Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer for Kids. We hope that in each of your churches and communities you were able to set aside some time to intentionally pray for you children and be reminded of the gift that they are to us and to our communities. Here is our prayer for this generation of children:

God today we take a moment to pause and lift our Children up to you. We lift each and every precious little life up to you and ask that you would be at work in every single one of their lives. We want to intentionally invest in the next generation in real and powerful ways and we recognize that this starts with and through prayer. So today God we ask for health, safety and protection for our children. That you would keep them in your care and that you would walk closely with them as they learn, dream, play and grow.

Our children spend so much time in their schools God and we pray that our schools would be places of safety for children spiritually, emotionally and physically. They will face heartache and hardship in their schools daily and so we pray for courage for them to continue to choose you and live like you have called us to with their words and actions. We pray for faith and trust – that you are at work even in the difficult moments and for deep gratitude when we are able to celebrate blessings. God we pray that our children would be beautiful, shining examples of you and your kingdom and that their lives would be a testament to who you are.

We pray for strength and health for our families – the primary spiritual care givers for our children. We pray that parents would be reminded daily of your grace and goodness and that they would be encouraged as they lead their children to know you. For children and families God that are experiencing the reality of family conflict and tension, we pray for healing and restoration and a renewed sense of love and loyalty amongst them. We pray that your will prevails above all else and that your love is still experienced and felt day in and day out.

God we pray that the Canadian Church would know how best to reach and connect with children and discover new ways to disciple children and their families for Jesus. We desire energetic and invested leaders and volunteers who prioritize the spiritual lives of children and who have a genuine desire for children to know and love Jesus.

We want our children to reach new levels of spiritual depth – we want children to discover who you are and to seek a relationship with you God. We want them to be in awe of who you are and how you love them and we want that awe to transform them from the inside out.

We want to raise children who actively respond to your invitation of compassion to serve in their church and in their local and global communities. Our desire is to have children understand the call we all have to care for and love those around us. We want to cultivate a generation of children who are radical servants always chasing after the simple and astounding opportunities to serve.

We also want to thank you for the gift that children are to us all, for how unique and special each one of them is and for the ways that you have gifted them. They teach us about life and about ourselves and we love that through children we grasp a deeper understanding of your heart God.

Ultimately God we want our children to know you and to love you and to know how deeply they are loved by you. May you be present in their lives and may they continue to seek you above all else.

Amen.