Lord, on this day of candy, pumpkins, and costumes, kids make a game of pretending to be somebody else. My superhero or princess has fun feeling powerful or pretty for just one day. Yet when the treats are gone and autumn fades away, the child behind the costume still longs for a new identity in their heart.

Lord, comfort the children who wear a cheerful mask to hide the hurts inside. They carry wounds from harsh words. They bear shame from failure and criticism. Blindsided by change outside their control, they feel uprooted and lost. As dutiful rule-followers, they disguise the guilt eating away at their spirit. Today, Lord, turn their “mourning into dancing” and “clothe them in gladness” so they experience your help and healing. (Psalm 30:11) You can light up their faces with joy as your pour out your love in their lives.

My son acts tough and invincible while behind the costume, he struggles with fear and insecurity. He worries he doesn’t have what it takes, so he exhausts himself working for love and approval. Give him true strength and courage by knowing you’re with him all the time. (Joshua 1:9) Help him take hold of your promise to reveal your perfect power in his childlike weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Fill him with confidence, since your strength is enough for whatever he might face.

The world sells a lie that image and beauty prove my daughter’s worth. She feels ugly and awkward, unseen and unwanted. Crush that destructive message with your truth—”man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Help her to truly believe she’s “fearfully and wonderfully made” as your handiwork, made in God’s image. (Psalm 139:14) Dress her up in the beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit that’s of great worth in your sight. (1 Peter 3:4)

Lord, start with me. Keep me from hiding behind a costume, too. Make me honest and authentic. Use me as an example as I openly share my hopes, concerns, and questions. Keep me from pretending to have all the answers. In my own seasons of doubt or insecurity, draw me close to you for the truth and reassurance I need.

Thank you for your compassion for my children. You invite them to take off their masks and makeup and come to you just as they are. In you, they discover their true identities as sons and daughters of God. Give them your peace as you grow their faith in Jesus, whose love never fails. Amen.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
(1 John 3:1)

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
(Psalm 139:14-17)

To continue praying for your son or daughter in every part of their life, we offer Powerful Prayers for Your Son and Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter. God bless you as you place your child in his hands.