Prayer Prompt #52: Mama, Did You Know?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?

Mama, did you know that God has miracles for your baby to do, too?

Mama, did you know that Mary’s baby boy - Jesus, the Savior - proclaimed this: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  John 14:12 (NIV)

Mama . . . did you know that He was speaking of your baby?

And mama . . . did you know that that He was also speaking of you?

Dear LORD, may our babies carry on the work that Mary’s baby boy started.  May the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, and the dumb speak the praises of the Lamb. Make us the moms whose prayers will undergird our babies’ lives of faith as they do “even greater things than these”. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #51: Are You Parenting as a Fool?

A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.

Proverbs 29:11

This is me disciplining on a good day:

“Please remember: we don’t stand on tables.”

And here’s me disciplining on a bad day:
“GET OFF THE TABLE!!! I’ve told you a hundred times to use the furniture properly! I’m sick and tired of telling you this over and over and over again, and if you keep it up, there won’t BE any tables left in this house for you to climb on because I’ll get rid of ALL of them!”

Ugh . . . I’m never proud of those moments! But we’ve all been there, and can probably agree that rather than training our children to stop standing on the table, we’ve actually just trained them to respond to us in kind!

Perhaps that’s why the Bible says this kind of emotional venting is foolish: the fruit it produces is not the type we want to bear!

Dear LORD, help me set a guard over my mouth and keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3).  Help me exercise self control and restraint when I’m tempted to “vent all my feelings” at my children.  Give me words filled with wisdom to correct what needs correction without inserting my own wild emotions.  Help me teach my children good patterns of speech by how I speak to them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #50: Made in His Image

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27 (NIV)

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

“You look just like me!”  I’m still in awe to have a little person that so closely resembles me.  Sometimes I gaze at my children and am filled with wonder at how God made their features to look like me and my husband. The resemblance is beautiful, signifying belonging and connection to one’s parents.

I want to look like my Heavenly Father. I hope that when people see me, they catch a glimpse of His character.

Dear LORD, You made my children to resemble me, just as you intend Your children to resemble You.  Transform me more and more into Your image with ever-increasing glory. May my character resemble Yours in all I say and do and think in my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #49: Are You a Coach or an Umpire?

Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

Sometimes I discipline my child like I’m his umpire: “Strike three, you are OUT!”  Such discipline is divisive: it’s mom vs. child.

But a family is a team, so we ought to work together, not against one another, for everyone’s benefit.  Instead of umpire, I ought to be my child’s coach and work with him to overcome any weaknesses.

Dear LORD, it’s too easy to fall into a pattern of being an umpire of my child instead of a coach.  Help me establish patterns of behavior and speech that communicate to my child that I am on his team, that I am for him and not against him. Give me words that encourage and help him, not condemn him with parental anger. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #48: The Face of Childlike Faith

How kind the Lord is! How good he is!

So merciful, this God of ours!

The Lord protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and he saved me.

Let my soul be at rest again,

for the Lord has been good to me.

Psalm 116:5-7 (NLT)

Newborn babies naturally prefer to sleep in mommy’s arms.  When baby is asleep in my arms, I can pass through all sorts of terrain, activities and noise levels and he will barely stir.  Just last night I carried him close to me through torrential rain, deep puddles and traffic jams -- he was not even aware. He just snuggled in and slept peacefully.

What a beautiful thing that baby considers mommy’s arms the safest place for him!  This is where he feels secure. He is not concerned about the storm raging around him because he has thrown all of his trust upon the one upholding him.

When the Bible speaks of childlike faith, I consider how my babies have slept in my arms -- fully at peace and fully trusting that they are safe being held by their parent.

Dear LORD, thank you that there is a place of total rest and security for me in Your arms.  I want to go back to that childlike faith, where I don’t worry about the storms of life because I know that you are upholding me. I praise You because You are the perfect parent that will carry me through all of life’s seasons with loving protection.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #47: Is He a Good Sleeper?

One of the most common questions you get when you’re the mother of a newborn.  And for good reason, since when you become a mom you get to play Baby Sleeping Roulette! Because some babies are the poster children for “sleeps like a baby” and others inspire bizarre decision-making like, “Baby’s finally asleep! Should I sleep while he sleeps, or shower for the first time in four days?”  Not that I’ve been there or anything.

