April 8, 2016, marked the one-year anniversary of my father’s death. Tomorrow would have been his 80th birthday. As I reflect on my loss, I want to share with you what I miss most.

One of Dad’s spiritual gifts was intercessory prayer. A day didn’t go by without him lifting me up before the Lord. He was my prayer warrior.

If you are a parent, I want to suggest that the most important gift you give your children every day is prayer covering.

Dad understood the power of prayer and always reminded me that he prayed for me daily and considered it a privilege to do so. Each time I prepared to drive to Kansas on business, he paused and prayed over me, often over the phone. I heard these words often: “Lord, protect Lee Ann every step of the way. May there be no car trouble, accidents, or weather that could cause harm. May your angels hem her in from the north, south, east and west. May her week be productive and continue to bless her practice. Please bring her home safely.” Hearing him pray those words over me was a blessing. His prayers expressed his love, care and concern for me.

If you’re a parent, take time to pray aloud so that your children hear your love for them as you take them before the Father.

Dad cared deeply for my spiritual well being and growth. When I was a child, he centered his prayers on helping me discover salvation in Jesus. 3 John 4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” If you’re a parent, I bet there were times in your children’s life when you wondered if God was drawing them to Jesus. But once your child placed their faith in Christ, you experienced “great joy” knowing that your child asked Jesus to forgive their sin and commit to follow Him.

Pray daily for your children’s salvation until they make their decision for Jesus. No matter how old they are, keep praying for this!

When I made my decision to place my faith in Christ at age ten, Dad’s prayer ministry continued to grow. He lived out the Biblical examples and instruction regarding intercessory prayer. Colossians 4:12-13 states “Epaphras….is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” In Colossians 1:9, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding….” Dad upheld Scripture by praying continually for me.

“Wrestle in prayer” for your children. Ask God to “fill your children with all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

When I became a Christ-follower, Dad and I shared a new bond in Christ. We no longer had just a “father-daughter” relationship. We prayed together, resulting in some of my most precious memories. We shared spiritual intimacy as we expressed our thoughts together before the Lord. I learned more about prayer from my Dad than any other Christian because he modeled it regularly. He didn’t stop with “I will pray for you,” but prayed with me as soon as the need was expressed! He allowed me to hear his prayer before God, just as Jesus did praying out loud to His Father in front of His disciples (John 17) right before He faced the cross.

Pray with your children to build a deeper relationship with them.

I am Dad’s living legacy. I love praying for others. Intercessory prayer is the most important ministry I have because of Dad’s strong influence in my life. As he sowed spiritual seeds in me through prayer, the Lord found many ways to water them so that I could bear fruit for His glory. I believe Dad went to his heavenly home “having no greater joy” than seeing me walk in truth.

If you desire to strengthen your prayer ministry for your children, what would your next step look like? I realize many of you already pray for your kids, but maybe your next step is to pray over them in their presence. Let them hear your heart. Maybe your next step is to find a time when you can consistently pray together to deepen your relationship with your children. For those of us who are single, let’s pray over our family daily. There are plenty of spiritual children in our faith family who can use our intercessory prayer.  

If you have any insights, thoughts or reactions you’d like to share, please locate the Comment box below. I bet some of you have a vibrant prayer ministry for you kids that our readership would love to hear about!

May God richly bless you as you allow your daily prayer for your children to be the greatest gift you give them.

Blessings,

Lee Ann

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