Prayer: Generation to Generation
"Ask Me about the things to come concerning
My sons and you commit to Me
the work of My hands.” Isaiah 45:11 (NASB)
My paternal grandparents, Granny and Papa, lived in the country on a farm in rural Alabama. Each summer my sister Jan and I were invited to come for a week’s stay. I usually made it about two days before my Mama or Daddy had to come and get me. I was fine during the day when there were bikes to ride and cousins to play with, but the farm at night in the summertime was full of strange sounds for this city girl. My younger sister was much braver, but I didn't care. I yearned for the familiarity of our home and my parents.
I vividly remember one hot, summer night when I was 9 years old, lying on a sleeper sofa in the living room next to my grandparents' bedroom. The strange farm noises coming through an open window seemed particularly loud that night and the rural darkness seemed exceptionally dark. I lay on the old sleeper sofa, tense, scared, and listening to the unfamiliar sounds of owls, crickets, frogs, and cows.
The door between the living room where Jan & I were sleeping and our grandparents' bedroom was closed, but suddenly a beam of light shone under their door. Granny and Papa’s voices were muffled initially, but I quickly realized they were reading their Bibles together before going to bed. The next thing I heard was my Granny praying for me. And not just for me, but also for my Daddy, cousins, aunts and uncles. The tension and fear eased throughout my body and I was eventually able to sleep, resting in the knowledge that Granny was praying for me.
Through the years Granny's example encouraged me to pray, not just for my own children, but also for the grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren yet to be born. Before Julia, Caroline, and Mary Clayton’s arrivals, I was begging God to bless Evans grandchildren even to the third and fourth generation so that each one would know, love, and serve Him. As Bruce and I watched our granddaughters last week, I realized that Granny's prayer for me had indeed touched the fourth generation. From Granny to my Dad and me, then to Meredith and now to her girls, four generations have been impacted by her prayers.
But Granny didn’t just pray; she persevered in prayer. Granny kept praying and storming the gates of heaven begging God to do what only God can do: change a heart. My own Daddy, Granny's oldest son, didn't become a Christian until much later in his life. Granny was already dead by that time, but her faith and her prayers still lived (Hebrews 11:4). And Granny’s prayers aren't dead yet. They are still reaping a fruitful harvest in my children and grandchildren's lives.
If we are honest, most of our own prayers probably seem routine and sound pretty anemic by contrast. How can we pray like my Granny and move beyond the “God bless X” and “Be with Y” prayers that are all too easy to pray?
At a minimum, when praying for our children and grandchildren, we should ask God to make them:
A child of the King – salvation
A credit to the King – character and conduct
A servant of the King- a life of service
Today’s Bible Bits verse has had a profound impact on me as I prayed for all of my children, but especially for James Bruce. What was true for James Bruce’s life was just as true with his death. James Bruce was God’s son before and after He was mine.
“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My children
and you commit to Me the work of My hands.” Isaiah 45:11 (NASB)
Read those words carefully and you’ll see that God claims ownership and responsibility for our children. They were His before they were ours and they will be His after they are ours. God commands us to ask Him about our children and commit each one back to Him because they are His.
So, are you asking? If so, what are you asking God for?
God loves to hear His Word prayed back to him. Using scripture as part of our prayers is one of the best ways to do that. One of my favorite prayers echoes that of King David, “Do as you have promised” (2 Samuel 7:25). Another favorite personal prayer is “work in us that which is pleasing to you.” (Hebrews 13:21).
If you would like other scriptural references to help you pray for others, click here. “The effective prayer of a righteous man (and a good Granny!!) can accomplish much.” James 5:16 (NASB)