Sunday, April 22, 2007 Cariño: A prayer for our children By Linda Grace Cariño Paradigm Shift
THE past week's horrific shoot out at Virginia Tech is what makes for every parent's nightmare. At moments like these, we especially pause to thank God for our bratty children, always having to be told to pick up after themselves, always having to be nagged to stick to curfew, perennially having to be told to open their books and study. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Thank God because we're not dealing with children with guns and a society that seems to thrive on them and gore and violence and sex and all the rest of that scene.
And let us borrow "A Parent's Daily Prayer Guide" by Don and Sue Meyers, as follows.
Monday: Ask God to place a protective, solid hedge around your children so that Satan cannot reach in and lead them into temptation and so they will be safe from harm (2 Thessalonians 3:3; Psalm 33:20).
Tuesday: Pray that your children use godly wisdom in selecting friends and peers that will make a positive difference in their lives. Ask God to give each child a discernment of people as well as knowing the difference between right and wrong (Proverbs 1:10; 18:24; Deuteronomy 13:6,8).
Wednesday: Pray that your children would stay pure in their thoughts and deeds (Psalm 24:4-5; Job 17:9).
Thursday: Pray that they will be caught if they wander into cheating, lies, or mischief (Hebrews 13:18-19).
Friday: Pray they will be alert and thinking clearly as they attend school and extra curricular activities and as they take exams. Ask God to help them be motivated to do the best they are capable of doing (Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31).
Saturday: Pray for the spouse each child will marry someday. Ask that they will come from godly homes and have an appetite to live the spiritual truth they've learned. Pray also that their goals and purpose will be the same as those of your own children and their future homes would be godly (Deuteronomy 5:29).
And today, Sunday: Ask God to help them live their lives for Him and that He will use them as a testimony and witness for His glory. Pray that they'll be grown to full spiritual maturity (Psalms 78:1-8, 103:17-18; Isaiah 54:13; Ephesians 3:20-21).
Do not leave your children unprotected - that is, vulnerable to Satan's attack. The greatest shield of protection we as parents can provide for our children is prayer. It's never too late to start (1 Samuel 12:23; James 5:16; Colossians 4:2).
