Prayer

As promised, I am posting what I wrote for my student's scrapbook. This started out as a letter, but as I was writing, it turned into a prayer, so I went back and changed the whole piece to a prayer for my student's future. For this posting, I removed my student's name from the prayer (as indicated by the ---), but otherwise, for better or worse, here are the words that my student will carry with her as part of her scrapbook:

Father God, I lift up --- as she steps into another chapter of her life and her walk with you. I pray that you would give her the courage to passionately pursue the dreams that you have planted in her heart and that she would never find satisfaction in anything less than your best for her. I pray that you would give her the strength to stand firm in the face of the enemy’s challenges, using the shield of faith to protect her from his arrows and the sword of the spirit to hold him at bay. Father, I pray that you would deepen her trust in you, and that she would never waiver in her belief that you know what you’re doing even if she doesn’t see your entire plan.

Lord God, I pray for --- to follow the example of Jesus by loving big and loving much. I do not ask you to protect her from pain and heartbreak, but instead I pray that when she feels let down by the world that you would walk with her through her tears, purifying and restoring her heart so that she would grow from her pain and not be broken by it. In the same vein, Lord, I pray that you would teach --- to forgive truly and completely as you forgive us. Teach her to walk in your grace, free from all anger, bitterness, and pride that the enemy would use to hinder her heart in reflecting your love to the world. Lord Jesus, I pray that --- would always surround herself with people who love you and who will redirect her gaze upward when her eyes shift to the circumstances around her. I pray these Christian friends would never tire of reminding her to focus on you as the rock in this life of constant change. Father, I pray that --- would never forget who she is and who you have called her to be.

Finally, Lord, I pray that --- would wake up each morning with joy and excitement at what you have in store for her. Life is many things, but most of all it is an adventure. I pray that --- would face all of the adventures that you have planned for her with generous hands, an open heart, and wide eyes that are fixed on you, eagerly waiting to see what you will do next. Lord Jesus, I pray that --- would make you the song of her heart. I pray, that you would remove all fear from her and that she would give the gift of herself to the world without reservation, knowing that what we see as failure, you see as opportunity. Father, I entrust --- to your care as she blossoms into the woman you have created her to be. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to know her, however briefly, and to witness a small part of her journey. I also thank you for all of the lives that I know --- will touch in the years to come. I pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.