Prayer for a Son

Father and son with praying hands.
 

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

3 John 4

 

While General Douglas MacArthur was stationed in Australia during World War 2 and acting as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, he penned this prayer for his only son, Arthur.  See if his words don’t resonate with you as they did with me.

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee – and that it is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.

Then I, his father will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

You’ll probably never achieve the level of eloquence of General MacArthur, but that doesn’t matter.  You can still offer a heartfelt prayer for your son or daughter.

“I don’t know how to put my request into words,” you say.  “I get all tongue-tied or revert back to empty platitudes or vague generalities.”

May I make a suggestion? 

Let Scripture be your guide. 

Take the truths found there and pray them for your son or daughter.

Take the truths of scripture & pray them for your son or daughter. Such as: “May my son walk after You, God, & fear You, keep Your commandments, & obey Your voice. May he serve You & hold fast to You” (Deut. 13:4).

 

Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

  • “May my son walk after You, God, and fear You and keep Your commandments and obey Your voice. May he serve You and hold fast to You” (Deuteronomy 13:4).

  • “May my daughter be strong and courageous and not fear or be in dread, for it is You, Lord, our God, who goes with her. You will never leave her or forsake her” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

  • “May my son walk before You, God, as King David walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that You have commanded him, and keeping Your statutes and rules” (1 Kings 9:4).

  • “May my daughter be an example to believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

 

Get the idea?  As you spend time in the Bible and seek God’s word for you, allow what you find there to trigger your prayers for your children…no matter what age they may be.

More than parental wishful thinking, your determined intercession can lead to a divine intervention. And, in the end, you might well find yourself coming to the same conclusion MacArthur did: “I have not lived in vain.”

 

PRAYER

Lord, I long for my son(s) and my daughter(s) to be courageous and compassionate…faith-filled and faithful. I know that this is something only You can build into them.  So, help me to consistently do my part even as I anticipate You doing Yours. 

 
 
 

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