Do you remember what a blessing to witness the arrival of each of your children? After months of anticipation, the moment arrives when the doctor hands you a bundle of joy. The feeling is like no other feeling in the world. At that moment, they are perfect in every way. I don’t think words can truly express what that feeling is like when you meet your child for the very first time. So, our we praying for our children to ensure their future?
My Family
I gave birth to three beautiful children, two daughters, and a son. I felt like a complete family as I cherished each one of them. As they came into the world, I thought about all my plans for their lives. Ballet classes, gymnastics, softball, karate, fishing trips, baseball, proms, and eventually, weddings would fill my years to come. Excitement filled my soul as I planned their futures filled with joy and happiness.
Soon, my dreams came crashing down as my son slipped into eternity to be with His heavenly father. All my plans for his life were gone forever. So many emotions rolled around inside me. Many years of doubt followed as I tried to figure out what I did wrong. Kids aren’t supposed to die. As a parent, I am supposed to protect my children and provide them with everything they need. I felt like a failure.
Choices
A few years pass and life resumed. We took our daughters to Ireland to visit my family there. In the north, there is a scary tourist attraction called the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge. We took the girls so they could walk across it. As we approached the bridge, my heart cried out, NO. I can’t let my girls cross this bridge. They might fall to their deaths Panic set in as I realized something I never understood before it. I am not really in control.
That moment of terror taught me that I could try to shelter my kids from everything under the sun, never letting them have any fun. Or I could trust them to Jesus’ loving care. The girls were His long before they were mine, and He knew what He was doing more than I. Would I trust Jesus for His purpose in their lives, or would I try to control a situation that was not mine to command? I surrendered them to Jesus.
Praying for our Children
In our society, we have convinced ourselves that we can control life. But we don’t. Our control is an illusion that helps us sleep at night. Once the death of my son forced me to take off my rose-colored glasses, I learned the best thing I could do was to surround my children in prayer. And, when things got tough for them, I can point them back to Jesus. My job as a mom includes teaching them to trust in the Master’s plan for themselves.
I think the most challenging prayer for each of us as parents is to ask for God’s will to be done. So often, I want to control the events for everyone in my family. With the death of my son, I learned that I really can’t. I need to trust them in His loving arms. When the tough times arise for my children, I need to pray for His will to prevail and for me to accept whatever that looks like for their lives.
Examples
Many challenging circumstances arose for them in their adult lives. I remember the phone call from my eldest when a boyfriend dumped her for no reason. The heartbreak in her voice sent me driving to college to pick up and bring her home for the weekend. Not because I could fix it, but because I could help her turn it over to God. We prayed and talked long hours that weekend, and I took her back to school with the knowledge that God had her safe in His hands.
Or I remember another tough time when my youngest daughter called me. After years of trying to get pregnant, she finally had succeeded. A few weeks later, she miscarried and felt devastated. When she asked me why God allow this to happen, I had no answers. She expressed intense anger with God. Again, I prayed and tried to point her to the only source of our hope, Jesus.
The Future
As the years wear on, I watch my girls as their faith becomes their own. I can’t hold onto faith for them. They must develop that relationship for themselves. Sometimes, their struggles are tough for me to watch from the sidelines. But, then I remember and give them over in my prayers to the One that controls the winds and everything under the sun.
Now, as the grandchildren fill my house with laughter, I have a new generation to cover in prayer. I also need to teach them to give all their troubles to their Heavenly Fathers. When they fear the darkness, I share about the creator of light and how He protects them in all circumstances. I also teach them Bible verses to recite when the problems arise.
As your children grow, pray for God to send them good friends. When they decide to go into a career or college, pray for their decisions to line up with the plans Christ has for them. As they start dating, pray for the Lord to provide the perfect spouse for them.
Verses to Help
Here are some verses we can give to our children, no matter their ages, to help them focus on the One who can save them and help us praying for our children.
We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
(Romans 8:28)
You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever; he will always protect us.
(Isaiah 26:3-4)
All things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning.
(Ephesians 1:11)
You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure.
(1 Peter 1:2)
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
(Proverbs 19:21)
Your Turn
Our children are a gift from God and we need to need to be praying for our children daily. We raise them and teach them so many things throughout their lives. But, they are only ours because God entrusted them to us. Our job is to trust them back to God instead of trying to control life for them. Pray for them, instruct them in the ways of the Lord, and trust Him enough to pray for God’s will to be done in their lives and for us to accept it.
Prayer
Father, thank you for the privilege of being a parent to my children. Thank you for guiding the time I had with them as children. Today, I release them as adults to your care and guidance. You will fight for them and delight in them (Zephaniah 3:17). Bless them and keep them. Let your face shine upon them. May thy will be done and grant me the strength to accept what comes their way. Amen.
