Guest post by J. D. and Kim Crowley

[The Crowleys have six children, and J. D. is a pioneer missionary-linguist in Cambodia.]

For around 30 years Kim and I have prayed for our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their spouses (often during a time of fasting and prayer during the Tuesday or Wednesday lunch hour). Besides praying for individual requests as needs arose, we have prayed the same general requests below, week after week, year after year—and we’re constantly amazed how God faithfully answers. The more we pray, the more we receive. God has given us enough faith to believe him to answer these requests to the fourth generation, that is, our great-grandchildren. For the generations beyond that, it’s up to our kids and grandkids to continue the tradition.

Faith

1. Grant them a heart of repentance from sin.
2. Give them faith in Christ from an early age.
3. Fill them with your Holy Spirit, and may they bear the fruit of the Spirit.
4. Lead them to be baptized into your church.
5. Make them members of a strong church with godly elders.
6. Give them spiritual gifts for use in the church, and help them faithfully use them.
7. Lead them always to increase in holiness.
8. Keep them within the orthodox faith of Christ and the apostles.
9. Protect them from false teachers and false teaching.
10. Make them fruitful proclaimers of the gospel, filled with love for all.
11. Make them humbly committed to daily prayer.
12. Give them hunger for daily Bible reading.
13. Fill them with love and forbearance toward others.
14. Help them endure trials with faith and joy.
15. Help them guard their conscience.
16. May their lives be like the sun that rises stronger and stronger until the full of day.

Wisdom

1. Give them hearts that constantly overflow with thankfulness.
2. Make them peacemakers.
3. Give them a vocation/skill/work that provides for their family and is useful to society.
4. Give them a sense of purpose and joy in their life work.
5. Rescue them from the fear of man.
6. Provide for them a good education.
7. Help them apply themselves diligently to their studies and other work.
8. Rescue them from laziness and dishonesty.

Influences and Relationships

1. May they be quick to forgive.
2. Give them godly friends all their lives who will influence them to love God.
3. Give them godly influences from “uncles and aunts” and “substitute parents,” especially as our influence wanes.
4. Don’t let them go through a time of teenage rebellion.
5. Help them remain pure and enter marriage as virgins.
6. May they marry only strong believers.
7. Save, sanctify, and bless their future spouse.
8. Keep divorce away from their lives and their children’s lives for many generations.
9. Give them the gift of children and the grace to raise them up in the faith of Christ.
10. If they are to remain single, make them unusually fruitful for God’s kingdom.
11. Protect them from predators.
12. Protect them from deviant sexual desires.

Physical

1. Heal and protect them from sicknesses and diseases.
2. Protect them from accidents.
3. Give their country peace in their lifetime.