Children Need Our Prayers

Children Need Our Prayers                 

     Every day—every single day—my parents prayed for me. Do you have any idea how comforting that is? If you have or had parents like that, then you know.

     I actually didn’t realize this until I was grown, but when I did, I was flooded with gratitude. That awareness triggered great feelings of love—love for them and the receiving of love from them. Only God knows of the bad things I escaped because of their prayer covering.

     During the last couple years of their lives, when dementia invaded their minds, it occurred to me that their daily petitions had probably ceased. Though saddened by that thought, I was confident their prayers still echoed in the heavens and were easily recalled by our Heavenly Father. 

Have you prayed for your children (and grandchildren) today?

Here are six reasons we should pray daily for the children in our lives:

1. It’s our responsibility. Most likely no one else on the planet will be praying for your child every day. If you’re a grandparent or concerned adult, although you may not have the responsibilities of parenting, you can still pray for the children you love. 

2. Jesus set the example in praying for children (Matt. 19:13). We have no greater example in all matters than the Lord, Himself.

3. We need to set an example for children. Our children need to know that prayer is important to us and that we pray for them daily. Our own example is our chief teaching tool as we instruct children in spiritual matters.

4. We want our children to understand their need for salvation and that Jesus is the only way.  Even young children can comprehend this at a level that makes sense to them. The Holy Spirit knows how to work in each young spirit and can guide us as we speak.

Growing up in an evangelical church, I knew at a young age, I needed salvation found only in Jesus. At age nine, I’d been pondering this for months. I remember mentally listing my sins. Then one Sunday I decided it was time. I walked forward and extended my hand to Pastor Rushing and gave my heart to Jesus.

5. There’s a war going on and the lives and souls of our children are the spoils. In the spiritual realm, warfare is taking place between God’s angels and Satan’s demons. Rest assured, Satan is real and wants our children. Jesus warned that he desires to “steal, kill, and destroy” anyone he can (John 10:10a). That includes you, me, and the children we love.

We can pray with confidence, knowing our Heavenly Father wants our children too. Jesus continued, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b NKJV). Our children need to know these things.

6. Pray for wisdom in parenting. The role as parent is our most important job. Doing it well pays great dividends. We’d be hard-pressed to be great parents without divine wisdom and intervention. Consistency is key and that takes effort. Help from above is necessary. 

Regarding His statutes, God spoke through Moses: “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.” (Deut. 11:19-21 NKJV). 

Parenting is a daily responsibility that requires daily invoking the help and power from our Creator. God loves our kids and wants the best for them. Only with God’s help can we do our very best to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV). 

Internet Photo

Here are seven important things to pray for our children:

1.  Pray that, at a young age, they will realize their need to have a relationship with Jesus and will believe in and receive Him as Savior and Lord. If your children are already older it’s not too late. Still pray they will accept this Great Salvation (Hebrews 2:3-4).

2.  Pray they will develop a keen sense of right and wrong, based on biblical principles and a Christian worldview. 

3.  Pray they will love God’s Word and yearn for its daily encouragement and instruction. 

4.  Pray they will hunger and thirst for righteousness which will be reflected in their behavior and their thought life. 

5.  Pray they will develop a strong prayer life that leads them into intimate fellowship with their Creator. 

6.  Pray they will be tuned in to the Holy Spirit’s voice leading them day by day. This will help them avoid such things as being unequally yoked in relationships, especially marriage (2 Corinthians 6:14).

7.  Pray God’s Word over your children. As you read and study your Bible, when you come across a passage you would desire for your kids, pray those words over them. Even speak it out loud, calling out their names to God. When I do this, I sometimes write the name of a certain child or grandchild next to the verse. 

SO—we need to pray! We need to pray big time—every day—for our children and for ourselves as parents—grandparents—mentors.  

I’ve seen the results of allowing children to figure out spiritual matters for themselves and it’s often not a pretty sight. When we sow to the wind, we may reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7a). It’s true that sometimes they find their way to God without parental involvement. Nonetheless, from what I’ve observed, the results of sewing to the wind regarding a child’s spiritual upbringing has reaped the whirlwind indeed.

