Praying for our children...

Our pastor's wife, Shyamala Krishnan, shared recently on praying for our families. Here are some principles that undergird her intercession. If you would like to hear her delightful stories from which she gleaned her principles, it will be available on CD from Rexdale Alliance church, http://www.rexdalealliance.org/.

Remember: Before my child was conceived, God knew him/her and set him/her apart for a destiny. Keeping in mind that destiny, He wove him/her with utmost care as He chose specific strands of thread from his/her ancestry; as His creation, he/she is precious to Him.
See Psalm 139:13-17; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Isaiah 43:6b-7.

Remember: God draws parents into a partnership with Him, confiding in them the things they need to know so that that child will fulfill his/her ultimate destiny in bringing glory to God.
See Judges 13:3-5, 8-9, 12; Luke 1:13-17.

Watch out for: How God has woven your child; the distinctive aspects of his/her personality; interests; strengths; sensitivities; idiosyncrasies; special needs that set him/her apart.
Give thanks and praise: for how fearfully and wonderfully God has made them; bless them by pointing those things out to them, thus bestowing glory on them. Don't underestimate the power of blessing.
Watch for their 'fallen' behaviour: What concerns you? Temper? Slow to say sorry? Selfishness? Habitual lying? Unforgiveness? Lack of respect for authority? etc.
Ask yourself: is this generational? Use Ezekiel 34:25-31 to break the bars of any yokes you have inherited. Ask Jesus to teach you what it is to learn of Him. (Matthew 11:28-29).

How do you address the sins? How do you appeal to your child? Ask God to show you. Keep affirming them by giving them a vision of a calling and a destiny. [I would heartily recommend Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages of Children to help discern how to communicate love and concerns in a language that your child is receptive to.]

Kairos moments to bless or build altars or pray:
-before they leave for school (or for infants, when they first wake up-Psalm 91).
-bedtime.
-birthdays.
-beginning of new year and school year.
-significant chapters: dating; moving to new place, college dorm; marriage, jobs, sentimental family traditions etc.

Father, thank You for the wonderful creations in our children. Since You are the ONLY non-dysfunctional Parent I know, could You please give us the wisdom and knowledge we need to partner with You in leading our children into Your will, the destiny You planned for them since time began? My ideas of love are so incomplete. You have shown me perfecting love when I would have preferred pampering love. Help me to love like You do, Lord. I need Your help. I bow before Your Presence. In Jesus' Precious Name. Amen.