Taught by the Lord

"All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace." Isaiah 54:13 (NIV)

Today was the first day of school for many area school children. This week has been filled with butterflies and anxious nights as our granddaughters 7 year old Julia and 5 year old Caroline transitioned from summer to school mode. I well remember my own long anxious, sleepless nights each year when school began as I left the safe and familiar behind and ventured into a new school year. My grand girls come by their anxiety honestly, at least from my own genes. My Mama's "go to" verse for those times was Psalm 56:3 "What time I am afraid, I will trust in you." I prayed that verse with sweet Caroline this morning before she left for "Meet the Teacher" day at kindergarten.

As my own four children approached their high school and college years some 17 years ago, God's words to King Solomon pressed on my heart, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." (1 Kings 3:5)  Far from the false prosperity gospel that is so prevalent in our culture today, God's words really challenged me to consider what my true priorities really were for my children as I wrestled in prayer for them. King Solomon chose wisdom and discernment and God was pleased with his request. What would I choose if God asked me the same question? Ultimately I knew that my deepest desire for my children was that each one would know God, love Him and serve Him all the days of their lives. To that end, I searched scripture and came up with about sixty character qualities that God's Word affirms as those that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy" (Philippians 4:8). I decided to pray for those things. Eventually I settled on 31 "essentials" for Christian character and assigned one characteristic to each day of the month as a way to pray for each child. Those characteristics eventually became my prayer calendar and served to keep me on track as I prayed through exams, relationships, scholarships, and career decisions.

This morning I kept 9 month old Mary Clayton while my daughter took Caroline to meet her new kindergarten teacher. I passed by Meredith's refrigerator and saw my prayer calendar on it. "Teachable" is today's (day 8) characteristic and Isaiah 54:13, today's verse, is the basis for my prayer: "Lord, teach my children Your truth and Your ways. Help them to learn well." It was a holy ground moment in the middle of a very ordinary morning and I whispered those words as I chased Mary Clayton.

That prayer, much like God's Word, is both timeless and timely as our children and grandchildren begin this school year. Oh, that our children would be taught by the Lord and have His peace reign in their hearts!