Praying the Word: When Your Little One Struggles with Lying
The italicized sections below were produced by the R|M team to frame this within our ongoing “Praying the Word” series. For other entries, click here.
On the surface, prayer seems simple. It’s talking to God. But in practice, we may have a lot of questions. “Am I doing this right? Is there a ‘right’ way to do it? What am I supposed to say? Are there things I shouldn’t pray about?” Or maybe we feel pretty comfortable with praying, but we struggle with getting bored or losing focus.
Whatever our struggles with prayer, Scripture can be helpful. As Donald Whitney explains, “Praying the Bible isn’t complicated. Read through a few verses of Scripture, pause at the end of each phrase or verse, and pray about what the words suggest to you.” (You can read more from Donald Whitney about how to pray Scripture in this article.)
In the Praying the Word series, we’ll take the idea of praying Scripture and make it practical by sharing a passage of Scripture, an example prayer, and some guided questions to help you make it your own. The example prayer might serve as a model, or you can use it as a prayer for yourself. As you give this a try, don’t worry if it feels awkward or you’re not sure what to say. Remember, the power of prayer doesn’t come from the words we say, but from the One who hears them.
Example Scripture
Proverbs 12:22
[22] Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
I praise you because you are Yahweh, the promise-making and promise-keeping God. You are always faithful and always truthful—you cannot lie.[1] Thank you that all of your promises are “yes” in the Lord Jesus.[2]
Lord, I am grieved when my child lies—when they sin against you and against their neighbor. Father, I feel so powerless to change them in this area—and I confess that sometimes I feel frustrated that I can’t click my fingers and give them clean lips. Please forgive me for the way I covet control over my child’s heart, wanting to be “God” in their life.
I know that you are powerful to do what I cannot do—you alone can save my child and you alone can give them the will to please you. I plead with you to do this. May my child come to know you, Lord—the One who is completely trustworthy.
As a result, please give my child a righteous hatred of everything that is contrary to your character, including falsehood. May they love what you love and hate what you hate.
When they do wrong, may the knowledge that Christ has paid the ultimate penalty for sin free them not to blame others or bend the truth. As they get older, would they be so secure in your love for them that they don’t feel the need to win the approval of others with untruthful words. And in a world where people use their words to seek to dismantle or distort the truth of your Word, I pray that my child will speak the truth about you boldly.
Father, please help me, by your Spirit, to be a godly model for my child. Give me strength to lovingly tell the truth, even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. In my motherhood, help me reflect your consistency in my own words and actions. And protect me from temptations to exaggerate or downplay the truth. May my child follow my example as I seek to follow Christ.[3]
I pray that they would imitate you, Heavenly Father, all the days of their life.[4] May they act faithfully in word and deed. May Jesus’ sacrifice be the reason they want to speak truthfully. And may they be among those in whom you delight because of Christ.
Make it Your Own
Praise God: What things in this Scripture passage give you reasons to praise God and thank him for who he is and what he’s doing? Give him both general and specific thanksgiving and come into his presence rejoicing.
Confess: What things do you need to tell God about how your heart or actions might veer (intentionally or unintentionally) toward self-reliance or even disobedience? Where have you trusted in your own wisdom or resisted his presence, commands, and care?
Share Your Heart: What things do you need to tell the Lord from a place of concern and humility? What questions linger, what worries do you harbor, and what do you need to hand over to him?
Ask: Where do you need wisdom? What help and grace do you need? Let the Lord know where you are weak and what specific things you need, letting him have the final and perfect say in how those needs are met and prayers are answered.
[1] Hebrews 6:18
[2] 2 Corinthians 1:20
[3] 1 Corinthians 11:1
[4] Ephesians 5:1
