It’s been a long time (too long) since we had a prayer day here at the MOB Society. But what better day could there be to have one than the first day of 2014?
Our normal prayer days consist of mothers of boy sharing their requests and concerns in the comments, then lifting up another commenter above them. It’s a cycle or sorts—moms sharing their hearts for their boys, but also taking a moment to care for the heart of another mom in prayer before leaving.

This time, we’d like encourage you to do it a little differently.

What if we got serious about praying for our boys in 2014?

What if we got serious about praying for our boys in 2014?

As most of you know, one of my favorite things to do is pick a verse from the Bible (or a handful of them) to pray for my sons. For example, my favorite verses to pray for my sons are adapted from Numbers 6:24-26.

“May the Lord bless you, and keep you, and make His face shine upon you, and give you peace.”

Almost every single night I pray this prayer for them. When they were infants, I sang it to them. Now, at ages six and eight, they know it by heart, and will ask me for their “special prayer” if I somehow manage to forget it.

I have a handful of these favorite prayer verses that seem to make their way from my lips to God’s ears on a regular basis, but this year, as I look ahead to 2014, I thought it would be nice to just pick one verse for them to pray all year long.

As I look at our home—all that’s behind us, and all that lies ahead—there’s one word that comes to mind over and over again…something I know I’d like to ask God to deepen in our hearts this year:

Joy.

It’s not that we don’t have any—laughter is a constant in our home—but I desire for my boys to know the joy of the Lord, not just the joy of circumstances (<<—Tweet that!). I want their eyes to be opened to all of the ways the Lord has provided for us—and will continue to provide in 2014—and experience joy in knowing God loves them.

So I picked this verse to pray for them all year long:

“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” (Psalm 92:4 ESV)

I’ll tweak it a little to make it sound more like a prayer:

“Lord, may my sons sing for joy at the works of your hands, and be glad as they see Your work!”

This will be my prayer, but your son’s needs might be different. So today, I’d like to encourage you to take a moment to pray, asking the Lord to bring to mind one word that describes something your family needs to have from Him in 2014.

Then search the scriptures for one verse that captures the heart of that word, and make it yours for 2014. Print it out. Hang it outside your son’s room. And pause to pray it over him morning and night, or any time you walk by.

After you’re done, would you take a moment to share what you’re praying for your boys in 2014?

Here’s how it works:

  1. Leave a comment telling us what verse you’re praying for your son in 2014. If you feel comfortable, tell us why.
  2. If you’re a blogger, why not write a post about the verse you’ve chosen to help spread the word and get more moms praying? You can link it up below.
  3. If you can, take a moment to bless another mom by leaving a written prayer for her in the comments.

As a treat for you, Franchesca Cox, of Small Bird Studios, has created a beautiful printable download for you based on the verse I’m praying for my sons this year. Who knows, maybe your home needs a little more joy too! If so, feel free to print it out and use it for your sons too.

Choose one verse to pray for your sons in 2014, and grab this free printable download!

Click here to download your free prayer printable!

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For more help in praying for your boys, grab a copy of my latest book, Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most, or take my latest prayer challenge for mothers of boys based on the Armor of God from Ephesians 6!