But you know all of this because you are moms too.  So you also know that going without decent sleep makes you a crazy person.  And makes you forget the names of your other children, your age, where you live and many other random things.

And - bonus! - if you’re not on your guard, it will also make you cranky, short-tempered and irritable.  

So, as a mother of a newborn again, this verse really struck me:

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure . . . sleepless nights . . .

2 Corinthians 6:3-5 (NLT)

People are watching us, Christian moms - both the people outside our homes and the little ones inside our homes.  So let us pray that no matter the physical, mental or emotional strain, we will continue to show that we belong to Christ and He is sufficient for whatever we must endure.

Dear LORD, when I’m worn out it’s too easy to become impatient and grumpy even with the people I love most. In those times of exhaustion or stress, remind me to continue to look to You and receive the strength to patiently endure.  Help me come through these hard moments as a true minister of God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #46: Is "Brotherly Love" an Oxymoron?

Now the works of the flesh are evident:  . . . strife . . . rivalries . . .

Galatians 5:19-20 (ESV)

Everyone told me that siblings would fight.  And I know - I had siblings too, and there may or may not have been at least one sibling argument that ended with one of us throwing a hot dog at the other . . .

So yes, I’ve experienced it, and I see it with my own children too.  

I see it, but I do not accept it.  No matter how common, strife has no welcome in our household.  I reject it in every form, even so-called normal sibling rivalry.  There is a better heritage for households of faith - a heritage of love and peace.  I’m laying hold of that one instead.

After all, what in the world is “brotherly love” if it can’t be found among brothers?

Dear LORD, I reject a heritage of arguing and strife within my family and among my children.  Remove all discord and strife from among my children and replace it with peace and that “phileo” brotherly love.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #45: Silencing Your Enemies

Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

Psalm 8:2 (NIV)

Praise is a strong weapon against the enemy because it silences his lying tongue. Matthew 21:14-17 (NIV) illustrates this:

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

It was the children that were shouting praise in the temple courts. The chief priests and teachers of the law (the enemies) wanted them to stop proclaiming who Jesus was - the Son of David, the Messiah. But when Jesus affirmed the children’s praise (by quoting Psalm 8:2), they had nothing more to say! The enemy was silenced.

Dear LORD, You are worthy of all glory and honor and power; thank you for filling my children with praise from their youth.  Teach them to continue praising as they grow up and life gets harder - teach them to continue praising no matter what circumstances they face.  Let them see that their praise puts the enemy to flight and silences their foes; may they wield praise as a mighty weapon against the powers of darkness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #44: Because He Lives

“ . . . because I live, ye shall live also.”

John 14:9

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,

And feel the pride and joy he gives;

But greater still the calm assurance

This child can face uncertain days because He lives!

(Because He Lives by Bill & Gloria Gaither)

Dear LORD, thank you for making me a mother and giving life to another soul.  In the name of Jesus, we set him apart and claim him for Your eternal kingdom. How wonderful to know that no matter what his ‘tomorrows’ bring, You are there and You are victorious. We thank you in Jesus name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #43: Crankiness - It's Not Just the Kids

“You're cranky a lot.”

It wasn't a complaint but an observation, and I had to laugh a little at the sheer honesty of my child's assessment of me.

But then I realized -- he’s right!  How could it be that I was often cranky with these little people that I loved so dearly? That's not what I want them to remember about their mama!

How often I let the pressures and stresses of life rob me of just enjoying my children!

But if I’m being robbed of that blessing, I know who’s behind it - and I know the remedy too: the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus triumphed over him and gives us a rich, satisfying and abundant life.  (John 10:10.)

Dear Lord, you gave me a precious gift when you gave me my children.  Fill me with joy and grace. Let their memories of me be that I loved and delighted in them, not that I was frequently cross and cranky. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #42: Better

We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.

Psalms 78:4‭-7 NLT

Our country has a history of foreigners immigrating here in search of a better life for their children.  I have the same desire for my children spiritually. I want them to do better than me and have even more of Christ than I attained.  Not because I've attained too little, but because I know in Him there's always more.

