Although he lived more than 2,000 years ago, Jesus of Nazareth is on the front of every major magazine every year. He is widely considered the greatest leader is history.
Napoleon Bonaparte said of him: “I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him.”
One of the things Jesus emphasized was prayer and it’s vital role in our lives. Based off of his teaching, here are 10 things to show you how to pray for your children:
1. Pray that your kids connect with God. Relationships are what make life rich and full. No relationship does this more than our relationship with God. We were made for it.
2. Pray that your children honor God. It’s important that kids learn to believe in the One who created them, a God of light and power who we are called to respect and honor. Prayer becomes more meaningful in the context of respect and reverence.
3. Pray they translate that honor into action. Kids who honor God are more inclined to participate in their Creator’s work. It’s the way “Thy will be done” turns into “Yes, and we’ll do it every day.”
4. Pray that they are well-equipped to meet every daily need. Prayer as a vehicle to honoring God is less concerned with “God, give me what I want,” or “Me, me, me,” as a matter of course. But it is absolutely appropriate to pray that our kids acquire the wisdom and the skills to live in freedom without going hungry and without fear.
5. Pray that your children forgive. Our kids certainly don’t need to be saddled with the baggage so many of us carry around. So let’s pray that they understand and live in the knowledge that forgiveness and hope are always on the table.
6. Pray that they avoid temptation. We already know how difficult it is to live with integrity in a world loaded with stumbling blocks that trip us at every turn. So pray with and for your children—that they have the necessary tools (faith, education, family support, good friends, tenacity, etc.) to resist. Here is a helpful All Pro Dad article teaching us 5 Ways to Help Your Kids Stand for What’s Right.
7. Pray that they will have the resources to defeat everything negative. Evil is more than just temptation. Sometimes, evil is direct opposition, confusion, disappointment, worry, stress, people who hate, people who always try to break down what is right and oppose goodness. We need to be serious about our commitment to pray about these things: for ourselves as well as for and with our children.
8. Pray that they will develop relationships that serve to strengthen them.The Lord’s Prayer suggests an approach to life that values balanced relationships. We were not created to live alone without support. So let’s pray that our children develop the kind of relationships that will give them strength especially to choose well when it comes to a spouse.
9. Pray that love will define them. The reason we pray at all is the belief that our Creator cares. God cares because God is love. So we should pray that our children learn to live with love as their defining value.
10. Pray for the strength of the family. Our children are on the front lines of the new generation. Anything can be lost in one generation of disinterest, including the family. Pray that our children help to turn the tide.
What do you pray for your child?
For the original article, visit allprodad.com.
Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen 
