Several nights ago, I put my kids to bed following a routine which involved storytelling, praying, them-waking-up-again, me threatening their lives, 3 hugs, 100 high fives and 29 fist bumps.

When they eventually settled down, I headed downstairs to catch some TV before going to sleep.

Yeah, right.

Within 10 minutes, I began to hear a groan. It wasn’t quite crying. It was more of a drawn out sob. I actually muted the TV to hear it clearly and quickly figured out it was my middle child crying out my name. 

This wasn’t completely unusual. If you have little kids, you know that when bedtime comes around, children suddenly morph into dehydrated philosophers. They either want one more cup of water or they want to ask you some ponderous questions they didn’t think to ask 30 minutes before you put them to bed.

On this night though, my boy didn’t want anything. Instead he was he was full on frightened of something. He had his hands over his ears and was wailing about not being able to sleep because of “the monsters.”

I was all set to burst into prayer warrior mode and rebuke some invisible things in Jesus name, but decided to dig a little more first. As we talked it through, it turns out it was something he had watched on one of his shows that kept replaying in his mind. It had to do with a cartoon 3-legged monster with one eye that he just couldn’t get out of his mind. 

Thank you, Disney!

So, of course I laid next to him, cuddled him, and prayed with him that God would fill him with courage and be a shield around him. Within a few minutes, he informed me that he was better and I could now leave his room. 

If you’re a dad, you’ve probably had some variation of this. Sometimes, what your children fear isn’t real, like monsters in their closet, under their bed, or their night lamp that looks like Godzilla’s eyes. Other times, what they fear is real - like sliding down a swing, spiders, or clowns.

As they get older, those fears might evolve into bigger things like the fear of being around large crowds, that big kid at school, failing at a job or not finding a date for prom.

It looks different for each kid. 

As a father (like you), I want my kids to be strong and courageous in the face of any adversity or anything they might face, be it real or imagined, no matter if they’re 8 or 28 years old. And it’s that strength and courage we are going to pray for this week!

Today’s prayer is based on Joshua 1:9. In that account, prior to several battles, God tells the young military general to be “strong and courageous”. This instruction is actually repeated a few times in the book of Joshua, which tells me that even as tough and rugged as Joshua was, the dude was probably afraid on those occasions and had plenty of reasons NOT to be strong and courageous. Hence, God’s continual encouragement to him. So, let’s pray for our kids now. 

PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS

“Lord Jesus, you tell us in the book of Joshua, chapter one, verse nine, that, we are to be strong and courageous, that we should not be afraid or discouraged, for you, O God are with us wherever we go.

So, today, I pray that you would make our children strong and courageous. If there is anything in their life that terrifies them or makes them afraid, I pray that you would give them the courage to face it fearlessly. Your word says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” So, I pray you would bless our kids with a confidence that is deeply rooted in Your love for them.  

Show our children how strong and powerful you are. Help them see and know that there is nothing that can stand up against you, and because you love them so much, you will always protect them and watch over them. Teach them to trust in you and to call on you when they find themselves in a tough situation.

Father in heaven, when we as dads are not present to watch over our children to protect them, I pray that you would be their protector and their guide. I pray that you would keep them from being bullied or taken advantage of. Grant our children godly wisdom and understanding so they can navigate those difficult relationships where they might face peer pressure. Lord, help them courageously stand up for what is right even when they feel intimidated, and help them be lovingly protective of their siblings. 

Lord God, you remind us in Joshua 1:9 that you will be with us wherever we go, so I pray that you would be present even now with our children.

Bless them with your courage and confidence, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!”

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Hey dad, thanks for taking the time to pray along with me today. If you enjoyed today’s blog post, I would love to hear your feedback and any insight you might have about what we should pray for next. Just leave a note below in the comment section!

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Catch you same time next week!