3 Ways to Help Your Daughter Pray for our Nation
(This post is a guest contribution from Teri Lynne Underwood, a member of our FaithMomz network.)
Today on courthouse steps and in conference rooms across our nation, leaders and citizens will gather together for one purpose—to pray for our country. National Day of Prayer is required by law but it is, far more importantly, an opportunity for us as Christians to intercede for this nation where we are privileged to live.
How can we help our daughters understand the value of praying for our country, for our leaders, and for our communities? How do we communicate with them the sovereignty of God while also acknowledging the contention and sorrow in our world?
As our girls move into the tween years, they are more aware of the world around them. And that can be both exciting and frightening. We often want to shield them from the harshness of the world beyond our homes, desperate to keep their innocence and naiveté intact.
But our girls see and hear and know the plethora of issues that divide our nation. And today, as we honor the National Day of Prayer, is an excellent time for us to guide them to the one thing we can always do—PRAY.
How should we pray for our nation?
The Bible offers us great insight into how we can pray for our country. And the best way for us to help our girls pray is to point them to Scripture as the foundation for our intercessions.
Here are three ways we can help our daughters pray for our nation:
- Guide them to pray for our leaders, from local to national, will be just in their dealings with others, will truly fear God and not men, and will be wise to depart from evil. (2 Samuel 23:2, Proverbs 1:7, 14:26, 16:6)
- Help them pray for Christians who will avoid negativity, fault-finding and contentiousness but will be a bright light revealing God’s love and care for all people. (Philippians 2:14-15)
- Remind them that God is in control and we can trust in Him. Pray with them to look to God to overcome the enemies of truth and righteousness. (Psalm 60:11-12)
Teaching our children to pray for our nation and its leaders is vital to helping them mature in their faith. It’s a gift for us to guide them to pray and intercede using the Bible as a foundation. Let’s be faithful to this task!
Teri Lynne Underwood is a Word lover and idea slinger. She’s a wife and mom, a writer and speaker. But mostly she’s just a girl who loves Jesus. Founder of Prayers for Girls, a vibrant community for girl moms and author of Praying for Girls: Asking God for the Things They Need Most, Teri Lynne’s heart desire is to encourage women to live in the full life God has for them. You can find her at the links below.
