Praying for My Boys

I love to pray for my boys when they go to bed. The prayers are longer or shorter depending on how late it is for them--and for me! (If I'm home late from a meeting and they're already in bed, I'll quietly enter their room, put my hand on their heads, thank God for them and bless them; it takes all of 3o seconds. I am convinced God still hears it. =)

I often pray that they will fall in love with the Lord from an early age. Then I bless them with a statement like this: "May your life be characterized by radical obedience to God...seasoned with oodles of grace."

I want my boys to obey God because they come to understand there's nothing better than a life lived like that. I want their obedience to stand out--as a hallmark of their deep love for God. I want their deep love for God to motivate them to trust Him and His ways so completely, that they look forward with excited anticipation to following His instructions for their lives. I'm talking about genuine love--not a counterfeit impostor rooted in empty religion and fear-based compliance.

This is a prayer for my own life, too. I want my obedience to increase because my love for my Maker grows deeper. I want to live a life characterized by listening to Him and following His lead. This is the best way I can express my love for Him. As my obedience increases, my love grows--and I become more intimate with God. These things not only go hand in hand, they're inseparable.

I love to pray for my boys. And as I pray, I am filled with hope for their lives...and that gives me even more hope for mine.