School days, school days
Dear old golden rule days
Readin’ and ritin’ and rithmetic
Taught to the tune of the hickory stick
Children’s precious photos are flooding Facebook as they get ready to encounter their first day of school for this year. Some are excited to be back with their friends and others are anxious not knowing what the year holds. As a parent and grandparent, there are many emotions that flood hearts as the children are released into the world.
Pray for Your Children
A few months back, I was talking with some dear friends about praying for our children and grandchildren. We discussed some scriptures that we felt were important to pray over our children seeking God to bless and use them for His glory.
Prayer is essential to make sure our children are covered by the blessings of God. Does that mean that there won’t be any incidents in their lives that are painful? Absolutely not! Our children must grow in the Lord and in making decisions. As much as we would like for their lives to be with no pain or drama, we must realize that is unrealistic and trials are necessary for us all.
Scriptures to Pray
The following scriptures are ones that you could use to pray for your loved ones. It is my prayer these will help you to begin to pray scripture over your children or grandchildren. God loves the prayers of His children and longs to hear from us.
Give Thanks
Ephesians 1:16b-19, MSG, “every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask–ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory–to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for His followers, oh, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him–endless energy, boundless strength!
These words in Ephesians are words inspired by God. When praying over your child or grandchild or anyone for that matter that God lays on your heart, pray these words, God’s powerful words, over them. Substitute the name or names in the place of the you. These words have a dual objective that this person knows Christ and understands His purpose and power in their lives. Having a vision and understanding of our direction in life helps us all to stay focused and on the path to success.
Fruits of Righteousness
Philippians 1:9-11, NKJV, “I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Once again put the name of the person you are praying for in you or your place. Make the prayer personal. In this prayer, we are seeking God to direct them in love with the ability both to discern and choose what is morally best. Also, it asks that they do things that provide others no occasion to stumble. The fruits are the characteristics of Jesus.
Encourage and Listen
Spend time with the Lord praying over the children. As they go off to school, encourage them and show them love. Listen to what they have to say when they come home. Give them your quality time.
Paula Wallace
