Power of a Praying Parent

A few weeks ago at our DNOW weekend, we had a parent seminar on Sunday morning for the parents of the students who attended DNOW. During that parent seminar, we covered the power of a praying parent. I’ve have parents who were not able to be there ask me about what I taught so I decided to write a blog post and cover what we covered in the seminar.

 

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Prayer is an important part of what it means to parent a teenager through some of the most difficult years that your child is in your home. There are so many changes that happen, both external and internal, during the teen years that we need to have an open line of communication through prayer with our Father in heaven. Here is some practical advice for how to start or continue to be a praying parent.

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Using the Lord’s Prayer as a model for us to pray for our students
Prayer expresses love to our heavenly Dad. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” brings worship to the Lord. When we pray, we give praise for His character and thanksgiving for what He has done.
Prayer commits us to God’s will, not ours. “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” opens our hearts to His kingdom and His will. When we pray for God’s will over our family, church, and friends, we are saying to the Lord, “Have Your way with us.”
Prayer declares God as our provider. “Give us today our daily bread” reminds us that God meets our physical needs. When we pray for our daily bread, we recognize our heavenly Father as the source of life and the provider of everything we need. It reminds us of the blessings, both big and small, he has provided for us and helps us have a grateful heart.
Prayer seeks forgiveness of sins. “Forgive us our debts” acknowledges the sin that keeps us from becoming like Jesus and it looks to God as the only One who can remove that sin. It also acknowledges that we are sinners in need of forgiveness for those sins.
Prayer resolves anger. “As we also have forgiven our debtors” ends the cycle of blame in our relationships. Prayer frees our hearts from the toxic poisons of resentment and bitterness.
Prayer provides spiritual protection. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” acknowledges God’s grace and invokes God’s safety in our lives. With all the temptations of our world today, I can’t imagine heading out the door unprotected.
Prayer may not always change our circumstances, but it does change us. It connects us to our heavenly Dad, aligns our priorities and guards our hearts.
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Specific Prayers for your students
Pray they will…
  • Enjoy their God-given life.
  • Learn and grow.
  • Have God’s wisdom to handle life’s challenges.
  • Pursue a personal relationship with Christ.
  • Learn from their mistakes.
Pray that…
  • God will be their guide.
  • God will help them love who He has created them to be.
  • God’s glory will permeate their lives.
Pray for their future…
  • Spouse.
  • Teachers.
  • Friends.
  • Bosses.
  • Safety.
Pray for their deeper needs
Their souls, as well as their bodies, have been placed in my care. Here is a list of seven things to pray over your children:
  • Lord, I pray that You will remind my children daily that Your love for them is everlasting (Psalm 103:17).
  • Cultivate a grateful heart within them (Psalm 118:28).
  • Help them speak the truth to others and to themselves (Ephesians 4:25).
  • Fill them with joy and peace (Romans 15:13).
  • Make them a blessing to everyone they meet (1 Peter 3:9).
  • Help them to listen to Your Word and do what it says (Luke 11:28).
  • May they never walk away from You; draw their hearts closer so You will always be near them (James 4:8).

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Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution? How long did it last? According to US News (article found here), 80% of the people in the US only keep resolutions through the 2nd week of January. Don’t let being a praying parent be like New Years resolutions. Be disciplined in praying for your student and yourself in the areas listed above. Keep at it. The Bible tells us,

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

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