Blessings,
Yvonne M. Morgan, author, blogger, and speaker.
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
100% of the proceeds from sales of my book, Turning Mountains Into Molehills, go to help the orphans at Orphan Relief Effort, Inc.
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As a mom who has to send my kiddos off to their dad every other weekend, I really struggled at first with letting go of control. It was such a scary time. I felt anxious the entire weekend. Now I realize I must share, and that I never really had that control in the first place… it was all an illusion, for only God is in control. Beautiful post, Yvonne. Thank you!
Praying it continues to get easier for you in the future too. And when we trust them to God, He will everything work together. Thanks Jessica. Stay safe and God bless.
Our son is 36 years old. My husband and I prayed for him before he was born and have prayed for him throughout his life. We will continue to pray for God to place His hedge of protection over Michael. We also pray the same for daughter-in-love, Christine and grandson Rowan. Parents and grandparents should always pray for children. Place them in God’s hands. 🙂
How wonderful Melissa and what a blessing for the whole family. If we don’t cover them in prayer, we might lose them to the world. Thanks so much. Stay safe and God bless.
Pray, pray, pray! Having six children, their spouses, and six grandchildren has caused me to pray more than anything else in my entire life. Before we even knew them, the moment we knew they existed, we have prayed for each one daily. We have prayed for specifics, and we have prayed that God’s will be done. We really are not in control of much of anything, though in the beginning we also thought that we were. Nope! We’re not in control. That is a hard lesson for us to learn. God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen. It is so important to cover them in prayer. We did the same and now cover each grandchild in prayer as soon as they begin life in the womb. God knit them together from the very beginning and He knows their lives from start to finish. What a blessing to take them to God in prayer.
I understand the struggle of letting go of control and entrusting my children to the Lord. I currently have one who is married, who, along with our granddaughters will be moving overseas to an unreached people group to be career missionaries. My heart sores with pride, but it also fears like crazy! But prayer is my biggest and best tool to calm my heart and be confident that God has them in his hand. Thank you for sharing your story, Yvonne!
I will be praying for them also and were 2 or 3 are in agreement. God goes before them and will help still your heart. I hope you will get to visit them sometime too. God bless you and them.
Yvonne, this post touched me deeply. I appreciate your candor, sharing about the piercing hurt at the loss of your precious son and how this has taught you spiritual lessons we all have to learn, letting go of our control and praying for God to have His way in our children’s lives. Even when it hurts. Even when we don’t understand. So much heartfelt wisdom here. Your adult daughter’s real life examples of pain capture the picture we all face as parents. And yes, our best role now is to point them to Jesus, the only solution we have. And then pray, pray, pray! Thank you for your steadfast faith. You are a great inspiration to me. God bless you and your beautiful family!
Thanks Melissa. I really appreciate your thoughts. The more we understand that God is in control and not us, then the more we can grasp the importance of covering our families in prayer. Even with the heartache, there is a freedom in the truth. Stay safe and God bless.
Amen!
I remember having one son in Iraq and another at a party college. I was more worried about the one in college. (Still am sometimes) But that was when I realized that all five of my children were beyond my reach. Quite a moment. Great post.
Thank you Nancy. It is so humbling to realize they are beyond our reach. But our God provides for us and for them. Our prayers provide our children a hedge of protection while the king directs their steps.
Yvonne, I’m familiar with the struggle of entrusting my kids to the Lord. I remember my sister-in-law said once, if the only reason she told her kids they couldn’t do something or go somewhere out of fear, that wasn’t a good reason when she needs to trust the Lord. So, prayer has become vitally important and always has been. To pray for our children and grandchildren to accept the Lord, walk with Him, serve Him all the days of their lives, and for so many parts of their lives. Yes, God’s will and plan, not our own or our control of it.
How amazing to hear your sister-in-laws story. I can’t imagine not covering our children without prayer for every aspect. What we don’t cover, the world will fill those spaces. Thanks Karen for your great words of wisdom. Stay safe and God bless.
Amen Sister thank you for sharing this heart felt message with us. I visiting a wonderful 80 year old Lady one day and I was sharing with her some concerns. She looked at me, told about her own children and their lives and said to me…”Stephen Just pray for them and Love them”… Let God do the rest….. those words were so powerful and truly blessed me… thanks again and God Bless You and Yours.
Those are very powerful words and so simple in theory. But, I still forget to do it so often. Thanks for your thoughts. Stay safe and God bless.
Thank you for this, Yvonne.
Yes, it’s much easier to speak of God’s sovereign control in the abstract than in the reality of a specific situation.
So very true Ava. Thanks for visiting. Stay safe and God bless.