- Self-controlled
For James(4), my youngest:
- Encourager
- Servant helper
- Persevering
- Loving
They are kids—little boys…so not every moment of every day will them exemplify these things…obviously! But, they are things that I have seen in their lives, that I believe the Lord will use and develop as they continue to grow and mature. I want to pray and speak these 4 things over them. Tell your kids things that you see Jesus doing in their lives and affirm that they are GOOD gifts! This affirmation and their knowledge that you are dedicated to pray for them, is HUGE for them!
There are SO many scriptures that can go with these characteristics or virtues you are praying over your children! I found a great resource that I had persmission to post below from www.ReviveOurHearts.com. This is one of the best lists I have seen, with scripture already being attached to the biblical virtues. They are ALL wonderful things to pray over your children, I just like to also narrow down a few specifics that the child may have an extra dose in.
I will share the first 10 of 31 below, but click on the link at the bottom and go check out the rest. I am planning to print out a copy personally to pray over my boys…Great resource to have and a PDF that works with any computer!
31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children by Bob Hostetler
1. Salvation — “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)
2. Growth in Grace — “I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 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.” (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)
4. Honesty and Integrity — “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection.” (Ps. 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.” (1 Thess. 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.” (Ps. 19:10)
7. Justice — “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do.” (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)
8. Mercy — “May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
9. Respect (for self, others, and authority) — “Father, grant that my children may show proper
respect to everyone, as Your Word commands.” (1 Pet. 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.” (Eph. 2:10)
© Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. www.ReviveOurHearts.com
GOOD STUFF! Click here for the rest of the 11-31 virtues and to print it out: https://www.reviveourhearts.com/media/uploads/pdf/articles/31VirtuesPrayChildren.pdf