A Prayer for Our Children

Lord God,

We come as weak human beings who want to follow You. When we follow You, You change us. We want You to keep doing that for us, and we want You to do that for these children as well.

First, give them the gift of new life. Open their eyes and ears and hearts to the true realities that lie beyond what their physical bodies can perceive. Bring them out of the darkness into which they were born and into Your marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Then, Lord, conform them into the image of Your Son.

Let them have Your Son's pure emotions. Let them soar with joy when sinners come into Your kingdom. Let them have compassion for the lost and hurting. Let them reach out with tenderness to the outcast and the weak. Let them weep over the effects of sin in our world. Let them be angry when Your good name has been tarnished.

Allow them to grow toward Your Son's personality. Let them be comfortable with people and alone. Let them be quick to listen and slow to speak. Let them seek You in private and public realms. Let their senses and intuition be honed to understand Your world. Let them be as much like Your Son in their personalities that they can possibly be.

Finally, we ask that Your Son's character would be formed in them. Give them perseverance through hard times. Give them initiative in forgiving and in seeking forgiveness. Give them humility and gentleness in serving others. Give them wisdom in making good choices. Let them pay more attention to what is on the inside than what others see on the outside.

Lord, this is an ongoing process that we all need. Let the children see us grow each day. Don't let any of us grow comfortable with where we are in our Christian lives. Don't let us deceive ourselves that we are okay when we are really falling short of the mirror of Scripture and the image of Your Son. Keep us on our toes to be the kind of people who will not be a stumbling block to these little ones because we know that it would be better to die than to cause them to stumble (Matthew 18:6). Let us be the examples that they need as they grow.

Lord God, we know You love little children and will be able to do more for them than we can, so we entrust them to You, confident that You will do more for, in, and through them, than we can begin to think or imagine.

In the Name of the One who called little children to Himself, we pray.

Amen.

Photos: The blessing of children in Japan.