Last night, I was excited to see that I had a new letter from Bilha, the little girl I sponsor in Guatemala. In her letter she talked about a parade she had recently been to and her favorite foods.
And there, at the end of her letter, Bilha asked me to pray. She asked me to pray for her schooling because reading is hard for her. For her sister, who has been sick. For her mom and grandma, who take care of her.
Standing there in my kitchen, reading those words, I felt both the burden and privilege of praying for sweet Bilha. The joy that she trusts me enough to ask for my prayers. The guilt that I don’t pray often enough.
Maybe praying for the child or teen you sponsor comes easily to you. That’s amazing. But maybe it doesn’t. Maybe you need a few tips for how best to carry his or her precious requests. So, here are four ideas for how to pray for the child you have chosen to invest in.
- Write them down. I have a little notebook that I use to write down prayer requests. Whenever Bilha or any of the other children I sponsor mentions a request, it goes in the notebook.
- Pray always. You won’t always get a list of prayer requests in your letters. There are some things you can always pray for: health, school, family.
- Ask questions. The next time I write Bilha, I will ask about school and how her sister is feeling. I won’t know for sure that she’ll answer my questions, but she will know I prayed!
- Don’t overthink it. The thing that has helped me pray for Bilha the most is to keep her in my mind. Her picture is on my desk at work and on my refrigerator at home. I have a bookmark with her photo on it. When I get to work in the morning, I pray she is having a good day. When I am making dinner, I pray that she has food to eat and is healthy. When I open a book, I pray for her school. They’re quick prayers…with lots of power!
You can also get involved in praying for children all over the world through Compassion’s Prayer Network. It’s a way to keep prayer on the forefront of your mind as you lift up the prayers of the children and teens you sponsor as well as the youth we serve across the globe!
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Thank you for the great ideas. My wife and I endeavor to pray for our sponsored child, Azucena, every evening. Sometimes prays seem like such a small act but the power they can release in a child’s life is amazing. Thanks again!
Thank you for your wonderful support for all these little ones and may almighty God bless you and supply all wishes in Jesus Name.
Thanks for sharing. I like the message and you have also encourage me on how to pray.
Good ideas! Thank you for sharing!