The Praying Parent (Judges 12-13)

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord.  I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” (Judges 13:8)

Parents have a responsibility to pray for their children.  I’m a relatively new parent, and I’m learning the value of prayer in relationship to my new role.  How do I be a good father?  How do I bring up my little girl in the ways of the Lord?  How do I set my child free one day to make decisions on her own?  How do I allow her to live with consequences of bad decisions that she will inevitably make?  All of these and more are worth bringing to the Lord.

Manoah, the father of Samson, modeled something great for those of us with children: he sought help from God to know how best to raise his son.  Why wouldn’t we seek wisdom from the One who created children so we may know how best to raise them?

If you haven’t done so already or recently, take a few minutes to pray in the way that Manoah prayed; pray and ask that the Lord would give you wisdom in knowing how to bring up your kids.

In doing so, realize that your children have wills of their own, and they may choose to go their own way, as Samson did.  But more often than not, the wise words from Proverbs 22:6, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Father, I want to raise my children in a way that is pleasing to You.  I know that it is a huge responsibility, so I ask that You would guide me in the process.  Help me to be a good parent, and help my children to know You.