In John 17, Jesus prays for His disciples and even for us who have believed “through their word” (John 17:20).  What a comfort it is to know that the Lord prays for His own.  It is a great comfort to even very young children to know that his/her parents love him/her and care so much that they pray to their Heavenly Father about them.

Here are some suggestions that may be helpful as you pray for your child, for his/her needs now and for their needs in the future.

1. That they will know Christ as Savior early in life (2 Timothy 3:15).

2. That they will have a hatred for sin (Psalm 97:10).

3. That they will be caught when guilty (Psalm 119:10).

4. That they will be protected from the evil one in each area  of their lives: spiritual, emotional, and physical (John 17:15).

5. That they will have a responsible attitude in all their inter-personal relationships (Daniel 6:3).

6. That they will respect those in authority over them (Romans 13:1).

7. That they will desire the right kinds of friends and be protected from wrong friends (Proverbs 1:10-11).

8. That they will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).

9. That they, as well as those they marry will be kept pure until   marriage (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

10. That they will learn to totally submit to God and actively resist Satan in all circumstances (James 4:7).

11. That they will be single-hearted, willing to be sold out to Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2).

12. That they will be hedged in so they cannot find their way to wrong people or wrong places and that the wrong people cannot find their way to them (Hosea 2:6).

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells us that “your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”  We must continue in the Father’s will and pray for our children.