Saddlebags: Two Weeks of Prayer Provisions

Parents constantly wash dirty hands, help with homework, bandage knees, and feed hungry sons and daughters with sandwiches and affection. They deal with endless details of laundry, lunchboxes, soccer schedules, and household chores. But our prayers for our treasured sons and daughters can sometimes seem so vague that we’re not sure what we’re advocating for. And often we don’t recognize when our prayers are being answered.

Praying blessings over our sons and daughters is not only powerful and fruitful, but it can help parents verbalize to our children our hopes instead of our fears. We have the privilege of filling their spiritual saddlebags with godly character traits instead of provisions the world thinks they will need.

The following 14 Scriptures—one each day—are a good start toward building godly character in the lives of our young men and women. After two weeks of requests to bless them in these specific, beneficial ways, the following topics can be repeated or expanded.

Lord, let my sons and daughters:

• Find Safety and Protection in You: “‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ he said, ‘not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground’” (2 Sam. 14:11).
• Seek Your Guidance: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” (Ps. 25:9).
• Maintain Purity: “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart . . . will receive blessing from the Lord” (Ps. 24:4–5).
• Commit Themselves to Prayer: “Three times a day [Daniel] got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (Dan. 6:10).
• Seek to Be Filled with Your Spirit: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).
• Clothe Themselves with Your Power: “‘I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high’” (Luke 24:49).
• Speak Your Words: “‘As for me, this is my covenant with them,’ says the Lord. ‘My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,’ says the Lord” (Isa. 59:21).
• Be Humble: “All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). • Provide Joy and Delight to Others: “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:14).
• Exhibit the Fullness of Your Strength: “The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7).
• Demonstrate the Fullness of Your Love: “‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken . . .’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isa. 54:10).
• Be Free and Able to Serve: “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves” (1 Peter 2:16).
• Serve You in Faith and Patience: “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (Heb. 6:12).
• Keep Themselves Alert and Ready for Christ’s Coming: “Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed” (Rev. 16:15, NLT).
• Use these and other Scriptures to start your own list of traits you believe your children will need in the current culture. Pray blessings from God’s Word and fill up their spiritual saddlebags!

MARCIA DAUGHERTY has worked in staff and volunteer roles at several churches in the Midwest, assisting with music, discipleship, children’s ministries, missions, leadership, and communications.