A PARENT'S HEART

Several years ago, I learned something that has come to mean SO much to me....praying scripture. Taking a verse of scripture and personalizing it for yourself or for the one for whom you are praying. We always want to pray in God's will. When we pray scripture, we can be sure that we are doing so.

Here's an example: When my daughter first began work as a neonatal intensive care nurse, she often had to work nights. Her system just could NOT adjust to that shift. She could not rest or sleep during the day, her digestive system would give her fits. It was a nightmare! One of the verses that I prayed for her was Psalm 127: 2b "...he gives his beloved sleep". I would pray that God would give her sleep during the day so that she would be able to do her job. I also prayed Psalm 4: 8 "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makes me to dwell in safety. " I would pray that He would give her peaceful sleep.

After learning that concept, I began to pray verses for my children. They were in their late teens and early adult years and being faced with many temptations and decisions that would affect the rest of their lives. Recently, I have talked with several mothers who are in the same place with their children. Our children are our heart and we desire nothing more than God's very best for them. Yet when they become adults, it is out of our hands. We must place them in God's hands.

Today I'd like to share some of the verses that I have prayed for my children in hopes that these will be verses that you can pray for YOUR children as you lift them up to the Lord each day in prayer:


Try ________'s heart Lord. Visit him in the night. Hold up his goings in YOUR path, Lord. Do not let his foot slip. Psalm 17: 3, 5, 18

Help ______ to acknowledge her sin and not hide it from you. Help her to confess all of her sins so you can forgive her and renew a right relationship with her. Psalm 32:5

Help ______ to depart from evil and do good always. Psalm 34:14

Lord, give ________ a companion who knows and fears you and who obeys your word. Either turn _________'s heart to you or chase him/her away. Psalm 119:63

________ has gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek her Lord. Remind her she is yours. Psalm 119:176

Bring _________'s soul out of prison so he may once again praise you. Deal bountifully with him Lord. Psalm 142:7

O Lord search ___________'s heart, for you know her like no other. You know every move she makes and every thought she has. You are acquainted with all of her ways. There is not a word she speaks that you do not know it, Father. Enclose her behind and before and keep your hand upon her this day. Where can we go and be apart from you? There is no place we can go where you are not....from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Wherever we go your hand will lead us. The darkness cannot hide you. Wherever ________goes, you are there. She is your possession. You covered her when she was still in my womb. She is fearfully and wonderfully made by you....marvelous is your creation! All her members are written in your book. How precious are your thoughts toward __________. How great is the sum of them. Therefore, search her O God and know her heart. Try her and see if there is any wicked way in her and show her YOUR path everlasting. Psalm 139

May ________ walk not in the counsel of the ungodly...but may his delight be in your word and may he meditate on it day and night. Psalm 1: 1, 2

Show ________ your ways O Lord; teach her your paths. Lead her in your truth for you are the God of her salvation. Psalm 25: 4, 5

God may you always be ________'s hiding place. Preserve him from trouble. Psalm 32: 7

Keep _______'s tongue from evil and her lips from speaking perversely. Psalm 34: 13

May _______depart from evil and do good. May he seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34: 14

Let those who seek to pull _________away from you be confounded and put to shame. May they be turned back....let the angel of the Lord chase them away. Psalm 35: 4,5

Father, help ________ to fret not, but to trust in you. May she delight herself in you so that you may give her the desires of her heart. Help her to commit her way unto You, rest and wait patiently for you. Psalm 37: 1-7

Order _______'s steps Lord in your way. When he falls, pick him up and uphold him with your mighty right hand. Psalm 37: 23, 24

Hide not your face from ________, Lord. When they are in trouble, hear them speedily! Psalm 69: 17

May _______ be blessed because her strength is in you and may her heart be set on you. Psalm 84: 5

Help _______ to behave wisely....help him to walk within his house in a perfect way. May he set no wicked thing before his eyes. Psalm 101: 2,3

May she seek you with her whole heart....may she not wander from the commands of your word. May she hide your word in her heart so that she will not sin against You. Psalm 119: 10, 11

Let ________always hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is plenteous mercy and with him there is plenteous redemption. Psalm 130: 7


Maybe these will give you a start on choosing verses for your loved ones...not just your children. Praying God's word is a powerful tool in our arsenal of weapons of warfare.