1. Pray Scripture for Them

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I attended a speaker one evening (it takes a lot to get me out of the house in the evening). The speaker’s name was Jodie Berndt. She has written a few books. The one she referenced that evening is called, Praying the Scriptures over Your Children.

Her message and book changed the course of our family. It wasn’t Jodie’s words per se, although she delivered a strong message, rather she reframed my mindset about Scripture.

In addition to reading and studying the Bible, she taught me how to merge prayer and Scripture. I had always treated prayer and reading the Bible independently. Jodie showed me the power of uniting them for our family’s specific needs and protection.

Her strategy is simple; find a verse and personalize it for an individual family member. Pray it every day. Jodi’s book is organized so you can easily find Scripture for a specific area of interest. I selected Scripture to match growth opportunities (aka. areas of struggle).

I found a verse for each one of my children and inserted their name. Then I began praying these prayers every day. Years later, not days, I observed how their actions were mimicking what I was praying for them.

For my oldest daughter, I pray Philippians 2:3-5. “Let Madelyn do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility value others better than herself. Let her look not only to her own interests, but also the interests of others, and let her attitude be the same as that of Jesus Christ.”

I have watched her heart change when it comes to interacting with her sisters. She often puts their needs before her own. For a nine-year-old to make this transformation, it could only be the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer.

Just the other day, I told our youngest daughter Charlotte to be ready for her gymnastics class by a certain time. We had arrived home from school and I was frustrated and out of patience. The car ride had been filled with fighting and screaming. Madelyn, now 11, pushed aside her responsibilities and took it upon herself to help Charlotte get dressed and in the car on time.

I was taken back by her kindness and love towards her sister.

When I first initiated this new prayer effort, I felt a little left out. I wanted specific prayers for my husband and myself. So, I made us some. I went a little overboard with mine and now have about ten prayers for myself. I need that much help.

I pray Ephesians 3:17-19 for myself because I desperately want to know the breadth, the length, the height, and depth of God’s love.

God’s words are infinitely better than anything I can create.

The unintended benefit is these verses are being written on my heart. Whenever I hear these verses spoken at church or in a devotional, I smile because they have special meaning to me and remind me of my loved one.

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