Pray for Our Unborn, Children and Youth

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

Reflection

The psalmist reflects on all the wonderous things God does and contemplates the mysteries that are too much for him to comprehend. The wonder of God's design gives rise to awe and worship of his God. God knows the end from the beginning even before conception. Each one is infinitely precious in His sight. It is God and God alone who decides when life begins.

I have had the joy of raising 3 girls who are now in their teens and twenties. Each of them is so different in personality and ability. Each one requires nurture in a different way. The greatest foundation we can give our children is the foundation of a loving and Christ-centred family. The greatest joy we have as parents is to see our children worshipping the Lord. It is an oasis moment in a desert of parental anxiety. I hold all the more firmly to the wonder of the psalmist;

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

As a church family, each of us is to love, nurture, and provide a safe place for our children to grow up in and ultimately find their own faith in Jesus. This is why we must pray for our unborn, children and youth.

Prayer Points for our Unborn, Children and Youth

• Provide divine protection over the unborn children, shielding them with His love and safeguarding their lives with grace and mercy.

• Draw children to His salvation and strengthen their faith, that they may abound in the fruits of the Spirit

• Preserve their innocence and shield them from harmful influences, helping them grow in strength and courage

• Protect their families, strengthen their relationships with love, and guide their parents with wisdom

• God will be close to those suffering, especially those facing abuse, poverty, and illness, and for those who are in foster care, or who are experiencing homelessness.

• Bless their education and future, filling them with wisdom and understanding

• Protect their minds as they learn, surrounding them with teachers and mentors who inspire them to fulfill Your purpose

• For children with special needs, we ask that You bring healing, grant them resilience, and fill them with Your peace

• Lord, be with the missionaries, community workers, and caregivers, who are called to serve these precious ones in their various specialties, giving them compassion and strength as they serve