Have I walked with Jesus? May they walk with Him closer.

Have I learned to hear the whisper of His voice? May they hear it even clearer.

Have I obeyed joyfully? May they do so even more.

Have I given myself to prayer? May they pray with even greater fervor.

Have I loved Jesus with all my heart? May they love Him even more.

Dear LORD, we are but strangers and sojourners on earth - foreigners seeking a city whose builder and maker is God - a better city.  May my children be drawn to that celestial city by my example, but may they far exceed me in their knowledge and enjoyment of You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #41: The Ultimate Countdown

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 (KJV)

“The days are long, but the years are short” is a common and accurate description of motherhood. My oldest is only four but my memory of the first time he looked into my eyes is as vivid as if it happened an hour ago.  Where did all that time go? Slipped away like mist in the morning despite my efforts to cling to those precious moments.

When he was still a baby I decided to view time in reverse as a way of constantly reminding myself that every day is a gift.  I don’t only view him as 4 years old; I also remind myself that, if he goes to college at 18, I have 14 more years to pour into him before he enters that new season in which he has much greater independence.  Next year there will be only 13 years, then twelve . . . the ultimate motherhood countdown.

The countdown helps me remember that the time I’ve been given with my children is precious and I ought to be conscious of how I use it. It helps me remember to love intensely and display Christ bountifully. It helps me be grateful for every moment I have with them, knowing that they are not mine but God’s, and I cannot hang onto them forever because one day they will step into the future to which He calls them.

Dear LORD, Your Word reminds me to make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16) and to number my days (Psalm 90:12). Give me the grace to apply this to my parenting by enjoying my children, loving them well and helping them become established in a lifelong journey walking alongside You. Make me truly conscious that each day You give me with them is a gift.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #40: The Blessed Mess

My house is not worthy of HGTV and my life is not worth viewing on any social media feed.  Both are messy, imperfect, raw.

But I’m not ashamed of that. In fact, I embrace it.

This mess . . . this beautiful, blessed mess . . . this is life. It’s an embracing of imperfection for the sake of living in each moment and loving in each moment.

Helping mommy clean means there will be excessive vinegar spray on the bathroom tile that we’ll need to wipe up.  Letting them flip the pancakes for the first time means I’ll be cleaning batter off the stovetop. “Yes, sweetie, you may dig for worms . . . it’s okay, we can wash those muddy pants when we get home.”  It means more laundry. And more. And more. But they love it.

And I love watching them explore all the nooks and crannies of the world God made. I love when they live and embrace that experience isn’t always neat and tidy and life means getting your hands (and your floors) dirty.  In allowing them to live in these messy moments, God gives me new eyes to see how utterly amazing it is to experience the gift of living! When did I lose that childlike wonder? But thank God -- He is regenerating it in me through the witness of my children.

Dear LORD, what a beautiful, amazing world You have created - for us! “The way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock” (Proverbs 30:18-19) . . . Your world is full of wonder; thank you for showing me again through my children. As we live in this blessed messy life, help me to keep seeing the exuberance of living rather than just the clean-up involved. Help me to embrace new experiences like my children embrace them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #39: You're Grounded!

“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:17-19 (NKJV)

The first Scripture I made my firstborn memorize was Proverbs 6:20: “My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”  He was going through that toddler stage of testing authority so, like many parents, I looked to Scripture for answers and advice to help develop godly character in him.  

And that’s certainly not a bad idea! But eventually I realized that emphasizing good character in the absence of a solid understanding of God’s unconditional love for him was the wrong order.  God doesn’t love him because -- or when -- he is good; God just loves him. No matter what.

Now, I get a good chuckle over this being our family’s first memory verse. We still examine and memorize verses about character, but we have learned to first build a foundation of understanding that God loves him, no matter what, no matter how many mistakes he makes or how big they are -- and that there is nothing he can ever do to change that. My prayer is that he will be grounded -- grounded in the love of Christ that never changes, never diminishes, never runs out, never stops and never - not for all eternity - fails.

