“Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.” Ephesians 6:18
As Paul instructed the believers in Ephesus to pray for their needs and the needs of others, we also can be encouraged to pray for our needs and the needs of others, always, without giving up.
Families who are on the spiritual journey of adoption certainly need the Lord in the center of their lives and need the prayers of other believers. Below are some suggested ways to pray for families in the pre and the post adoption phases of their journey:
PRE-ADOPTION:
Pray for peace in the process: paperwork, fundraising, receiving education, waiting, giving up of control of things beyond their control, etc.
Pray for joy in the juggling: finding the balance of current family responsibilities and preparing for the adoption, not comparing theirs with the adoption “stories” of others, allowing the Lord to use them each day as He needs in “the wait”
Prayer for love for their future child: that unconditional love can develop, and that an understanding that children from hard places can have difficulty learning to trust and can have challenging behaviors that will need to be received with much patience and from very unselfish hearts
Pray for Godly wisdom: to know what is best in the who’s, what’s, when’s, where’s, why’s, how’s, if’s, etc.
POST-ADOPTION:
Pray for peace in the chaos: in country issues, travel, coming home and adjusting to a “new normal”, communication/language barriers, challenging behaviors, etc.
Pray for joy in relationships: to have fun together as a family and grow in attachment to and with their new child, to limit time outside the immediate family so the child can bond more easily to them first, to accept appropriate help and support from friends and family, and to be secure in their relationship with the Lord and His ability to bring healing and hope
Pray for love for their newly adopted child: that unconditional love can develop, and that an understanding that children from hard places can have difficulty learning to trust and can have challenging behaviors that will need to be received with much patience and from very unselfish hearts, and to know that discipline can be seen as an opportunity to teach, not necessarily a time to punish
Pray for Godly wisdom: as they help all children in the home learn to love each other and adapt to the many changes in their world, for keeping their marriage strong and healthy even though the alone time together is less, and to keep the adopted child and his/her needs the priority and to see/think from his/her perspective
“I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear about the love you have for all God’s holy people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. I pray that the faith you share may make you understand every blessing we have in Christ. I have great joy and comfort, my brother, because the love you have shown to God’s people has refreshed them.” Philemon 4:7
As adoptive families share HIS love and demonstrate their faith in HIM, pray that they understand every blessing they have in Christ. As they acknowledge HIS grace, patience and unconditional love, they can then pass it on to their precious gifts.
https://lifelinechild.org/protecting-their-story-while-telling-his/