I’m “Bible Praying” for My Kids!

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By Keith Ferrin

Have you ever looked back and seen how many different people, events, and conversations God used to get your attention? Over the last couple years, God has done precisely that to help me live out a truth I have known for a long time:

I need to pray much more consistently and completely for my kids.

It sounds so simple. So good. So right. And yet, if I’m honest, my prayers for my three kids are hindered by two problems. The first is inconsistency. I want to pray. I intend to pray. I simply forget. (Heavy sigh)

The second is that all my prayers start to sound the same. “Father God…Please bless my kids today. Protect them and draw them closer to you. Give me wisdom in how to best parent them. Amen”

Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good prayer! It’s just not the only prayer. There is so much more we need to pray for our kids.

God first caught my attention about this when I met Judy, a family friend who had been mentored years earlier to pay attention as she read her Bible to any verses she could turn into prayers for her kids. She kept a list and started praying God’s Word over her children.

One day, she realized she had over 400 prayers! She started emailing them to friends through a simple blog she started. I signed up and quickly realized how transformative this practice is! I was praying for my kids in areas like anxiety, friendships, relationships with teachers, my role as a parent, work ethic, siblings, spiritual growth, and their own love for God’s Word.

In a conversation with Judy a couple years later, I asked if she would want to team up and compile these prayers into a daily prayer book. She agreed, we added a section with each prayer by category (for focused prayer), and a third section with over 40 “Bible Blessings” we can speak directly to our kids. In May of 2017 Bible Praying for Parents was released. It has been amazing to see churches around the country give this book away to new parents or at baby dedications.

I thought that was it. But God – as is often the case – had other, grander plans!

Last March, I was speaking at a conference and struck up a conversation with a guy who runs a ministry that develops apps. I told him about the book and asked if he thought we could put these prayers into an app with a daily reminder and prayer.

Not only did he think it could be done, he had a demo for me to look at by the end of the next week, and six weeks later, Bible Praying was released for Apple and Android devices!

I am blown away! First, a nudge to pray more frequently and completely for my kids. Then a conversation with a mom who was doing it. Then a partnership to write a book. Then a “coincidental” conversation with an app developer. Now I’m praying more consistently for my kids than ever before. I’m also spending more time in the Word since all the prayers are straight from the Bible.

After all, when we pray God Word…we pray God’s will!

Keith Ferrin is a former Covenant youth pastor who has spent the last 20+ years writing books and blogs, as well as speaking at churches, conferences, and universities around the world. His passion is helping individuals, families, and churches not only read and study the Bible, but truly enjoy it! Keith, Kari, and their three kids live in Kirkland and attend Creekside Covenant Church. He also believes coffee and ice cream are proof that God is good and He loves us very much.