Refining parents and children

[Please join me in praying for children, families, and our future on Thursdays this year.]

I believe very strongly that when we pray God’s Word into/over a situation he will have to hear it because he cannot ignore his own Word. So, let us pray the following over our families today:

  1. We will set an example for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.  (1 Timothy 4:12)
  2. Above all else, we will guard our hearts because everything we do flows from it.  (Proverbs 4:23)
  3. Lord Father is the potter and we are the clay, the work of his hand.  (Isaiah 64:8)
  4. We will think so as to have sound judgement as God has allotted to us a measure of faith.  (Romans 12:3a)
  5. We will be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  (James 1:9)

God,

We know that you created the one husband-one wife marriage, in part, to help us grow in our spiritual maturity and to create a place to raise godly children. Thank you for entrusting parents with these precious young people and for your guidance in their care and child-rearing. You are the Potter and we are the works of your hands. Help us remember that we all – parents and children – are in the process of being refined to look more and more like Jesus. Help us be patient with ourselves and others as we are in that process, but to never quit growing in grace, in obedience, and in righteousness. Give us more of Holy Spirit so we have more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control, because in this world we need ALL of those in great measure. Help us to remember you call us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Help us to be an example for those around us in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.  Give us clear minds, self discipline, and strong faith so we think so as to have sound judgement. Above all else, we pray you will help us guard our hearts because everything we do and we say flows from it.  We ask all this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.

“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)