I'm a Christian mom who homeschooled her kids.
All five of them are adults now, and while I'm not actively homeschooling anymore, there is one aspect of parenting that has not changed since they all grew up and flew the coop.
I still pray for my children daily.
And over the years, with the increase in praying that happened as my children went off to college and were far from home (952 miles from home in one case...), I have only grown more and more convinced that God moves and responds when we pray. His promises are completely true, but how could they not be when the One whose name is Faithful and True, the One who cannot lie and has never, ever failed to keep every single one of the promises He has made, is the One making said promises? Is the One listening when this mother prays?
And so, in this post, I'm going to talk about praying God’s promises over your children.
There are many definitions in varied dictionaries for the word “revival”, including: the condition of being revived, restoration of force, validity, or effect, the growth of something or an increase - the word revival actually means “come back to life”.
When we pray for our children, are we praying by rote, just going down the same old same old list of things we’ve been praying about for weeks or months or even years on end? Half-heartedly? Going through the motions? Feeling like our prayers are hitting the ceiling and our prayer life is more dead than alive?
When we know what God has promised in the Bible, and we pray for Him to do a reviving, restoring, growing, increasing, come back to life kind of work in our children’s hearts and minds, it’s pretty hard for a “deadened” prayer life to stay unalive. A fire gets lit and our hearts surge and excitement and belief and expectation all build within us.
Sometimes we need to step back from the “automatic” kind of praying and shift gears. And as busy homeschool parents, oftentimes we need to read God’s promises and maybe even say them out loud to ourselves before we pray them for our children. Jude 1:20 tells us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. (AMP says - But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit, and NLT says - But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,).
So today, as I begin to share some Bible promises with you, I want you to listen not only for your children, but also for yourself and for the building up of your faith. Let me encourage you today so that you can get filled up with the Word of God and then overflow with belief and thanksgiving and expectation as you pray for your children.
Alright, let’s dive into some of God’s promises and as I share them with you, I’ll probably pray some of them over you - so, fair warning about that.
Exodus 34:14 says this: You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
(Pray that your children, and your entire household, all of your family, would worship no other god but the One True God whose very name, according to this verse, is Jealous. It’s actually capitalized in the ESV. It’s not just an adjective, this is who our God is - His name is Jealous. That’s what it says, and God doesn’t waste words or mince words. In the Bible, He says what He means. I firmly believe He’d prefer it if His people who bear His name would take Him at His Word and simply believe that He said what He meant and He meant what He said when He inspired men by the Holy Spirit to write these things. So take God seriously enough to believe what His promises say and to ask Him to fulfill those promises in your children’s lives.) Lord, make us unwilling and even unable to worship any god or idol other than you, and do the same in children’s lives, for Your glory. Only You deserve worship, Lord, so make us a people who only worship You.
Proverbs 16:3 - Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
Believe this for your homeschool and for your family. The work you are doing as Christ-following homeschoolers is truly a good work, and it reminds me of Nehemiah, when he refused to come down and engage with his sneaky enemies. He said he was doing a good work and that work was so important that it couldn’t stop and thus he could not, would not, come down. Your work is important, and you should not “come down” from your place up high as a watchman on the wall, an intercessor for your family - nope. Not coming down, not stopping this important work. In prayer, commit your homeschool efforts to the Lord and believe He will establish your plans - establish, settle in a secure position or condition. God is your foundation, so ask Him to settle your homeschooling on that foundation, building your house upon the Rock, and ask Him to establish Himself right smack dab in the midst of your family homeschool - to set up shop right there in your midst. Ask Him to be present and to not allow things to remain in your heart or mind, or your children’s hearts and minds, that drive Him away and quench His Spirit. Believe that as you commit your work to Him, your plans will be established, and they will be. God will keep this promise to you.
It says in James chapter one, verse five, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
If you’ve heard me speak before, or listened to my podcast The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, which is all about God’s promises, then you have likely heard me talk about the word “will” when it is used in one of God’s promises. I double underline the word will, and the word all, in my Bible when I find it in a promise. And then I read that verse again, usually out loud, putting emphasis on the word will. I encourage you to do that with this verse from the book of James, while you just think about all the wisdom you need, and it is a need, in order to homeschool your children. Think about the wisdom that you need and then just consider this promise: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to ALL without reproach, and it WILL be given him. Will means will, and all means all, and we need to remember that.
