A Prayer for God’s Protection over Our Children
By: John North

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” – Proverbs 22:6

God has taken a life that he loves, that he wants nurtured to love him and serve him, and entrusted it into your care—no greater privilege could he give you!

As you watch your children grow, (whether you are their natural or spiritual parent), you realize that their whole lives are being shaped by their experiences in their early years. As you train your children to love God above all else and to share Christ with others and to see every situation as a ministry opportunity, you are shooting them like arrows into the future.

Long after your own influence in this world has faded, your children and their children after them will be serving God and building his Kingdom in the lives and hearts of those around them. The time you spend giving your kids a godly heritage will bear far greater fruit in the long run than time spent in your own ministry to others.

If you are a parent, you do not have to choose between your own ministry and discipling your children, but the Lord is reminding you not to let the balance swing away from your children for too long. They are God’s gift to you. And your years of influence in their lives will not last forever!

Dear Lord, we ask that you place a hand of protection over our children. Teach them to be strong without being hard, and compassionate without being proud. We are their parents, but you are their Heavenly Father. Please be with our children as they grow in this strange world. Teach them to love others as you have loved them, and help us guide them in your ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.