"The One Year Praying through the Bible for Your Kids" by Nancy Guthrie. A Review

The One Year Praying Through the Bible for Your KidsThe One Year Praying Through the Bible for Your Kids by Nancy Guthrie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With each epoch of our family's life changes in relationship with our children are constantly evolving. When our children were little, we had concerns and desires for them that reflected their young, inexperienced stage in life. As they grew into adolescence, we had new worries and delights. And now that almost all of them are adults, this has opened up a whole fresh bundle of prayers, anticipations, and sometimes, anxieties. Nancy Guthrie has handed parents a wonderful 400 page tool that reflects all of this in her "The One Year Praying through the Bible for Your Kids." It is ideal for the busy mom and dad, and can be adapted to be used in different ways depending on your season of life. As Sinclair Ferguson points out in the foreword, "It is not a "how to do" manual. No, it is a "how to be" guidebook" (viii).

The format is simple. Each day of the year receives its own page with a devotional reading that stands behind the prayer for the day. For the busy parent, Guthrie has set up a program for reading the Bible through in a year that supplements the devotion. For the super-busy mom or dad, a central passage from the Bible reading is printed at the top, and the devotional thought builds from there. Each of those aspects are valuable to help keep parents grounded; yet the prayers will be the most immediate benefit. These prayers are not sticky, syrupy sap, but thoughtfully drawn from the Scripture and devotional thoughts for that day. Some are confessing faults, "Lord, I don't want to be a hypocrite in my own home. But it is very hard for me to be humble before my children and to confess my sins..." (84). Others are specifically aimed at the children, "Lord, do your transforming work in_________ through your Word,..." (210). And almost all of the prayers can be used no matter what stage you or your children are in.

"Praying through the Bible for Your Kids" is handy, and helpful. It is perfect for new, seasoned or empty-nest parents, as well as grandparents. If you need to be encouraged, directed to the goodness of God, or guided in prayer, you will find this volume just what you need. I highly recommend the book.

You can purchase the book here: "Praying through the Bible for Your Kids"

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