There’s a picture of my children upon my bedroom wall,
And every time I see it unto my God I call.
Reveal to them, as You did to me the wonder of Your Love,
And may You enter into their hearts like hand inside a glove.
When I tell them of Your Son may they listen when they hear it,
And guide them to the Way, the Truth with Your Holy Spirit.
For when they were oh so little I did not teach them well,
I walked the path of destruction that leads down into hell.
But by Your grace You saved me, in spite of my evil choices,
And when one day in heaven, I want to hear their voices
Singing praise so joyfully as we exalt Your Name,
But as of now the example I lived remains my greatest shame.
Oh that I could retrace my steps, unwind the hands of time,
And teach them of Your precious Word and Your Love sublime.
I’d take them to the House of Prayer, the one just down the street,
And there with other folks of faith each week we’d also meet.
With grateful words I’d give my thanks before our every meal,
And each night before I tucked them in beside their bed we’d kneel.
But time has passed; I’ve missed my chance to raise them as I should,
But as a dad, it’s really sad I see now I was no good.
The devil he will tell you, your kids will always be around,
But as I sit in this quiet house I no longer hear their sound.
So please do hear my prayer, My Father kind and true,
Teach them how to live their lives, teach them what to do.
For I did fail so miserably in their hour of greatest need,
Repair the damage I have done I beg You and I plead.
For You can soften the hardest heart within the hardest man,
I know this for a fact myself the day I came to understand
That You Love us so very much, You gave your Son for me,
And as a father of a son myself my eyes do clearly see.
So give them too this vision of Your un-surpassing Love,
That takes our eyes off evil world and makes them look above.
I love them now, I loved them then, but the life I lived was wrong,
But now I’m on the path of life and for them to join me I do long.
Heal them of my short comings; forgive them for my sins,
May they soon love You like I do; yes I love You God, Amen.
Tertius
Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Proverb 22:6
A note about “A Prayer for My Children”: A large picture of all my children was propped up on my dresser for quite a few months before I got around to hanging it on the wall above the head of my bed where it belongs. It was only in the spot a few weeks before God gave me this rhyme. Lesson learned; do not hesitate to put your children where they belong, do not hesitate to put God in His rightful place; do not hesitate to put your own life on the right track. There’s more at stake than just our own soul. The example I set for my children, my lack of teaching them about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and not taking them to church is my biggest regret. If you have small children do not let it one day be yours. Every man is responsible for their own choices when they one day stand before God, but we determine our children’s future, will we stand with them now, or perhaps on that day?