Prayer Prompt #26: Seeing God in All Things

The heavens declare the glory of God;

   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

My children saw their first sunrise this morning. They noticed the pink color of the clouds and the reflection of the rising sun on the Annapolis Harbor that turned the water a soft orange. After the changing colors came the blazing sun, as if it was rising from the waters.

It was a perfect time to remember the above verse from Psalm 19 and join with creation in proclaiming His majesty.

I've noticed that the closer I walk with God, the more I see Him in action - not only in the big things, but in the little ones. I hope my children with have this too - and even more - as they learn to pursue Jesus.

Dear LORD, through You all things were made, and without You nothing was made that has been made (John 1:3).  When my children look at Creation, may they see your handiwork and praise You. Help them fix their eyes on Jesus so they will see You in all things, both big and small. Teach them to pray without ceasing, for without constant prayer, they will not see the constancy of Your answers. May the result be that they “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Prayer Prompt #25: The Unchanging Character of God

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:3 (KJV)

False gods can be much more subtle than carved images and golden calves.  The LORD has given a complete revelation of who He is in the Bible. How he has defined himself will never change because he is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away.

Yet it is too easy for selfish ambitions, changing culture, new ideas or theories, love of money, societal agendas, or just plain lack of faith to creep in and threaten to alter the true character of God in our minds.

I’ll give you a simple example.  This week I was praying for healing and sensed a hole in my faith. I began to question whether I really believed the LORD could heal in a particular circumstance. I brought that problem to the LORD, and sure enough the Holy Spirit gently spoke to me, “when you pray to a god who you don’t believe can heal, it’s not Me.”  I had been subtly altering God’s character with my unbelief, creating a false god. So I prayed instead for God to give me the extra measure of faith to support this kind of prayer. I focused on Scripture, “I am the God that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26) and on seeking Him.

Dear LORD, establish my child firmly upon Your Word.  Every time he opens the Scriptures, tune his heart to understand who You are according to how You have described Yourself.  Prevent permutations of Your Word, prevent false understandings, prevent, O God, any diluting of the utter fullness of Your character.  As my child believes in all You are and puts his trust in You, may he see evidence over and over that every word You’ve used to describe Yourself is true. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #24: The Sensible Child of Psalm 119

You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

Psalm 119:73 (NLT)

My child, do you know that you were made by the same One that made the sun, moon and stars?

My child, do you know that the One who scripted your personality also wrote a Book with laws and commandments?

My child, do you know that the One who gifted you with the ability to choose right or wrong also defines what right and wrong are?

Dear LORD, my child is Your creation; You have wired every part of his personality.  As you lovingly chose every aspect of what makes my child who he is, I pray that he also would lovingly choose to give back all of who he is to You. Give him the sense to understand that Your Word is truth; give him the sense to choose to follow Your commands.  Like the psalmist of Psalm 119, may my child love Your law and take great delight in it (e.g. v. 47, 97, 113, 127, 163, 167, 174). May he embrace Your Word and recognize its truth, for it will be a lamp to his feet and a light for his path (v. 105). In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prayer Prompt #23: Is God's Mercy Deep Enough to Drown My Parenting Mistakes?

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end

Lamentations 3:22 ESV

Every close relationship will squeeze you, test you and - if you let it - refine you.  The relationship with your children is no different. Motherhood has exposed sins in me that I didn’t even know were there. And I thank God, because He loves me enough to reveal the places in my heart that need cleansing and renewal.  But I also shudder, because of the dangerous ways these flaws seep into my parenting and impact my children:

That exasperated look I gave that crushed his spirit.

The harsh words that slipped out when I was angry.

The whispered complaint that my child shouldn’t have heard.

These mistakes make me cringe because they are destructive to those I love most dearly, and I’ll wonder in exasperation with myself, “LORD, is Your mercy deep enough to cover this mistake?”

But then I remember: I’m speaking to the God that reconciled Joseph and his brothers; that called Peter who denied he even knew Jesus into service for Jesus; and that changed a persecutor of the early church into Paul the great evangelist.  So, yes, His mercy is enough to wash away all of my flaws and more. And so asking God to cover my mistakes even as He changes my heart has become a common prayer.

Dear LORD, my sin is ever before me and I hate it; how I wish I could be changed into Your likeness faster!  But You comfort me in these words, that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies NEVER come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22 ESV). Each morning You renew your mercy to me and my family (Lamentations 3:23). You are good, and Your mercy is everlasting (Psalm 100:5 KJV). Smooth away my rough places and change me all to love.  Let the change in me be evident in the way I parent my children. Cover up the places where my sin has hurt them with Your grace. Erase my mistakes from their tender hearts with Your penetrating love. As You continue to refine me, may they see Jesus more clearly through how I relate to them. In Jesus’ name, amen.