Dear LORD, I pray that Christ will dwell in my child’s heart through faith and that he will be rooted and grounded in Your amazing love. Establish his understanding of the unconditional love of Christ - it’s width and length and depth and height - so that he will be utterly filled with all the fullness of God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #38: The Best Advice When No Other Advice Has Worked

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Romans 2:4 (NIV)

God’s kindness leads us to repentance: this is the reminder the Holy Spirit gives me whenever I veer away from parenting by faith and prayer and start looking for a quick formula that will “fix” my children’s “needs improvement” areas.  Sometimes I go so far down that path and with no results, then I throw up my hands in exasperation crying, “what am I supposed to do??” The LORD reminds me that parenting isn’t just about about what I do, but what I am to my children:  be kind to them, because kindness leads to repentance, and repentance leads to change.

Dear LORD, You have been so good, so kind to me despite my sin and failures.  You are not permissive with my sin, but You are patient with me. You forbear with me and are not hasty in Your judgment.  Most of all, Your rebukes toward me are kind and gentle rather than angry. They are full of encouragement, not rejection. Make my parenting a reflection of how You parent me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #37: Words of Wisdom

She opens her mouth with wisdom.

Proverbs 31:26 (NKJV)

“Teresa, the Word of God is like a well of water.  I go to it every morning to dip my bucket in the well, and every morning there is always water. No matter how many days, years or decades pass, there is always water in the well.”

This was the gift of wisdom my own dear mother gave me tonight when we spoke. Her declaration of truth lifted my heart and inspired me.  What a blessing it is to have a mother who speaks with the wisdom of the Word of God!

I hope that the conversations I have with my children as they get older will not be limited to giving instructions and reproofs, but rather will be filled with declarations of the truth of the Word and the faithfulness of its Writer.

Dear LORD, fearing You is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). Fill me to the core with this wisdom so it will tumble out as words whenever I open my mouth. Make my speech peppered with truth from Your Word and help me communicate it so that my children will understand and grab hold of it even as they grow.  Make my conversations with my children a blessing to them from their youth even into their adulthood. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #36: Shhh...You're Being Followed!

I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.

(Psalm 101:2 NIV)

My two-year-old loves to run into the bathroom when I’m showering, pull back the curtain, and exclaim, “Hi Mommy!” with a wide smile.  I regain control of the curtain, but then he wants to come back when he hears the water turn off so he can be the Big Helper who hands me my towel.  Uh, “Thank you! Can you please close the door now so mommy can get dressed?”

When you embrace motherhood, you relinquish a whole bunch of privacy.   

But the most important kind isn’t the bathroom-type (though I bet we all love when the door stays respectfully closed!), it’s the open book your life becomes as you conduct yourself throughout the day, weathering the good and the bad that come your way.

Because those little ones are always watching. They pick up on how I react, the tone of my voice, the words I use as I pray.  And then, they copy it. I have -- completely by accident -- already taught my preschool aged children both good and bad habits just because they are always watching and mimicking how I live.

Dear LORD, help me to walk before you uprightly and conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.  May the example I set for my children be one of faith, constancy, gentleness and cheerfulness. Purge those bad habits and reactions from my heart; make me more like You.  In Your mercy, shield my children from adopting my faults even as I work through them with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #35: They Will Have Their Own Testimony

“I have committed them to the LORD. They will have their own testimony.”  

I thought about this parenting wisdom from a dear friend long after our visit together ended.  I thought I had committed my children to the LORD - but had I, really? Had I really let go of trying to control their picture perfect futures? Let them go to make mistakes? Let them go and trusted the LORD with them, no matter if they faced hardship or illness - no matter what?

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the ultimate example of this.  She knew from his infancy that Jesus would “be a sign that will be spoken against” and that “a sword [would] pierce [her] own soul too” (Luke 2:34-35). Can you imagine the pain of her mother-heart as she watched her dear Child be tortured and killed - and she could not stop it, she could not protect Him from it? He was born to die -- can you imagine being a mother knowing that your child was born to die? I can barely write the words without shedding tears at the mere thought of it.

So I have to ask myself again: have I committed my children to the LORD?  My friend already told me the consequence of this kind of faith, and it’s a glorious one: they will have their own testimony.  

