Houston Newborn Photographer | Mom Hack Monday: The ABC’s of Praying for Your Kids

Happy April Fools Day!! Once I had a newborn session that took place on April Fools and when my clients got there I pulled a Canon point and shoot camera out of my bag! Not really because it was the first time I had met that family (Now I do consultations. If we had done a consultation that joke would have killed.) BUT I TOLD THEM about that joke and they thought it was really funny. I’ve still always wanted to do that!

Let’s get down to the real topic of #momhackMonday. The best piece of parenting advice I have EVER been given came straight from God . . .

“Pray without ceasing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17

If you can do that, I guarantee you will be the best parent out there. Buuuut we are human and we live in a fallen world, immersed in DISTRACTION, so that one thing becomes HARD. TO. DO! I am convinced that Satan’s biggest tactic to keep us out of the battle isn’t sin, its distraction. We get busy being the best mom we can be by cutting our kids’ PB&J’s into hearts and dinosaurs, writing them elaborate napkin-notes for their lunch boxes, answering emails and having great long fellowship coffee dates with friends or even um, going to work. None of those things are bad. But when our entire day has been filled with checking items off of our to-do list instead of praying, Satan wins.

Pray for your kids! Satan wants to win their hearts but we were not given our children only to sit helplessly on the sidelines of spiritual warfare. God gave us a WEAPON we can use to fight this battle. Here are some quick and easy prayers to pray over our kids throughout the day! You can take one a day and go through the entire alphabet in a row or pray each of them every day. Either way, your children will be blessed by your prayers because God is listening and He is faithful.

A – ATTITUDE Lord, I pray for my child to have a Godly attitude, doing all things without grumbling or complaining that they may shine as lights in the world. (Phil.2:14-15)

B – BRAVERY God, give my children bravery like your servant David when he fought Goliath. (1 Samuel 17)

C – COMPASSION Instill in each of my children a heart of compassion. Let them befriend the unfriendly just like Jesus did. (1 Peter 3:8)

D – DELIVERANCE Lord, I pray that you will DELIVER my children from harm and death, as you delivered Daniel from the lion’s den and delivered Jesus from the grave. (Psalm 32:7)

E – ETERNAL LIFE – I pray that my children will accept Jesus Christ as LORD and savior at a young age and receive the FREE gift of eternal life in Heaven. (Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[a Christ Jesus our Lord.”

F – FAMILY – Please give my kids an appreciation for their family. Protect our family unit and help my kids to all be friends during and after their years together at home. (Eph. 6:4)

G -GRATITUDE – Lord I pray that you would give my children grateful hearts. Let them walk through life humbly with much gratitude. (1 Chronicles 16:34)

H – HOPE – God I pray that the resurrection and life of Jesus would give them hope for eternal life with you and that they will always be ready to give a reason for their hope. (1 Peter 3:15)

I – INDEPENDENCE – Lord, thank you for my kids’ independent hearts. I pray that my children will always lean on you for independence and freedom from sin. (John 8:36)

J – JOY – Lord please fill my childrens’ hearts with joy and all the fruits of the spirit! (Gal. 5)

K – KIND – Father I pray for my children to choose kindness, even when it is not the easiest choice. Let them always treat each other with KINDNESS and RESPECT. (Eph. 4:32)

L – LOVE – Lord, let my kids’ hearts abound in love for you and for others. Let them live to make your love known as far as the ends of the earth. (1 Cor. 13:11)

M – MERCY Lord I pray that my children will love mercy and that it would flow generously from their hearts. (Micah 6:8)

N – NEAR TO YOU I pray for my children to be near to you and that the desire to draw near to you will be deeply rooted in their hearts. (James 4:8)

O – OBEDIENCE Help my children to respond to authority with obedience, both to their parents and to you. (Eph. 6:1, John 14:15)

P – PERSEVERANCE God give my children perseverance to finish the task you have given them. Help them not to grow weary in doing good but to remain strong and keep working as unto you. (Heb. 12:1)

Q – QUIET HEARTS Lord, I pray that my kids will have quiet hearts before you and submit to Your will for them in Christ Jesus. (1 Peter 3)

R – REST – May my children find rest in You alone, God, and may you fight for them, allowing them to rest in your love. (Psalm 62, Exodus 14)

S – SAFETY Lord, please command your angels concerning my children, keeping them physically, spiritually, and emotionally safe. (Psalm 91)

T – TRUST Help my children to trust in YOU God with all their hearts, leaning not on their own understanding. I pray that you build trust in my relationship with them so they may have a better understanding of what it means to trust in You. (1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 20:7)

U – UNQUENCHABLE thirst for you – Lord I pray that the more my children learn about you, the more they would want to learn. Give them an unquenchable thirst for YOU and Your Word, the Bible. (Psalm 63).

V – VOW – God, please protect my children from making any vows or judgments that would prevent them from living a life full of godliness and holiness.

W – WARRIOR – I pray that my children will become prayer warriors. (1 These, 5:17)

X – eXAMINATION – God I pray that You will give my kids eyes to eXAMINE and see things the way you do. (1 Sam. 16)

Y – YOUTH – I pray that no one will look down on my children because they are young, but that they will have proper boundaries and be respected for the content of their hearts even in their youth. (1 Tim. 4:12)

Z – ZEAL Lord please help my children to never be lacking in zeal but to develop a spiritual fervor for the Lord. (Rom. 12:11)