Now this next verse is very timely, when we consider the state of the world today, everything that’s going on, Bible prophecy being fulfilled or lining up for fulfillment - let’s not put all our focus on this world, because 1 John 2:17 says “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” Pray and ask God to enable and equip and empower your children to do His will and pray that not by looking at your child’s behavior but pray it looking at God’s promises. He wants this to be your family’s reality, or He never would have said so in His word. So, pray that your household, you and your entire family, will know the times and seasons in which we are living and will act accordingly, seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, knowing and doing the will of God, because 1 John 2:17 gives us this promise…that whoever does the will of God abides forever. Ask God to make your child a whoever and trust Him to finish what He has started in their lives.
Job 28:28 says, “Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” This is a very straightforward verse to pray for your children. Lord, give my child a fear of You, because that is wisdom, wisdom for all of life and wisdom that yields good fruit that is lasting and even eternal. May my child always and only turn away from evil. May You give them all the wisdom and understanding that they need to live well for You in this day and age.
Psalm 136:1 - Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.
Ask God to show your children His steadfast and enduring love, and pray for them to be thankful followers of God Most High. This way of living, always thankful, and personally knowing God’s goodness and steadfast love that endures forever…this way of living changes lives. God’s promises change lives. There is no reason why some of those changed lives shouldn't be your children’s lives. Pray for this! And when you pray, believe for this! God always keeps His promises.
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Pray for this for your children and for yourself. You don’t have a spirit of fear, and your children don’t have a spirit of fear. You have a spirit of power and love and self-control, your children do, too. A sound mind, the mind of Christ. This is your heritage. The only way this isn’t true for you is if you are not a child of God, a disciple of Jesus, or if you refuse to believe that this is true for you.
Sometimes our children fall into self-pity and that’s a dangerous trap of the enemy because self-pity puts the focus all on “self” and takes God off the throne of our life. Pray against self-pity and against self-righteousness in your children. It’s dangerous, it's toxic, and it isn’t God’s will. Remember, His name is Jealous. He will not share His glory and honor with another…not even our children. Pray for them to have a spirit of power and love and self-control, because other kinds of “self” that conflict with the word of God, those are not fitting in God’s Kingdom.
And to come on the heels of that verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says: Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.
Ask God to completely sanctify your children, and then pray that you will be willing to let Him do that. Because sometimes mama needs to get out of God’s way so He can truly keep them blameless at His coming. Remember, He is faithful, and He will SURELY do it. So, let’s not think or act like He won’t do it. If He says He will, then He will. It’s a given. A done deal. Pray for it to be a given, done deal in the life of each of your children.
Sometimes we allow our life circumstances, or what we see happening in the world around us or in our neighbors or whatever, we allow those things to form our theology. That's not right! The Bible, the Living Word, needs to form our theology. We believe God’s word over and above anything else. A funny story from the pulpit is not going to shore up our theology. It may tickle our ears, but it sure won’t give us a firm foundation to stand on when the going gets tough. Know God’s promises for yourself and don’t let anybody talk you out of believing them. Again, it’s so important to know what does and what does not form our theology, and to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. You may find opposition when you live all-in, fully believing and praying God’s promises. Oh you will have people ask you to pray for them and for their children, because of what they see in your life and in your faith, your walking around living it out daily theology. And some of those same people might not stand with you in total belief, even as they stand next to you asking you to pray for them. Don’t let that move you from your belief. Set your face like flint and believe.