What if my child becomes a prodigal? They will have their own testimony.

What if they rebel? They will have their own testimony.

What if they make a big, irreversible mistake? They will have their own testimony.

What if they are hurt by circumstance, people they had trusted, or physical illness? They will have their own testimony.  

Remember way back in Prayer Prompt #13 we prayed that our children are not really ours: we love and care for them in stewardship on behalf of their Creator?  It’s time to take up that mantle again.

Dear LORD, I acknowledge again that the children I have are children that YOU have given me: they were and still are Yours first, mine second, mine in stewardship.  I embrace my role to nurture, love and bring them up in the training and instruction of the LORD, but I acknowledge that I ultimately cannot control their lives. And so, by faith, I now commit my children to You and trust You with their lives and their futures. I know that no one loves them more than You do. For every mistake, every bruise, every hardship - give them a testimony, a glorious testimony that will magnify their Creator. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #34: Rotten Fruit

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Patience may be the fruit of the Spirit that shocks me the most.  Sometimes I am shocked at the supernatural patience God gives me with my children.  “You dropped the 500-count box of toothpicks on the floor? Accidents happen! Let’s all get dustpans and brooms and clean it up together.”

Other times I am shocked at my impatience over the tiniest things. “Put on your shoes. Put on your shoes. PUT ON YOUR SHOES!!!”  It’s like the patience part of my spiritual fruit rots. Fruit flies and a half a worm when you bite into the apple kind of rot!

Sometimes patience is painful! The King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23 translates patience as longsuffering.  Yes, sometimes it feels that way to parents -- including our Heavenly Father! -- and knowing how patient He is with me makes me want to reflect that part of His character to my children too.

Dear LORD, when I look back over my own life, I am amazed by the patience You have shown me.  There have been so many times when You could have given up on me, so many times when You could have been exasperated and mad, but instead you have patiently helped me back on my feet and given me another chance . . and another . . . and another.  Strengthen this part of my character too so that I can express patient love to my children in all circumstances. In this and all things, make me more like You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #33: Sacrificial Motherhood

I’ll never forget a teary phone call made to a friend when I was a new mom of a newborn who basically never slept.

“What do you do when he’s crying all night and you don’t get to sleep?” I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but it was probably along the lines of either a load of sympathy or a plug-and-chug solution. I got neither.

“I consider it an opportunity to be made more like Christ,” was her answer.

Whoa! Didn’t see that one coming - but it was the right response!

There is a legitimate need for mothers to take time for self-care and replenishment, particularly by receiving from the LORD.  But there can also be a tendency for this mother to just get good and cranky when I feel like I’m sacrificing too much or that I deserve a nice break from my more difficult motherhood responsibilities.

But I’ll tell you honestly: every single time I’ve brought this complaint before the LORD, His response is the same: I’m called to live a crucified life that puts the needs of others above my own (see Galatians 2:20 and Philippians 2:4).  He doesn’t allow me to justify my selfishness but instead He promises that His grace is sufficient for me because His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:19).

And yes, there are breaks and “me time” and refreshment too -- but I’m learning to see these as my blessings rather than my rights. And there’s a big difference in that.

Dear Jesus, help me embrace the sacrifice in the sacrificial calling of motherhood.  Help me to daily plug in to the grace and power You freely offer in my weakest moments so that I can rise above my own crankiness and walk in Your victory.  Make my heart more beautiful as I find joy in sacrificially loving my children as You love Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #32: Promises for Parents (Part 3)

Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.

Proverbs 14:26 (NIV)

My toddler runs to me with tear-streaked cheeks. A stubbed toe, a scraped knee and a fall on the tile floor all have the same remedy: the security of mommy's embrace, time to be held and rocked in her lap, words of comfort softly spoken into tiny ears until the tears dry and he is ready to take on the world again.

He is two years old. Mommy is his comforter; my arms, his refuge. Yet someday he will be too big to fit in my lap and too old to show me every tear. But he will never outgrow God, and the Father's everlasting arms will always be big enough, His words of peace always the perfect remedy. Someday it will no longer be me but the LORD who is his refuge.

