Dearest Sister Soldiers,
Well, just one more day for our focus on children. I hope you have seen some growth or perhaps change as a result. Even if you haven’t noticed anything at all, does NOT mean the Lord isn’t working in your child’s life.
Our Father has His own perfect way and does things in His perfect timing. If you have
“seen” His work or not, continue to pray and believe!
Always speak encouragement and truth into your child’s life. Pray with anticipation that God will do great works in his or her life!
The Lord calls for just a mustard seed of faith. He created us, so He is well aware that even asking that little, is often times a struggle for human hearts!
What have we discussed before, though? If the Lord asks something of us, He will also equip us to comply!
DEVOTIONAL
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6
And He withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. Luke 5:16
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Will you indulge me just a bit, please. These are just a couple of things I was pondering today and I believe the Lord led me to share
Tonight, when I got ready to do this study (eventually, I know)! I came in my room, put on my jammies, my hair up in a ponytail, pulled on my fuzzy warm socks, turned off the overhead light, turned on the lamp and flipped on my small floor fan to serve as “white noise”. All this to say, I made a substantial effort to prepare myself before sitting down to write.
How do we prepare our hearts and minds about what we want to talk with God? After all, He already KNOWS, so what is the real point in “itemizng”? I mean don’t some of us take list to the doctor or to the store, lest we forget something important? We may find ourselves remembering the cereal, yet fail to lift up Sister Sarah’s biopsy on Tuesday.
Yes, the Lord DOES know our thoughts; yet He is the same One Who taught us how to pray and also demonstrated by example, the importance of fellowship and dialogue with the Father.
So does the Scripture contradict Itself by saying one, to go off and pray alone, then saying to continually pray, of course not! We do need time to go in private with our Father and not just talk, LISTEN! (OUCH)
Our Lord is neither deaf nor mute!
He has also, through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, given us 24/7 access to His Throne, so if we are at church, on our bed or if we are at the store, no walls contain our God!
The Lord, the Creator of the Universe, is there for our children when we cannot be. Even when we do our best to teach, train and direct them, we are limited! When they reach a time of accountability, our dreams and hopes for them are just that!
The children who believe have the same access to the Father as we do. They are only ours on loan from God. Why He allows us to borrow them for a time is one of His vast mysteries!
Sometimes they get to a point where they just may not listen. Talking more or louder is not only ineffective, more than likely, potential to cause more damage than good!
Prayer IS a powerful tool we have been given than anything else! Children can break our hearts into a million pieces by the decisions they make! It is so difficult to watch them make wrong choices, sometimes even ones we have ourselves made as a child.
Check out Genesis 25 to see what happens when a mother interferes in God’s plans).
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Prayer
Almighty Father
Thank You for the Gift of Prayer
Thank You for what it cost You
For us to be able to come to You
Merciful God
You sent Your Precious Son to this earth
That He would live among sinners such as ourselves
It is not within human capacity to understand why, O Lord
All we can do is bow in humble appreciation
We thank You for how much You love and care for our children
Lord, it is so hard, as You well know, to see a disobedient child
As we each disobey in sin every day
How it must make You sad, Father when
We ask for forgiveness for something we have done or not
Yet we continually do what You have told us we should not
Or neglect to do what we should
If we are sinful, O God, then let us, without enabling or excusing our children
Realize that they also will be
Through the Sacrifice of Jesus
We have been made worthy of life everlasting
Lord, please every day, give us the desire to be more and more obedient
We know that until we are with You, perfection is not possible
But let us not use that as cause not to strive for it
Please show us how to extend grace and mercy to our children when they disobey
As You do for us
Often we are corrected, Father
By enduring the consequences of our actions
But O God, the Pardon for our punishment was wrapped in Love
And nailed to the cross
Rescuing us from death
Indeed, let our gratitude be exhibited by obedience
Hallelujah! Great is THY faithfulness!
In the Name of Jesus Christ
Our Redeemer
Amen
SONGS
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=K6KY67NX “Give Me Jesus”
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=DWYG7NNX “Mercy Seat”
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=CCFCJNNU”It is Well With My Soul”