I say that because of this personal experience: in early 2016 I was diagnosed with two heart problems that sort of fight against each other and cannot be fixed with surgery or medication, and I was given the diagnosis heart failure. And this was actually determined by six cardiologists before I even knew the results of some of the tests that had been done, and then by several other cardiologist and electrophysiologists, too. I decided to live in a state of believing God’s promises fully. Not like magic, not me bullying or guilting or whining to God in prayer to get what I wanted, but me just believing every single promise God made in His word. And not only cardiologists and electrophysiologists pushed back on that, but many people in the church did, too. See, it’s a big step of faith to go all-in and believe God's promises, and it doesn’t just impact you and your immediate family, but others in the body of Christ as they see how you’re choosing to live and witness how you pray. It sometimes reveals what they do or don’t believe, and how they do or don’t pray. Not everybody is comfortable with this way of living.
But I was told I should not be able to get out of bed, and medically, they weren’t exaggerating in the least. The life expectancy was 5 years tops. Count with me - 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025…and I’m still here. And I’m doing amazingly well. I have not spent one single day in bed. Not one. I’m not preaching at you today; I’m excitedly sharing with you that this way of living is so good, so rich, so amazing, so miraculous…He has never failed, not one time, and He never will. God has a perfect track record. And He wants to keep His promises in total perfection for you. That's why I do what I do in podcasting and speaking and writing. There is no plan B and there is no better option. Go all in with God, fully believing His promises are for you and your family, and pray the boldest and daring prayers you’ve ever prayed based on those promises and just see what He does. It’s truly a grand adventure, and it’s yours for the taking.
To wrap this up, let me read a few more promises to you.
Genesis 15:6 - And (Abram) believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.
Acts 2:17 - And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
Isaiah 40:31 - They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 - But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
Nahum 1:7 - The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 91:1 - He who dwells in the shelter of the most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 Corinthians 2:10 - He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.
Psalm 37:3-4 - Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
We aren’t Christ-focused homeschoolers with no aim in sight, and we aren’t living in a “normal” time or season. Right now, you are absolutely homeschooling as a disciple who is also raising disciples, but I want to challenge you with what the Lord challenged me with just yesterday - the disciples you are raising are not being raised to be disciples down the road - this is for now, for right now. They are today’s disciples. And this is what the Lord put on my heart, like a white-hot fire, to share with you today: as you homeschool your children in a Christ-centered manner, not only are you leading them to be disciples of Jesus, but you are also preparing them to meet the Bridegroom. On her wedding day, a bride is not willing to have a single blemish, one hair out of place, the slightest smudge on her wedding gown - in fact, months of planning, purchasing, preparing, and focus has gone into this one moment. That’s what your family's homeschool, and discipleship are working toward - to be ready for our Bridegroom at His return. What you are doing in your homes in this season matters tremendously. You are raising disciples right now, and in doing so, you are helping them to be the spotless bride that Jesus is coming for. Not a hair out of place, no detail missed, robed and dressed and ready at all times, not putting off until later those things that are truly of the utmost importance, but focusing right now on keeping your lamp filled with oil and showing your children how to keep their lamps filled with oil. There is nothing more important, and you are truly about your Father’s business when you raise your children to be His disciples right now and prepare them to be His spotless bride.
And I speak a blessing over you in this task you’ve been given: May the Lord bless you with everything you need in every moment as you raise up your children to be His disciples, keeping oil in your lamp, leading them to the feet of Jesus daily, pouring out your life for His Kingdom purposes and His glory, even at times setting aside your own desires and wants and continually crucifying the flesh and serving the Lord by serving your family, taking seriously the role you have as parents, not handing them over to others but following His leading for you as parents, and you will have all that you need for your homeschooling, for discipleship of your children, and as you aim to keep your family a pure and spotless bride. May all the blessings of Psalm 91 and Psalm 103 be yours now and for all your days, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of the Father, and in the Name of Jesus. Amen!
If there are any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll answer, and also I’ll share a couple of links for you - one is a JotForm to share any prayer requests & I really do pray for every request I receive, and I always keep things confidential.
One is for my book The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study available on Amazon and another is to my podcast. The Burt (Not Ernie) Show | Jan L. Burt - host of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show (podbean.com)
Episode of TBNES about an eagle’s molting season Episode 38 - Isaiah 40:31 & Psalm 103:5 (A Molting Season...) | The Burt (Not Ernie) Show (podbean.com)
As always, happy homeschooling & thanks for stopping by the blog!
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