I love this chapter! To be honest this is my favorite chapter of Praying Circles around Your Children by Mark Batterson. Instead of me listing them off right now, let’s read through the chapter. Here are my favorite parts:
“…prayer is not about our agenda for God at all; it’s about discovering God’s agenda for us.” (p. 57) So true! Once we discover God’s agenda, our prayer life will take on a life of its own. It will become alive and exciting. Praying His agenda and watching it come to fruition has to be the most rewarding part of our walk with God.
“One of the prayers that made the list is this: Lord, let their ears be tuned to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. I want my children to find their voice, and the key is hearing the voice of God. If they don’t hear the voice of God, they will echo our culture. But if they listen to God, people will listen to them and they’ll become a voice to their generation.” (p. 58) I know this is a long quote but it really drives home the point of creating a prayer list other than just, Keep them safe today. Let’s write out a specific prayer list for our kids. Lately I have been praying one word or idea over my girls each day. The other day I shared with them what I was praying for them and they both were eager to hear about it. It is important our kids know we are going before the throne of God with requests concerning them. This shows them they are valued by us and by God.
What did you think of the Prayer Posters section? For those of you who don’t have the book, allow me to explain. Mark Batterson and his wife asked family members to come up with a few words to describe their daughter. They took those words to an artists and had the artist create a poster with those words. The poster hangs in her bedroom. What a great way to encourage your child! Each day they see the words spoken over them and they know you are praying those words for them. I love this idea!
He also suggested writing notes and packing them in your child’s lunch box and writing your prayers in a book and giving them to your child when they are fully grown.
The take away I get from this chapter is to create a prayer list and start praying. “But no matter what medium you use praying circles around your children begins by identifying and specifying the promises you are believing God for.” (p. 62)