Dear Jesus, may my life demonstrate to my children what it looks like to make You my fortress. May my troubles cause me to call on the name of the LORD and send me running to my strong tower, where I am safe (Proverbs 18:10). Thank you that what I build through my reverent hope in You will become a lasting refuge for my children. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #31: Promises for Parents (Part 2)

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

Psalm 37:25-26 (KJV)

The Psalmist testifies of the unchanging character of God which lasts for us and for our children. Scripture affirms the Psalmist's observation: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

God's loving kindness will outlast my earthly existence; it will continue to my children. “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22). Thank God for this security! “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2). I can be confident that what He has been for me, He will be for them -- and I pray even more so!

Truly, He has “been our dwelling place throughout ALL generations.” (Psalm 90:1).  What a great reassurance this is -- the God I love and serve will be the same to my children: Savior, Healer, Defender, Friend, Comforter, Provider . . . we rightly call Him the Rock of Ages. Hallelujah!

Dear Jesus, the world my children grow up in will be different than the world I grew up in, as my world is different than the world of my parents’ generation.  Yet I have confidence in this: no matter the times, no matter the society, no matter the state of the world, You are utterly unchanging. Your love is unstoppable.  Time only serves to carry forward the redemptive plan you had from the beginning. I praise You that my children will blessed to know that, throughout the generations, the LORD never forsakes the righteous. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #30: Promises for Parents (Part 1)

The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.

Proverbs 20:7 (NIV)

Quiz time!

The most effective thing I can do to secure a blessed future for my children is . . .

a) Feed them only organic, non-GMO produce and responsibly raised meat and dairy so they have excellent health

b) Sound financial planning so there is a “nest egg” that can help them transition into adulthood without monetary strain

c) Give them a happy childhood free from want and worry so they are not overly burdened

d) Ensure they have a robust, well-rounded resume so they are accepted to an excellent college

There are so many things we as parents do for our children, and many of them are good and admirable efforts to help them find their way in the world.  But “none of the above” carries the promise of a blessed future.

So what is the most effective thing I can do to secure blessing for my children? Walk with God. Live a blameless life before Him. Obey His Word, the Bible. Scripture affirms this core truth over and over again: God will bless the children of godly parents.  

Dear Jesus, how I love this simple promise - that You will bless my children when I live a blameless life before You!  You have given me a double motivation to walk with You -- both for my sake and for my children’s sake. I am overwhelmed by Your goodness and generosity and give You thanks for Your promise of future blessing.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #29: Calling Forth Character (The Power of Words, Part 3)

Last week we discussed destructive words and prayed that we would be on guard against speaking these over our children.

This week we will pray to build and rebuild: to correct our wrong patterns of speech and adopt constructive speech when we communicate with our children.

Moms, it was a verbal command that raised Lazarus from the dead.  Our words can bring parts of our children’s hearts or hopes that were once dead back to life.  Your words have power. Remember that.

So when my child needs correction, I ought to think about the words I’ll use before they tumble out of my mouth.  Rather than tearing down my child with, “you are mean” (a negative judgment who he is), I can use words to draw out the godly character that he is called to embody: “God made you to be compassionate" (wherein there is hope and motivation to change). With my words I adorn his neck with truth (Proverbs 6:20-22).

Yes, it’s true that little Johnny may not be acting compassionately now as he whallops his little brother over the head with a toy truck.  But that’s not the character to which God has called him; it’s sin acting out of an immature heart.  So I don’t accept that the current behavior will define who he is, and instead I replace it with truth of who he is meant to become.

No, our children may not be all these godly things today - and neither am I - but I know that God is doing a work in them and in me and He is not finished.  I choose to share His perspective, and He sees what we are becoming rather than doom us to remain as we are today.   

Dear Jesus, fill my heart up with Truth so it will bubble out whenever I speak to my children (Luke 6:45).  Teach me to speak as You did - seeing the godly qualities you desire for my children and calling them forth even as you called forth a dead man from a tomb.  Give me the faith to believe that no dormant character trait cannot be resurrected by your power. Give me the faith to believe that the sword of your Spirit, which is the Word of God, can snuff out the traits that are contrary to your character. Help me speak truth over my children in faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.