King David, arguably the greatest leader in Israel’s history, had a vision to build a house for God. He longed to build a Temple that would be an appropriate resting place for the Ark of the Covenant. He wanted the Temple to state clearly to the rest of the nations that there was only one true God—the God of Israel, the God who made the heavens. While David’s vision was affirmed by the prophet Nathan, he also learned that it would be his son, Solomon, who would actually oversee the completion of the Temple’s construction and the fulfillment of his vision. The Lord promised David, “When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.  He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever,” (1 Chronicles 17:11-12). David received a clear vision of the mission God had for his child, and he knew that he had to steward that vision well.

So do we. We may not know what they will do specifically. God probably won’t tell us if our kids are to be missionaries or housewives or teachers or painters. That’s not for us to know. But we do know that God wants them to be Kingdom builders. We know that he wants them to give and serve and worship. He wants them to love his Word and hate sin. He wants them to manifest the fruit of his Spirit and help to spread his message around the world. We also know that God has a specific calling, a mission, a vision for their lives, and it’s our job as godly parents to steward that information well.

So what did David do? When given the information that his son was to build a house for God, how did David respond? He prayed. Specifically, he prayed back to God what God had promised him. He basically said, “Father, because you promised you would, I now have the boldness to ask: Continue my kingdom’s reign through my son and use him to build your house.”

Let’s hear it in David’s own words, “And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised . . . .” (1 Chronicles 17:23). Isn’t that amazingly simple? David prayed what God had promised. This is a classic example of true pinpoint praying in Scripture. David’s prayer was specific and it was based on God’s Word to him. No wonder he prayed with such boldness: He was asking God to do what he already said he would.

You know that the Bible is filled with truths about what God wants to do in his followers’ lives, including the lives of your children. You also probably have many specific promises he has given you for your kids from his Word (if not, you’ll have them soon as you begin searching the Bible for pinpoint prayers for your kids). So what do you do now? Start praying. Boldly go before God and pray his promises back to him. Tell him you believe that he has said he would do certain things in your kids’ lives, and that’s why you’re asking him now. Such praying is exactly the kind of praying that David did; it’s the kind of praying that the Bible encourages; and, it’s the kind of praying that God honors. If you believe that God has given you certain promises for your kids, then you need to steward those promises by praying them back to him.–From Pray Big for Your Child.

©2012 Will Davis Jr. Originally posted May 24, 2012 on Will Davis Jr’s blog.