Prayers for my grandchildren

Pray for My Grandsons

Pray for my grandsons that they make the right choices in life
and that they study hard in order to get a good education.
Please guide Dazan as he starts his first year of
college and away from home.
Dear Jesus, protect him and help him with school.
I also pray that he comes back home
to visit with his family that loves him unconditionally.
Dear Jesus, guide him today. Thank you Jesus.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
The Lord Is with thee,
Blessed art thou amongst women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus;
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners … now,
And at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Morning Prayers

Father in Heaven, You love me.
You are with me night and day.
I want to love you always, In all I do and say.
I’ll try to please you, Father.
Bless me through the day.
Amen.

Jesus, keep me all this day.
When at school and when at play;
May I do the things I ought,
May I hate each evil thought;
Help me love and trust in Thee
Now and through eternity.
Amen.

I thank Thee, Lord, for sleep and rest,
For all the things that I love best,
Now guide me through another day
And bless my work and bless my play.
Lord, make me strong for noble ends,
Protect and bless my loving friends;
Of all mankind good Christians make.
All this I ask for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

Guardian Angel Prayer

O Angel of God, my Guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here.
Ever this day, be at my side
to light, to guard, to rule, to guide.
Amen.

Night prayers

Now the light has gone away;
Jesus, listen while I pray.
Asking Thee to watch and keep
And to send me peaceful sleep.
Jesus, Saviour, wash away
All that has been wrong today;
Help me each and every day to be
Good and gentle, more like Thee.
Let my near and dear ones be
Always near and dear to Thee.
O bring me and all I love
To Thy happy home above.
Amen.

l praise to Thee, my God, this night
For all the blessings of the light:
O Keep me, keep me, King of kings,
Beneath Thine own almighty wings.
Amen.

Angels bless and angels keep,
Angels guard me while I sleep.
Bless my heart and bless my home,
Bless my spirit as I roam.
Guide and guard me through the night,
and wake me with the morning’s light.
Amen.

Prayers before meals

Bless us, O Lord,
And these, thy gifts,
Which of thy bounty,
We are about to receive
Through Christ, Our Lord,
Amen.

For food in a world where many walk in hunger;
For faith in a world where many walk in fear;
For friends in a world where many walk alone;
We give you thanks, O Lord.
Amen.

We thank you, Father God, for the love that binds us, for the food that nourishes us, and for your giving of your Son into our world to save us.
Amen.

The Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Prayers after meals

Thank you, God, for the food we have eaten.
Thank you, God, for all our friends.
Thank you, God, for everything.
Amen.

Accept, O Lord, our thankful praises,
For all Thy goodness did bestow;
May it increase our faith and lead us,
Our praise by godly lives to show;
That every deed and word may prove
We trust and own our Father’s love.
Amen.

Almighty God, We give You thanks for all Your benefits goodness and graces, which we have received through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

An act of faith

O my God, I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; I believe that Thy Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived.
Amen.

An act of hope

O my God, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.
Amen.

Prayer to The Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit, you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit, help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

An act of charity

O my God, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.
Amen.

The act of contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. And I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven, and the pains of Hell but,most of all, because I love Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life.
Amen.

Our Father

Our Father, who art In heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass Against us
And Lead us not Into temptation
But deliver us from evil
Amen

www.catholicgrandparentsassociation.org

Several years ago, I found a precious letter in my family’s archives. My great-grandfather in Poland wrote to my grandfather, who had immigrated to America. One line in the letter struck me with both comfort and conviction: “I faithfully pray for you, for your children, and for your future generations.”

I am one of those grandchildren. Before I was born, my great-grandfather prayed for me from halfway around the world. That comforts me.

I was also convicted by my great-grandfather’s letter. How do my prayers shape my twelve grandchildren’s lives? How can I learn to pray effectively for them?

1. Pray God’s Word for Our Grandchildren

I realized that my prayers for my grandchildren had been too vague and general: “Keep them safe,” “Help them in school,” “Open their hearts.”

As I read the Bible with their lives in mind, my prayers became more specific. I can pray, paraphrasing Psalm 34:13: “Lord, keep Jason’s tongue from speaking evil and his lips from telling lies.” For the grandchild who seems disinterested in the Lord, I can pray from Proverbs 2:1, “Lord, touch Ben’s heart. Teach him to listen to what You have to say and to treasure Your commands.” For the teenager going through a tough time, I can pray from Isaiah 40:1-4: “O Lord, You formed Stacy’s life. I will not be afraid because You have ransomed her. You have called her by name. She is Yours. When she goes through deep waters, You will be with her. When she goes through the rivers of difficulty, she will not drown. She is precious to You. You love her.”

When we pray according to God’s Word, we are in line with His will, enabling us to pray with power and wisdom. The praying changes not only the lives of our grandchildren, but us as well. We gain a fuller perspective.