Examples I’ve witnessed have reaped addiction, sexual promiscuity and confusion, prison, mental and emotional insecurities, animosity toward God and parents, spiritual confusion, and all manner of chaos.

So, let’s pray. Let’s pray every day for our children and grandchildren. Their eternal destiny may depend on it.  

What is your greatest prayer for the children in your life? Tell God, right now. Release it to Him and take heart in knowing He hears. Thank Him and worship Him because He loves, He knows, He cares, and He can work in ways that astound us. 

On my Facebook page, I post a scripture-based prayer for children every day. Each one is a good springboard for our appeal to God on behalf of the children in our lives. I’d be honored for you to check it out. See the prayers on Facebook at this link: https://www.facebook.com/ConnieWohlfordAuthor/.

©Connie Wohlford 2019

Your Kids—For such a time as this

Your Kids—For such a time as this

Are you anxious about the world in which you’re raising your children? 

Does your plea to God go something like: “Oh, God, what kind of world are my children growing up in—so much hate and violence!”?

It happened again a couple days ago. My friend, who’s a young mom with an infant and a four year old, posted: “Unlike a lot of people these days, I will teach my children to love—not hate, judge, or condemn. It breaks my heart that this is the world my sweet babies have to grow up in.” 

My reply to her: “Good for you. Always know that God deliberately put you and your babies on the planet for just this time in history to serve His great purpose. You’re teaching them about God and His ways—that’s the main thing.”

Hers is the heart cry of many parents today. The world is scary and seems to get worse with each passing day.

I can’t imagine raising children without the hope of Christ—without the assurance that my children (and grandchildren) are on God’s side and in His care.

Even in cases where a child has wandered away from God or is floundering in their faith, parents can still pray in faith for the prodigal and confused. Those parents can still have the assurance that God knows, God cares, and God loves their child even more that the parents themselves (which is hard to even imagine).

We parents and grandparents look out across the landscape of our world and see all manner of possible troubles heading in the direction of our innocent offspring. Our insides may tremble at the horrors both real and imagined. 

When our minds go wild with the terrifying possibilities we have got to STOP! We must lasso and pull in these destructive thoughts. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

So we need to know that we have access to supernatural weapons. We don’t stand alone, struggling to protect our children from evil whether it be man-made or demonic. God wants to fight for us and alongside of us. And He has an angelic army at His bidding. In the world are many arguments and high things exalting themselves against the knowledge of God. A synonym for argument is influence. There are countless influences and high-minded people out there who are against God and all that God represents. But what is our knowledge of God and how can we bring our thoughts captive into the obedience of Christ? 

Let’s look at that passage in The Message:

“The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity” (1 Corinthians 10:4-6 The Message).

So we can be confident that God knows what He’s doing. He determines when each of us is born. He planned out when Moses would be born and knew how He would protect him from the murderous hands of Pharaoh’s soldiers.

He had it all figured out when to put a ruddy, bright-eyed boy on Bethlehem’s hillsides tending sheep. Then in God’s timing, that shepherd boy became a man after God’s own heart and the greatest king in Israel’s history.

God saw to it that Billy Graham would be born in 1918 and grow up on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina. He came to be known as America’s Pastor, and showed the way to salvation to millions of souls around the globe.

And in the fullness of time, God sent His Son to redeem Mankind. Jesus was born to just the right earthly parents, at just the right time, and in just the right place. Then on just the right day, He was crucified to pay the debt we owed for our sins. And in just the right instant He was quickened back to life.

Child worshiping God

We needn’t question why God brought our little ones into such a harsh world. Instead we can be confident that His timing is impeccable. 

When Esther feared for her life at the request of her elder cousin, Mordecai, he then said to her, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

We can be sure that our children, our grandchildren, and we ourselves have been born into this world for such a time as this. Just like David we can be confident that God knew us before we were born. He knew ahead of time the things we would say and do. He watched over us as we were formed in our mother’s womb and prophesied His great plan for our lives, as he wrote in Psalms 139.

Does this mean that our kids will always make the right decisions and stay on the straight and narrow? No. We didn’t, did we? 

