This prayer stands alone, really. We know the power of gratitude, and we know we take too much for granted. But evidently God feels strongly about this, because he accuses-
But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’ Jeremiah 5:23-24
It strikes me that He is saying that the stubbornness and rebellion begin with a failure to acknowledge the source of our provision, the Lord our God. May that never be. #prayersformychildren #lent2020 #JeremiahforLent
There is a God whose power is unspeakable. Whose word holds the creative might of all the galaxies and beings ever created. Who knows no beginning and no end.
This God has spoken, and this is what he said:
I thought, “How I long to make you my sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations.” I thought, “You will call me ‘My Father’ and never turn away from me.” Jeremiah 3:19
We are taking a long road of contemplation that will lead us through the suffering of Christ all the way up to the cross. But long before Christ suffered the humiliation of his last days, God suffered, over and over again, the rejection of the people he loved. As we examine our hearts and lives, we do so as those whom God has longed to make his children. We come in repentance to the one who longs to hear us call him “Father.” Our hearts are heavy with awareness of our sin and guilt, but our burden is lifted the moment we confess, and call our Lord “My Father.”
There is nothing more real than what we see and touch and hear each day, we are tempted to believe. We wake up to the urgencies of family demands, and if we’re not careful, our entire energy and time are consumed by this tyranny.
Lent is a time when I intentionally choose to fight back. I love Jesus with all my heart, but if I’m not careful that love becomes another item on my list of things to do. I am distracted by the urgent, and I am gradually convinced that our cultural norms are what is real and true.
During Lent, we are faced with the truth that this is a broken world, and our path is hard and demanding if we truly want to follow Jesus. We are invited to examine ourselves and face the brokenness within ourselves, the twistedness of our perspectives as we buy into the upside-down values of our culture.
Sounds fun, huh? Well, just like we have to poke around a little to get at the thorn deep in our child’s foot, the process can involve some painful poking.
But if we don’t, the thorn doesn’t go away on its own.
Unlike the thorn analogy, we are not just repenting and rejecting our twisted, broken, dangerous attitudes and actions. We are on this path with Jesus, our friend, our companion. We have the Spirit of God providing comfort, direction, and healing. We have the absolute assurance that healing is ours and eternal joy is guaranteed by our Heavenly Father.
And let me tell you, when you have spent a few weeks confronting your need for a Savior the celebration of the Resurrection is more deeply meaningful and joy-filled by far.
So, if you would like to join me on this path I will be posting daily prayers taken from Jeremiah. You can read along on the She Reads Truth website or app, or just pray along with me here on my blog.
Today is the 21st anniversary of the day Stephen and I became parents. It’s been a wild ride, my friends. Those of you who are parents know exactly what I mean. Unpredictable, uncontrollable, terrifying, and exhilarating. The intensity of all the emotions can just be too much; it almost was too much for me. But my sanity was saved the moment I had the “AHA! Moment”. Maybe you had yours- do you remember as clearly as I do? For me, it changed my entire perspective. Here it is-
God’s work in my child’s life does not depend on me.
It’s kind of a “no duh” more than an “aha”, but let me tell you- it was liberating for me to realize that God will use my foolishness and wisdom, successes and failures, good decisions and bad. And he will use other people, circumstances, his word and His Spirit to call my children to him just as he has called his children throughout time. He is neither limited by nor dependent upon me.
When this truth penetrated my stubborn and foolish head all the way to my heart, it did two things for me. First, it helped me relax. It was not all up to Stephen and me. I didn’t quit caring, but I did quit carrying a burden that was too much for me.
Second, I poured myself into prayer with a new purpose. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by fear, doubt, and endless trying, I became free to pray with hope and confidence- in God, not myself.
I absolutely do not know how parents make it without the certainty of God’s love for their children, and the assurance that he hears our prayers. I have seen my mistakes redeemed, my foolishness covered over, my harmful behavior forgiven. I have seen my kids grow in ways that should not have been possible, and were certainly no thanks to anything Stephen or I did.
And so today I reflect on 21 of the most impacting prayers that I have offered on behalf of my kids, in no particular order. Some have not fully been answered, but many have been.
I prayed that my son (and his siblings as they came along)…
would love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.
would learn to love others as himself
would grow in wisdom….
faith…
health….
and in his ability to relate to people
I prayed that…
his spouse would grow up in the love of God
his spouse would be strong enough to handle his nonsense
any plans that lead him away from God would fail
when he does something that does not honor God it would come to the attention of the person who can most effectively lead him back to Christ
I would be the mom he needs me to be
I would parent him as a fellow sinner walking the path with him
his dad and I would be wise in the decisions we make that affect him
he would learn to choose wisely
he would choose a career that allows him to use his talents and passions to glorify God and advance God’s kingdom
he would see himself as uniquely created to serve God in a way only he can do
he would be surrounded by others who point him to God
he would be a good friend and mentor to others
he would grow in his love for and understanding of God’s word
he would love his church family and find his place to serve in the context of a local body of Christ-followers
our family would be a haven of welcome and acceptance for him and for his friends
What are some prayers ways you have prayed for your children? I would love to hear them.
prayersformychildren.org 