2. Trust the Faithfulness of God

It’s easy for us grandmothers to worry about our grandchildren. They are faced with choices and challenges we could never imagine when we were their age. Many movies, music lyrics, TV programs, video games, and the Internet are desensitizing our grandchildren. They live in a world of legal recreational marijuana, other drugs, sex trafficking, alcohol abuse, confusion about sexual identity, pornography, premarital sex, homosexuality, and much more.

But instead of wringing our hands in distress, we can pray—regularly, intentionally, specifically—trusting them into God’s faithful care.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (Psa 34:18).

God’s way is perfect…. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. (Psa 18:30)

Even when walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside . Your rod and your staff protect and comfort . (Psa 23:4)

We grandmothers can stand in the gap, praying for the spiritual, emotional, and physical protection of our precious grandchildren. We are not hopeless; wehave a God who is “our refuge and strength, our stronghold in times of trouble” (Psa 46:1).

Because God is faithful, we can breathe in His peace while we wait for the answers to our prayers.

3. Join With Others

When I first became passionate about praying for my grandchildren, God directed me to the Christian Grandparenting Network, an organization devoted to challenging Christian grandparents to live intentionally as representatives of Christ for future generations. It is committed to providing a network of resources and opportunities for grandparents to have powerful opportunities for intergenerational dialogue to strengthen grandparent-grandchild relationships and spiritual growth. I now have the privilege of serving as their National Prayer Coordinator, writing devotionals and prayer suggestions on their website.

We also have a grandmothers’ prayer group in my church. We meet monthly and pray for our grandchildren, our children, and each other. We encourage each other to love our grandchildren, even when they disappoint us with their music choices, their appearances, and sometimes their body piercings. It’s a “safe place” to share our heavy hearts. We have seen God answer prayers in some remarkable ways.

4. Grandparenting With A Purpose

As we age, we may sometimes feel that we are no longer useful. The truth is, God has a significant purpose for us. Just as the Old Testament Queen Esther stood in the gap for her people when their lives were threatened, we can stand in the gap for our grandchildren and their parents as their lives are threatened spiritually. Perhaps at no other time in history is a call to prayer more urgently needed than it is today. Together we can link arms in prayer for the sake of the next generation.

My great-grandfather’s prayers had a ripple effect on my whole family—on my grandparents, my parents, my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, and me. If you do not have a Christian heritage, you have the privilege of starting the ripple effect with prayers for your family.

Sometimes our grandchildren see the results of our prayers. My oldest granddaughter warmed my heart when she sent me the following note:

Grandma, your phone calls, cards, and e-mails were encouraging and made a significant impact on my life, especially in my teenage and college years. Your prayers and encouragement have been rock-solid reminders of God’s truth in my incredible, crazy life-shaping years, and now in my married life. Your prayers help me surrender the craziness of my life to God.

A few years ago on a sunny autumn day, my husband and I were traveling in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Mesmerized by the reflections of the rugged snow-covered mountains and golden aspen trees on a pristine lake, I could not help but ask myself: Do my children and grandchildren see God’s love reflected in my life in the same way? Do they see Jesus in me?

Pondering the answer to these questions led me to realize that the sun must shine on the mountains and trees to create a reflection. In order for God’s love to reflect from my life, the love of Jesus Christ must be shining in my heart, which means that I must be reading and obeying His Word.

My husband and I thank God he has given us an opportunity to be prayer warriors for our twelve grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Serving Him in this way and leading the cause through Christian Grandparenting Network’s prayer ministry has given my life purpose and significance.

May the light of the Son reflect in you, and may you know the joy of serving as God’s prayer warrior for your grandchildren and future generations. 

www.crosswalk.com

On becoming “Grand-Pop”

This is a picture of my son Aaron, with his son (my grandson), Wyatt. Don’t you love the matching flannel shirts? His daddy dressed them both that day… and those Carhartt(c) overalls are amazingly cute!

Wyatt was born on June 4th, 2013 – which made him a wondeful birthday present for my youngest daughter Faith, who celebrates her birth on that day. He’s my first grandchild, born to my oldest son, who has only been married for just over 1 1/2 years at the time of this writing.

As I’ve been considering the implications of the birth of this second generation that has sprung from me, I’ve been sobered. Though Wyatt’s upbringing falls mainly on my son and his sweet wife, Hannah, I have a deep conviction in my soul that I am responsible in some very important ways as well. Here are some of the things that come to mind:

• For now, they live in the same town as we do, so I have the opportunity to invest the seeds of what God has done in my life, into his life personally – through my interaction with his parents and by building my very own relationship with him (I’m “Grand-Pop,” by the way).

• When/if they move away (I’ll hate that day when/if it comes), I’ll have to be intentional about those things long-distance. I’ll have to write letters, send e-mails, make phone calls, do video calls… whatever it takes to make sure that I’m adding to Wyatt’s life what the LORD would have me add.

