DISCOVERING THE HEART OF GOD: Praying For Our Kids!

"I have revealed You to the ones You gave me; for I have passed on to them the message You gave me. All who are mine belong to You, and You have given them to me; protect them by the power of Your name so that they will be united just as we are."

Of course, He was speaking of His disciples, but can't we speak the exact same way about our kids? The principle is identical: we are responsible for passing His love and truth on to all the little ones He has entrusted to us.

And then Jesus gets into the heart of what we must pray:

"I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL ONE. SANCTIFY THEM BY YOUR TRUTH." (17:15,17)

This must be our prayer too: "Father, as much as I would like to protect my kids from the evil one, there is only so much I can do. You are their Father.....protect them from the evil one. Watch over them constantly. Lead them not into temptation. And Father, sanctify them by Your truth, for Your Word is true."

Praying this way for our kids is a humble recognition that we can't be there for them all the time -- but God can. And it's also a recognition that in order to keep their minds and spirits clean we must bathe them every day in the Word of God.

I have to confess that when my children were growing up I washed my hair more often than I washed my kids' minds with the Word of God. It was so easy to get distracted from that important time of family devotions, and it's a mistake that I wish I could go back and undo.

If I want my kids to make healthy choices and remain innocent and untouched by the evil one, I need to diligently pray for the Father's protection and consistently model and teach God's Holy Word for their sanctification. They simply cannot be sanctified when I get lazy about teaching them His Word....especially when they become teenagers.

Moms, Dads....be diligent in your prayer for your kids! And be just as diligent in protecting and cherishing those quiet family times when you gather your kids together each day to sanctify their hearts and minds with God's Word.