Praying God’s promises for our children

First John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He will hear us.” A secret to successful prayer is knowing God’s will. Scripture gives us the will of God. Praying scriptural promises becomes an effective tool.

Author Mike Stevens has written a book entitled, “Sixty-five promises from God for Your child.” (Charisma House, 2013). His book is a source of inspiration for this message.

The world does not always prize children, but the Bible says in Pslam 127:3, “Children are inheritance from the Lord. They are a reward from Him.” In Asia there are countries that limit the number of children one can have. In the Western World permission is often given to abort our little ones in their mother’s wombs. The Bible says they are a precious gift.

Most parents and grandparents want what is best for their children. That’s how God feels about his children. The Bible was written to give guidance and direction for our lives. He who was created us knows what is best for us. He also knows what is best for our children and has given us at least 165 promises for them. Most of them have a specific context surrounding the promise, but in it we can sense the heart of God and His will for us.

God’s promises are even for divided families. Second Corinthians 7:14 says, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband, otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”

The starting point has to do with we as parents making a choice. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land they were given a strong admonition from Joshua, “Choose today whom you will serve … As for me and my house, we will serve the lord.” (Joshua 24:15). After making the choice to serve God, the next step is to discover God’s will.

The Bible tells us in Second Timothy 2:4 that, “God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” The context of this verse is praying for others, especially those in authority, so that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

On the day of Pentecost, at the birth of the church, Peter stood up and gave his first sermon where 3,000 people accepted the Lord. Listen to his words, “For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far away.” The Holy Spirit was given to all the following generations to come.

In Acts 16 the jailer in Philippi asked Paul and Silas what must I do to be saved?

They responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved.” They were all baptized and saved that evening. We are to pray steadfastly for our family to be saved. That is God’s will.

Beyond salvation we discover numerous Biblical promises regarding our children.

Psalm 91:10-11, For those abiding in Him, God promises, no evil or plague shall come near our household and His angels will give divine protection. Matthew 18:10 explains that our children have guardian angels.

Isaiah 54:13 says, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be peace of your children.”

Isaiah 44:3, “I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing shall be on your offspring.” In our prayers we invite God’s blessing on our children.

In Luke 15, we have the parable of the prodigal son. Here we see the heart of God our Father who was moved with compassion and welcomed the wayward son home. Like our Heavenly Father we longingly wait for our prodigal children to return home.

We pray with confidence for our children because we know the heart of God is for us and our family.

Dr. Don Brendtro has been in pastoral ministry for more than 50 years, and is currently an elder at Summit Worship Center in Wasilla. He also volunteers with Alaska Correctional Ministries as a prison chaplain.