• I can always pray for him… and I’m learning not to take that lightly. I believe that as James says, the prayers of a righteous man avail much (James 5:16). Through Christ I have the opportunity to capitalize on the righteousness He has given to me, on Wyatt’s behalf. I can pray for him confidently, powerfully, and according to the truth of God and EXPECT to see good come of it. I’m just learning to do that as I begin my Grand-Pop journey.

A great pattern for prayer

Though I’ve been a believer in Christ for many years, and have practiced prayer for all that time, I feel like I’m JUST NOW beginning to learn how to pray. I’m just now devoting significant blocks of time to the practice, just now beginning to understand some of what Jesus taught about it, and just now really beginning to apply the head knowledge I’ve had all these years.

When it comes to prayer, I’m sorrowful it’s taken me so long to learn… but grateful for the LORD’s patience, mercy, and grace to get me where I need to be.

Just yesterday, as I was going through my prayer list, I came upon Wyatt’s name. The gravity of my responsibility as his “Grand-Pop” almost crushed me. I realized that my prayers for him matter greatly. I wanted to do my utmost to call down the blessing of heaven on his new, but significant life.

As I thought about his infant soul (he’s just turned 5 months old) I quickly realized that his main need at this point in life is for the LORD to become his… and for him to become the LORD’s. Wyatt, though an “innocent” child, is not innocent at all. He’s born a sinner and therefore needs the Savior. I want redemption for him. I want forgiveness for him. I want the new life in Christ that the scriptures promise for all who will believe. I want Wyatt to believe.

So I began to pray… and found myself praying according to the pattern of the “parable of the sower” Matthew 13:3-9. There, Jesus describes a farmer who is planting seed, a symbol of the truth of God. He also describes 4 different soils, symbols for the human soul, where the farmer plants the seed. Different things result in each case. Here’s how Jesus describes it and defines it:

VS 3-4: A sower went out to sow.And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

Jesus’ interpretation – VS 19: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

I don’t want Wyatt’s soul to be the kind that is confused or unable to grasp the truth of the word of God’s kingdom. I want him to be able to understand. If he’s not able to understand, our enemy, the devil, will come and snatch away the seeds his parents and others are planting in his soul. So I pray for Wyatt to be open, receptive, and given understanding to grasp the word of God.

VS 5-6:  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.

Jesus’ interpretation – VS 20-21: As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

I don’t want the good work Wyatt’s parents are doing in teaching him the ways of the LORD to be something that stays on the surface. I want to see him take it in, deeply, and grow from it. So I pray that the cares of the world and the hardships of life would not be able to quench the joy he can have from a true knowledge of the LORD.

VS 7:  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

Jesus’ interpretation – VS 22: As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

It would break my heart to see Wyatt raised in a home that honors and teaches the word of God faithfully, yet somehow, the deceitfulness of prosperity and the cares of life in a fallen world are able to make him so self-centered and self-protective that he rejects the word for the sake of gaining other, temporary, lesser things. So I pray for Wyatt to have a delight in the word of God… to see it for the treasure that it truly is. I ask the LORD to do this over and over and over in his life each day.

VS 8:  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Jesus’ interpretation – VS 23: As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

THIS is the kind of life I want for Wyatt, the kind of soul I want the LORD to create in him. I pray that the LORD will make Wyatt’s soul into “good soil,” able to receive the word of God in all its fullness and power. I want him to understand it, to understand his own need for it, and for that understanding to bear the fruit of a godly, overcoming, God-honoring life.

A prayer for my grandson

Here’s the actual prayer I prayed that day… straight from my journal:

Wyatt is in great need of Your redemption dear LORD. He is yet to see his own sin, much less be able to repent of it. Father, prepare the soil of his soul for the seed of Your word. Make it good soil – free of the rocks that prohibit growth and free of the bent toward worries that would cloud his view and fill his heart with fear or self interest. Do not allow the thorns and cares of the world to choke out the seed of truth, the life of Jesus that can set him free. LORD Jesus, make Wyatt into good soil, ready to receive Your word at the appointed time, ready to produce the hundredfold fruit and blessings You have in store for his lifetime.

Why I wrote this post

I don’t recount this story to brag or make you think highly of me or my family. I am what I am by the grace of God, and for no other reason (1 Corinthians 15:10).

I write this post to spark your thinking about how YOU can pray for those under your care or in your family line…

• Your spouse
• Your children
• Your grandchildren
• Your great grandchildren
• Your parents
• Your siblings
• Your distant relatives
• And the list goes on…

Who could you be praying for, along the lines of Jesus’ parable? Who needs YOUR interceding prayer? Will you rise to the challenge and take on warfare for the sake of their soul?

by

christianhomeandfamily.com