I know it is the middle of the summer and our kids are in full scale ‘lazy mode.’ But lots of them still need to be chauffeured everywhere and that means many of us are spending tons of time in a car.

This week might be a great opportunity to use that “car time” as prayer time. Think of all those opportunities that could be devoted to some special prayer for our children.

I know you know this, but Christian kids are not exempt from the weight of the world. The culture they are maneuvering through is dark, thick and difficult to deal with. There are no easy answers, but there is hope.

We dare not hide our heads in the sand and believe that those heavy issues depicted in the media do not affect our kids. Kids from Christian homes are discouraged, depressed and some even suicidal. They struggle with peer pressure and anxiety over any number of issues. They wonder about their future. They wrestle over their own sin nature.

So, we need to fight for the heart of our children. They are not the enemy, but we do have an enemy and he wants to destroy their precious lives (Eph. 6:12).

Perhaps a great response to the temptation to succumb to our fears might be to commit ourselves to pray very specifically for these kids. Here is a model that we all could use:

1. Pray that they would realize God will never leave them. (Deut. 31:6)
2. Pray for their salvation. (Eph. 2:8)
3. Pray for their heart to be clean and pure. (Ps. 51:10)
4. Pray that they would experience protection from peer pressure. (Prov. 1:10)
5. Pray for constructive, helpful friendships. (I Cor. 15:33)
6. Pray that they grasp who they are in Christ. (Eph. 2:10)
7. Pray for relief from discouragement and depression. (Ps. 25:16-17)
8. Pray that they exercise self-control. (I Pet. 1:13)
9. Pray for their physical protection. (Ps. 59:1-2)
10. Pray that they would in turn be a good example to others. (I Tim. 4:12)

If your kids have left the nest, pray for your grandchildren. Or think of a neighbor or a couple at church that is struggling with some little ones and support them in prayer.

Especially this week, let’s commit ourselves to pray for these young people, “so that they may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…” (Col. 1:10)