Like us, they have free will. And we really wouldn’t change that. So we pray, and train, and teach, and pray some more. And in all that, we trust God, knowing he handpicked each of us to be on His planet at His timing in history.

Back to my friend with the infant and four year old. In her next comment in our conversation, she said, “When your 4 year old randomly starts singing ‘God is on the move—hallelujah!’ you know you're doing something right. lol”

Yes, amen! She and her husband are doing lots right. Let’s rear our children, according to God’s instructions, not binging intimidated by the world around us. We’re not in this alone. God has given us everything we need to get this most important job right. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3 ESV). 

Let’s pray. Oh, Lord, You know the cries of our hearts. Thank You that You hear our pleas and that You care. We’re grateful that You told us to cast our cares on You for You care for us. Though hard to imagine, we know You love our children even more than we do ourselves. Help us to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of You, Lord. Thank You, Father for hearing and answering our prayers. In Jesus name—Amen. 

©Copyright 2017 Connie Wohlford

Today’s Prayer for our Children and Grandchildren

Today’s Prayer for our Children and Grandchildren

            Why pray daily for our children... 

Have you prayed for your children (and grandchildren) today?

Here are some reasons we should pray daily for the children in our lives:

1. It’s our responsibility. As parents, we’re responsible for the spiritual growth of our children. It’s likely that no one else on the planet will be praying for our child every day. I knew that as long as my parents were alive and had presence of mind, someone was praying for me every single day. Though they’re now walking on streets of gold, I still appreciate that fact.

If you’re a grandparent and/or concerned adult, although you don’t have the responsibilities of parenting, you can and should still pray for the children you love, especially if the parents are not followers of Jesus. 

2. Jesus set the example in praying for children (Matt. 19:13), as well as for His followers. We can read the account of His prayer for us in John 17:17.

3. We need to set an example for our children. Our children need to know that prayer is important to us and that we pray for them daily. Our personal example is our chief teaching tool as we instruct our children in all spiritual matters.

4. We need to pray that our children will have revelation understanding of their need for salvation and that Jesus is the Savior and the only way.  Even young children can comprehend this at a level that makes sense to them. The Holy Spirit knows how to work in each young spirit.

Growing up in an evangelical church, I knew at a young age, I needed the salvation that Jesus could give me. At nine years old, I had been pondering on this for months. I remember trying to mentally list all my sins which were in need of God’s forgiveness. Then one Sunday I decided it was time. I walked forward and gave my hand to Pastor Rushing and my heart to Jesus.

5. There’s a war going on and the lives and souls of our children are the spoils of that war. In the atmosphere around us, spiritual warfare is taking place between God’s angels and Satan’s demons. We and our children are often pawns in their activity. Rest assured, Satan is real and he wants our children. He desires to steal, kill, and destroy anyone he can (John 10:10a). That includes you, me, and the children we love. We can pray with confidence that our Heavenly Father wants our children too. In the second half of that verse, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b NKJV). Our children need to know these things.

6. Pray for wisdom in parenting. Our role as parent is our most important job. Job—yes—because it’s work! And when we do it well it pays great dividends. We’d be hard-pressed to be a great parent without divine wisdom and intervention. Consistence is key and if you’re like me, and most others, it takes a lot of effort to be consistent. Help from above is necessary.

Moses said it well, when he passed God’s instructions on to the Israelites after God had freed them from Egyptian slavery. Through Moses, God said, “And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you ...” (Deut. 11:13-14q NKJV).

A few verses later, God got specific about passing the torch of His Word on to the children.  “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him—” (Deut. 11:19-22 NKJV). 

I’m sure we all agree that parenting is serious business. It’s a daily responsibility that requires daily invoking the help and power from our Creator. We can be confident that God, loves and wants the best for our children. It’s only with God’s help that we can truly “train up a child in the way he should go” (Prov. 22:6 NKJV).

SO—we need to pray! We need to pray big time—every day—for our children and for ourselves as parents.

I have seen the results of allowing children to figure out spiritual matters for themselves and it’s often not a pretty sight. When we sow to the wind, we often reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7a). It’s true that sometimes they find their way to God without parental involvement. Nonetheless, from what I’ve observed with acquaintances, the results of sewing to the wind in regard to a child’s spiritual upbringing has reaped the whirlwind indeed.

