The sermon today at church was about how to pray for our children. The passage Dr. Garland preached on was Deuteronomy 6:1-9. The verses that spoke to me this morning the most were 5-9:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Dr. Garland spoke of the importance of praying for our children. He gave us a few ways that we can pray for our children, and a couple really stood out to me as things that I need to be doing. Keeping a prayer journal or writing down my prayers for my child to give her... Praying over my child... Turning my worries into prayers... and teaching about the Lord by being a faithful follower of Christ.
I have been writing this blog in order to print off what I write to give to Madison one day. I already have a couple of books printed off that I am keeping to give to her. I wanted to write out a prayer I have for her as something that she can have. I want her to know that I pray for her... not only for what we are dealing with & going through today, but for her future.
Father, I thank you today for the precious gift that you have given me in Madison. I thank you for entrusting me to care for her. I know that she is not mine, but she is Yours. We have dedicated her to be set apart for you. Lord, she has already had a hard life in the short three years that she has been in this world. She has faced many struggles, obstacles, and challenges. I know that she will face many more in the years to come, however, I know You hold her future in Your hands. I know that You have a special plan for this amazing little girl's life. Help me to teach her that she is strong & she need not be afraid because You hold her future. I know that I tend to worry about her health, her challenges, her future... but I ask you God to enable me to place my sweet little girl in the arms of Jesus rather than to worry about her. I want to turn my worries into prayers, because You are in control. A verse that has given me strength & peace in my times of worry is Philippians 4:6-7... "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Lord, I want to fill my daughter's heart with love for you. I pray that she love You with all her heart, mind, and strength. (Matthew 22: 37-40) I pray that she will grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with man. (Luke 2:52) God I pray that You will guide me to train her up to live for You. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." I pray that You will give me wisdom to teach her biblical values, and that these values will stay forever in her heart. I pray that You will guide me to be a Godly role model for her. (Proverbs 31:10-30) I also pray that I can teach her that God's beauty is within her, and that who she is in Christ is worth far more value than that of her outside appearance, the job she has, how much money she makes, or anything else that the world places so much value on. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30)
Father, I pray for Madison today that she will come to know you. I pray that she will have a relationship with You & know You as her Creator, Savior, Father, Lord, and Provider. I know that You have a special plan for Her life. I pray that she will seek You, and that she will be obedient to what You have called her to be. I pray for her and the impact that she will have for Your kingdom. I pray for her to have Godly friends as she grows up. I pray that you will surround her with friends that love You, and that will help her as she seeks You & Your plan for her life. Lord I also pray for her future husband & his family. I pray that You bless them, and I pray that her future in-laws are praying for her already as well.
I pray for protection for Madison. I pray that You will keep her safe, and free from harm. Lord I pray that you will heal her body. I pray that her communication & speech skills will improve and that she will be able to express her needs & wants. I pray that you will correct her balance issues & help her to be able to run, jump, and play as a normal child. I pray that you will protect her from having any more seizures, and that she will be able to come off of her seizure medicine as she grows. I pray that you will heal her kidney reflux & keep the one kidney that she does have healthy. I thank you for the progress that she has made, and the progress that she continues to make every day.
I pray that Madison will know how much she is loved by her daddy & me, her grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins and other family members, our family friends, our church family at First Baptist Portland, her grandparents' church families, her doctors, her therapists, and everyone that she comes in contact with. She is an amazing, beautiful little girl, and I pray that her story is being used for Your glory.
Madison, "May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)
