Psalms of Prayer

It has been on my heart lately to be more of a proactive prayer warrior as far as the girls are concerned. Accordingly, I spent some intentional time with the Lord these last few weeks, seeking a passage of scripture to pray for each of them. Prayer is our most powerful weapon and there is nothing more dynamic than praying the living Word of God. I truly believe He has given me each of these Psalms to pray over the girls. God willing, I look forward to praying these through their toddlerhood, school days, teenage years, and as they mature into women who, above all, seek the heart of Jesus.

Janelle's Psalm
Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge, his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him, I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

I love this Psalm because it is a warrior's Psalm and it is our prayer that our passionate, fiery Nelly will use that zeal to be a warrior for Christ. Whatever God calls her to do, whether she becomes a doctor, a missionary, or a housewife, I know that her heart will move her to fight injustice and evil. I love the fervor of the Psalmist as he writes, "You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent." I read this Psalm and immediately thought of our spirited Janelle. It is also our prayer that she will seek above all to "dwell in the shelter of the Most High" and always allow Him to be King of her life.

Lilly's Psalm
Psalm 16

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, apart from you I have no good thing."
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.
Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

As David writes in this Psalm, "...apart from you I have no good thing", it is our prayer that Lilly falls so desperately in love with her Savior that she acknowledges all else as worthless in comparison. We pray that He would be her "refuge" and her "portion" and that she would know the complete "joy in your presence". David writes with perfect confidence in the goodness and security of his God and that is what we pray Lilly will experience.