Prayers for Parents

Day 10: Godly, Not Perfect

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6

From the time a child enters the world, parents have a vision for what type of person they want him or her to be. For many, that vision may be of the perfect child—one who will embrace all the right values, make all the right choices, excel at all the right things, and who will affirm their success as a parent.

But raising perfect children is an impossible goal. It’s impossible because children are being raised by imperfect people, and they, like their parents, are sinful beings from birth. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23–24). Instead, the goal should be to raise godly children—children who will come to know and love God, grow in Christian character, and leverage their lives for the advancement of God’s kingdom for His glory and not their own.

Prayers for parents
  • Ask God to help you resist holding unrealistic expectations for yourself as a parent or for your children, keeping in mind that there are no perfect parents and no perfect children.
  • Pray that God would help you to constantly point your children toward Him—the perfect Savior.
  • Pray that God would help you model godly living and humility.
  • Thank God for the gift of forgiveness and redemption, and for helping His children live righteously.