Jesus declared that He didn’t pray for the world, just for those whom God, the Father, had given Him, His disciples. John 17:9: “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me;” There are people in the world over whom we have jurisdiction in our prayers. When we pray, we have more influence with God over their lives than others do. We need to be faithful and accept the authority God has given us with Him over their lives. Samuel was the leader of Israel and said in 1 Samuel 12:23, “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.” I believe that the greatest authority given by God in prayer is to Mothers and Fathers over their children. We make more of a difference in their lives through our faithful praying than we do for anyone else and that anyone else has in their lives. It would be sad for parents to neglect the power and authority God has given them to shape the lives and future of their kids because of business. My mother prayed for me a lot and regularly told me she was. Patty and I prayed for our kids faithfully over the years, and now we pray for our grandkids. God has given us authority over their lives through prayer, and we don’t want to neglect that responsibility for their sake.