The examples I’ve witnessed have reaped addiction, sexual promiscuity and confusion, prison, mental and emotional insecurities, animosity toward God and toward parents, spiritual confusion, and all manner of chaos.
So, let’s pray. Let’s pray every day for our children and grandchildren. Their eternal destiny may depend on it.

A few months ago I began posting a brief daily prayer for children and grandchildren on my Facebook page. I would be honored for you to tune in to these prayers if you’re a Facebook user. Each one makes a good springboard for our appeal to God on behalf of the children in our lives.

Every morning, usually between 6 and 6:30 EST, I post a prayer for children. (If it doesn’t appear, there’s a good reason. I may be in need of prayer, myself. J)
In most of these prayers, I ask God to help the children in some area of spiritual growth. My two sons are in their forties and my grandchildren are teens and preteens. No child is too young or too old to not need prayer.

You can see the prayers on Facebook at this link: https://www.facebook.com/ConnieWohlfordAuthor/ .  If you “Like” my page and click on “Sign Up” the post should appear in your own FB News Feed each morning. Besides that, for you to Like my page would be a blessing to me. Thanks in advance!

Back to prayer. Think now—what is your greatest prayer for the children in your life? Tell God, right now. Release it to Him and take heart in knowing He hears! Thank Him and worship Him because He loves, He knows, He cares, and He can work in ways that will astound us.

Your comments are welcome. I and other readers would love to hear of your experiences in praying for children. And we can pray for one another in the family of God.

©Connie Wohlford 2016

A Lamp – Life is like that sometimes. (3)

Part 2.  A Lamp – Life is like that sometimes. (3)                              

We continue with RiSiKiLi−

                       You know− Read it, Study it, Know it, Live it.  

Have you ever felt as if you were stumbling around in a dark wilderness? <> Life is like that sometimes.

 

When God directed Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He literally illuminated their way with a pillar of fire through the night. 

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people (Exodus 13:21-22).

The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire were the manifest

presence of God showing the multitude the way through the wilderness. They didn’t have the written Word back then, other than the tablets with God’s Commandments. 

 

In like manner, the Word of God is the manifest presence of God for us today, showing the way through the wilderness called life. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit guiding us as well, but without knowledge of the Word, it’s hard to correctly discern the voices that may speak into our souls and spirits. 

I once heard this description of a person without God or knowledge of the Bible: It would be like a blind man in an unfamiliar pitch black dark room, looking for a black cat that is not there.  How undone is that?!  

Every life will bring its share of difficulties. To face trials time and time again without the hope of Christ and the light of His Word would certainly be a frustrating and futile existence. Oh, things may go smooth for a while but we can bet that one day the hammer’s gonna to fall. 

For the discouraged man or woman, the psalmist writes, Oh, send Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the alter of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God (Psalm 43:3-4 NKJV). 

 

The psalmist is fervently acknowledging the need for God. And he’s appealing for the light and truth that comes from God. Then when this is achieved, he knows he will have experienced God Himself−referring to God as my exceeding joy. He will then gratefully praise Him. 

Today let’s praise God for the light of His Word that helps us navigate through the wilderness areas of life. Yesterday’s horrific killings of two young journalists in my own state has pitched many people into a wilderness experience.

When we turn to God’s Word to help us navigate through such trauma, we’ll be stronger when we come out on the other side. And as we allow the Holy Spirit to comfort as only He can, we can find peace.

Please pray with me that God will take this tragic and evil event and use it for His glory in the building of His Kingdom. Only God can do such a thing. And let’s pray that in our own wilderness experiences we’ll turn to God’s Word and to Him in prayer as a first resort.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and may God abundantly bless you as you seek to know Him better and allow His Word to help you navigate through the wilderness of life.

 

Let's end today's thought and do as the psalmist. Let's praise our God as we enjoy this beautiful song from Psalm 43:3-6 "To God, My Exceeding Joy" <>   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhxmNOGII5k

©Connie Wohlford