A Country Road Prayer

photo by araswami

It’s good for our children to hear us pray over them. When circumstances are overwhelming and your child doesn’t know how to deal with them, teach him that:

• Nothing is too big or too small for the Lord to handle;


• And God is such a big deal in your life that you’ll pray to Him in your child’s stead.

During a summer a couple years ago our youngest son fell on wet tile at the community swimming pool, inflicting a nasty gash on the back of his head. He was petrified, not of the blood that was flowing freely, but of going to the hospital to get stitches. I tried to calm his fears as best I could, but the crying and shaking would not subside.

As we drove down the country road on the way to the emergency room, I asked my son if he wanted me to pray for him. He looked up with hope in his eyes. I took his hand, asked God for His peace and calm to come over my son, to quiet his fears and let him know that the Holy Spirit was there to comfort him.

Within moments my son’s tears were stopped and he began calming down. He made it through the stitches without shedding any more, even though the local anesthetic didn’t quite numb the entire area. Afterwards, as we drove through Arbys to pick up dinner, we held hands again and thanked God for answering our prayer.

Praying over your child in his or her presence makes God real. It makes Him important. And it takes your child one step closer to wanting what you have, a relationship with the King.