Last week was the first day of school for the twins.
First grade.
It's going to rock our world!
They are going to school 5 days a week, now.
(Last year, for Kindergarten, they went just three mornings a week.)
So, including Sunday, that's 6 mornings they have to GO! GO! GO!
One thing (among many) I love about our school
are the shorter school days.
Monday, Wednesday, Fridays until 12:30.
Tuesdays and Thursdays until 2:30.
But still, that's 26 1/2 hours away from home.
Under someone else's care.
Being influenced by others.
And though our school is a precious covenant Christian school,
it's made up of sinners.
Including my girls.
It's milestones like this that cause me to pause
and ask...
Have I equipped them properly?
Have they hidden the Word in their hearts?
Are they prepared to always give an answer?
The answer is...
probably not.
The blessing is that I can still cover them in prayer
even though they are not under my wings.
One of my all time favorite mommy-ing books is
by Jodie Berndt.
It's one of those books that is mostly highlighted.
Notes written all in the margins.
This wonderful book has encouraged me to find scripture
to pray for each child,
(even the one{s} God's going to bring into our family)
for their specific heart issues,
for their specific struggles,
for their specific needs.
Now that the older two children are out of the house on most days,
I have to use the sword of the Spirit
to protect them from the Enemy who prowls like a lion
waiting to devour them.
About once every week or so,
I sit down with my Bible, a pen, and some notecards.
I ask the Holy Spirit to show me how to pray for each girl.
Then I write down specific scriptures on separate note cards
and carry them in my car
(because that is where I spend lots of time!)
I can't be with my girls all day long,
but I can pray for them all day long!
Here are some verses I'm praying right now for them.
Father, let my girls use gentle answers to turn away wrath. Let their gentleness be evident to all.
Lord, please allow my girls to be completely humble and gentle and patient. Allow them to bear with one another in love. Help them to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Lord, help my daughter be on guard against all kinds of greed. Help her to see and understand that her life does not consist in the abundance of her possessions. Help her to be content in whatever circumstances she is in, and to have a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude over what you have given her.
Lord, please guard the friendships my daughters make. Guard them from making friends with hot-tempered men; guard them from learning those ways. I pray that you would bestow upon them wisdom so that they would understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. Let wisdom enter their heart; allow knowledge to be pleasant to their soul; let discretion protect them and understanding guard them. Let wisdom save them from the ways of wicked men.
Cause my daughters to make every effort to add to their faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. Let them possess these qualities in increasing measure so that they will be effective and productive in their knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
And the list goes on...
prayers for obedience
prayers for a lying tongue
prayers for friendships
prayers for submission to authority
prayers for anger
prayers for provoking others to anger
prayers for diligence
prayers for a joyful spirit
prayers for humility
prayers for the words that come out of their mouths
prayers for loving the Word...
I'd love to hear your favorite verses you pray over your children.
And if you aren't praying this way,
I encourage you to pray the Scriptures.
It's effective.
Isaiah 55:11
2 Timothy 4:16-17
