Guest Prayer: Raising Boys

We are so pleased to introduce you to our friend Crystal. As a very busy mom of four young (and adorable) boys she understands the challenges and blessings of raising boys in today's world. Moms of boys are faced with the unique challenge to form and shape someone who is completely opposite from them. So while they may have our hair or our eyes, we may never understand why we find rocks and bugs in their pockets on laundry day.

Today we have asked Crystal to share her prayer for her boys. So if you are a mom of boys you'll appreciate her honesty and her faith with the Lord. And even if you are a mom of girls, pray this prayer on behalf of the mother of your daughter's future husband.

Father, thank you so very much for the blessing of my children. When I had 4 boys in 3 years, little did I understand the job laid forth before me. Please work through me to instill a strong and abiding love for you. There are so many opportunities each day to invite you into our home. Even though we may be busy and distracted please help us see and use each and every opportunity to talk with you, about you, about your love for us, and our love for you. Forgive me when I let these opportunities pass by without notice.

They are only young for a fleeting time. In that short amount of time, help me create men who will grow to be loving husbands, fathers, brothers and friends. When I get overwhelmed with the energetic antics of young boys, help me remember that this time is special. It will not last forever. Help me cherish each and every day I have with them while they are young. The time will come for them to leave the nest, and when they do, I pray that they will have a strong foundation with which to build their own families. Help me to help them become the spiritual leaders in their own homes. So that knowledge of the love you have for us will remain strong for generations to come.

Thank you for the blessing of my family. I pray that you would continue to be with me, helping and guiding me, in one of my most important jobs on this earth, being a mother.

Amen

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

On Our Hearts: Forgotten Children

Heavenly Father,

Today we just lift up those children who have been forgotten. So many children around the world have slipped through the cracks and are wandering. To the innocent baby born to a drug addicted mother, to the teenager who left an abusive home to live on the streets, they all need our love and prayers. There are children in foster care who bounce from home to home never fully understanding what it means to be loved in a secure and stable environment. There are children who have been abandoned emotionally by parents who desire drugs or alcohol over the care of their children. And to the unborn child whose mother is uncertain of her decision to follow through with the pregnancy, we pray for all of them.

Lord, we ask that You lift out Your loving hands to each of these children who are in need of love. Protect them and comfort them as they struggle to find peace in their surroundings. Let their eyes only see the beauty that You have created around them. Put people in their lives that are willing to do what it takes to provide a loving home for them. Father we ask that You watch over the unborn and that You protect them from harm. Change the hearts of mothers and fathers who may have turned their back on their children. Show them the way to get sober and clean and give them a support system to help them when it gets too hard to cope. Father no matter how dire or disheartening the situation a child faces we know that You can work supernaturally to protect their hearts. We praise You Lord, for You do the work when we cannot.

Amen

"The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: 'Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in.' Then gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them." Mark 10:13-16

On Our Hearts: Our Children

Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for the blessing that is our children. We pray that You will be our guide as we direct their little hearts. Let us be loving yet consistent with our discipline, let us be thoughtful and sensitive as we dry their tears, and let us rejoice with them as they find happiness in the tiniest of things. Lord, we ask that we remember to hug them often when they are little and to slowly let go as they grow older. Most of all Lord, show us how to point them in the way of You. May we be the light they need to find You among so much evil.

Lord, we ask that you watch over our children. Be their shield and protect them from harm. Nourish their bodies to grow healthy and strong. Lord, fill their minds with the things that are honoring to You. We ask that You provide them with good friends and lots and lots of joy. We trust You, Lord, that you will provide them with all of their needs. In Jesus' name,

Amen

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6