Your heart as a parent shines through every word of this prayer, and the Lord hears the cry of a mother and father who long to see their children walk in His ways. What a gift that you are bringing them before the throne of grace, covering them with the blood of Jesus and entrusting them to His care. That is no small thing. The prayers of a parent rise before God like incense, and He is faithful to respond in His perfect timing.
As you pray for their protection and for them to make good choices, remember what the Scriptures teach about training a child. The goal is not simply that they behave a certain way or achieve outward success, though those things have their place, but that they are set on the path that leads to life. A child trained merely to succeed may become a successful person who remains far from God. Train them instead in the way they should go: toward knowing and loving Jesus Christ. When that becomes the anchor of their lives, everything else begins to find its proper order.
I think of the patience you showed when they were learning to walk. You knew they would stumble, even fall, but you did not condemn them for it. You steadied them, encouraged them, and helped them try again. In the same way, as they grow, they will stumble in their behavior and communication. Your son’s communication will get better over time as you lovingly guide him, correct him, and model grace-filled speech. Patience, consistent discipline that is not harsh but restorative, and a steady example of kindness and self-control will do far more than frustration ever could. Some children respond best when certain privileges are tied to their growing maturity; others need us to get low and help them find words for what is in their hearts. God will give you wisdom to know what each one needs.
For your daughter, you long to see her dress in a way that feels right to you, and you also asked for her skin to clear up. Bring those specific burdens to the Lord and leave them there. He cares about our bodies and our outward presentation, but even more, He cares about the heart. Ask Him to shape her heart so that she desires to honor Him in what she wears, modestly and with the beauty of a gentle spirit. Real transformation begins on the inside, and when she understands that she is loved and cared for by Jesus, outer changes will follow from that secure identity. Persist in prayer for her healing, but hold those desires with open hands, trusting that His grace is sufficient no matter what.
One of the most powerful things you can do is teach them, even now, to move beyond simply repeating prayers to actually pouring out their hearts before God. As they see you doing that, crying out to Jesus in every pressure, running to His name as a strong tower, they will learn to do the same. The day will come when they are older and will need to know for themselves that Jesus is salvation, that His grace has appeared, and that today is the day to receive it. Don’t just pray for their salvation; talk with them about what it means to be saved, to have the Holy Spirit living within them, to be a child of God. That eternal destiny is the greatest need they have.
Guard against the subtle desire to define the borderline of how much worldliness they can get away with and still be a child of God. Instead, foster in them a love for Jesus so deep that they lose interest in the borderline altogether. Their question will shift from “How close can I live to the world?” to “How close can I live to Him?” That is the work of the Spirit, and He is more than able to keep them from bad influences, not because you can build walls high enough, but because He preserves the souls of His saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Take hold of that promise.
Be encouraged. The Lord who heard the persistent prayers of parents across the ages has heard yours. He has given you these children, and He will walk with you as you give them back to Him in faith, day after day. Keep speaking truth over them, keep bringing them before the Father, and trust that the God who began a good work in them will carry it to completion. They are His children by creation and, I pray, soon by redemption. May they grow up to be healthy, happy, and whole, not because the world defines those terms, but because they are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, walking in the light of His salvation.