Has anyone ever put a label on you?
They may have labeled you based on your personality, calling you shy, nerdy, awkward, or gossipy. Perhaps they labeled you based on the way you look or dress. I still hear the echo of the junior high boys at the computer beside me, quietly chanting “Christie’s ugly, Christie’s fat.” Those words and labels impact us deeply.
The sad truth of our world is that we all walk around with labels that others have pasted to us and this happens to our sons as well.
People may call your son shy or busy, sweet or talkative. They may also say less than kind words too, words like annoying, disrespectful, or nerdy. But you and I know the outer packaging isn’t the whole child.
Only God knows what’s in your child’s heart, and he gives YOU the opportunity to join him in shaping that heart. You have the chance to make sure those man-made labels have less chance to stick to your son by making sure he knows the truth about himself. It’s as if speaking God’s truth over him gives him a protective coating, making it less likely that the labels will stick. I guess you could also call that the armor of God!
What IS the truth about your son?
✔️ He is fearfully and wonderfully made.
✔️ He was made for a purpose.
✔️ God will never leave him.
✔️ He can build healthy friendships with God’s help.
Those are just some of the important truths we see in the life and writings of one of my favorite biblical characters, David. I pulled all 5 of these Bible verses to pray for your son from the life or writings of David.
The verses loosely follow my favorite way to pray comprehensively for my kids: the BLESS prayer. (Body – Labor – Emotions – Social – Spiritual) After each verse, I’ve included an example of how you could use this verse to pray over your son.
1. For his body: Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (NIV)
Lord, I praise You because my son is fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Thank you for creating him. Help him to see the parts of himself that reflect you and to treat himself and others as wonderful children of God. Amen.
2. For his labor: 1 Chronicles 28:20
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” (NIV)
Lord, please help my son to be strong and courageous, and to do the work you have set before him. May he not be afraid or discouraged, for you, the Lord God is with him. I know you will never fail or forsake him. Please help him to know that too. Amen.
3. For his emotional life: Psalm 34:4–5
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (NIV)
Lord, may my son seek you when he is afraid. When he does, answer him and deliver him from his fears. May he look to you and be radiant because of your love, and may his face never be covered with shame. Amen.
4. For his social life: 1 Samuel 18:3, 1 Samuel 23:16
And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. (NIV)
And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. (NIV)
Lord, please help my son to find a friend who will love him as he loves himself. May this friend encourage my son to find his strength in you, and may my son do the same for his friend. Amen.
5. For his spiritual life: Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (NIV)
Lord, help my son to care about having a pure heart before you. Teach him to admit when he’s done wrong and to repent. Create in him a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within him. Amen.
May God hear these scripture prayers on behalf of our sons and remind us that he alone is the one who declares their identity.
Consider a few extra resources:
- Set healthy boundaries without compromising freedom
- 6 ways to raise boys who feel
- Four things a boy needs from his mom
