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.