Praying Over Your Children and StepchildrenShembull

Identity

Every day, advertisers and culture at large bombard our children and bonus children with messages convincing them that certain actions will make them happier and well-liked. Our kiddos are told to play certain video games, eat specific foods (mostly junk), wear certain clothing brands, and play with the latest toys. As they grow older, the messages become more overt and destructive.

Against that backdrop, we as parents and bonus parents have an opportunity to speak life and hope into our children and bonus children. We can give them a message straight from Scripture: you are a beloved and extraordinary creation of God. We can offer age-appropriate truth about their intrinsic value independent of their actions, grades, athletic ability, physical appearance, weight, or any other external measure. We can root them in Scriptural truth to counteract the enemy’s lies. And we can pray for them—the most crucial, powerful, and effectual action we can take on their behalf.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray that my children and bonus children would know You as their Heavenly Father and root their identity in who You say they are—fearfully and wonderfully made by Your hand. As they hear or see messages from the world telling them they are not enough, may they remember who they are and Whose they are—beloved children of the Almighty, all-loving, all-powerful Lord of the universe. May they feel secure and cherished in Your love and may they believe what You say about them. Amen.