A Prayer for Our Children

Hello All,

The following poem is a prayer by General Douglas MacArthur;

Build me a son, O Lord,
who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,
and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be
where his backbone should be;
a son who will know Thee- and that
to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm;
here, let him learn compassion for those who fall.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high;
a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men;
one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep;
one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his,
add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor,
so that he may always be serious,
yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember
the simplicity of true greatness,
the open mind of true wisdom,
the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper,
"I have not lived in vain."


What an awesome prayer! As I read this I thought of so much more than just my son or even just my children. I thought of friends and family, as well as a long look in the mirror at myself. I could be speaking only for myself but I don’t think you have to tell most parents to pray for their children. Raising children present enough challenges where the apparent need for prayer comes easy. In those circumstances, I think our prayers tend toward the specific –“Lord, help ________with this particular issue that they're (or I’m) finding personal difficulty in managing at the moment. Things like potty training, cleaning up behind themselves, school work, integrity, influence, depression, etc. But what about broad-view, long-term prayers? I imagine some of you do just as well as Gen MacArthur but I’m sure there are a few of us who, if being totally honest, would have to admit that we could be doing a better job.

Here's The Word;

Here’s a few other requests to help us shape prayer for our children, family & friends, and ourselves.
(from the John Piper – desiringGod website)

 * That Jesus will call them and no one will hinder them from coming. (Matthew 19:13–15)

 * That they will respond in faith to Jesus’s faithful, persistent call. (2 Peter 3:9)

 * That they will experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will increasingly desire to fulfill the greatest commandments. (Matthew 22:37-39)

 * That they will not be unequally yoked in intimate relationships, especially marriage.(2 Corinthians 6:14)

 * That their thoughts will be pure. (Philippians 4:8)

 * That their hearts will be stirred to give generously to the Lord’s work. (Exodus 35:29)

 * That when the time is right, they will GO! (Matthew 28:18-20)

So again, this is not me confessing to have ‘attained’ anything as much as it is an encouragement for us to seek to do better in pursuit for “a more excellent way” and to pray for our children.

In Him,
Cros