By Mike Shreve
PARENTING CAN BE very challenging. Many influences are competing to control the hearts and minds of our offspring. There are a number of ways to combat these negatives, but one of the most effective means is prayer.
Too many parents pray the problems. They rehearse before God all the upsetting things their children are doing or facing—and all too often they “pray” with fearful, distressed or discouraged attitudes of heart. Could they inadvertently be reinforcing the very things they seek to overcome? How much more powerful it is to enter God’s presence reminding Him of the commitments He has already made in His Word concerning our sons and daughters.
There are 7,487 promises in the Bible. Sixty-five of them directly relate to the children of those who are in covenant with God. Here are eight of my favorites:
Divine Instruction: “All your sons shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your sons” (Is. 54:13).
Deliverance: “Though be assured, the wicked will not be unpunished, but the posterity of the righteous will be delivered” (Prov. 11:21).
Salvation: “I will contend with him who contends with you; and I will save your sons” (Is. 49:25c).
God’s Spirit and Blessing Poured Out: “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring” (Is. 44:3).
Covenant and Mercy: “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy with them who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations” (Deut. 7:9).
Awakened Love for God: “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live” (Deut. 30:6).
The Legacy of the Word: “As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the Lord: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your descendants, nor out of the mouth of your descendants’ descendants, says the Lord, from this time forth and forever” (Is. 59:21).
Eternal Life: “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me, says the Lord, so shall your descendants and your name remain” (Is. 66:22).
No parent can force a child to love and serve God. But God intends to be involved in the process supernaturally. One touch of His Spirit is far more effective than hours of pleading and counseling from a distraught father or mother.
So purpose now to partner with the Creator in this high calling of parenthood. Don’t beg Him to move for your child anymore. Instead, thank Him in advance for fulfilling the pledges He’s already made. In fact, exuberantly praise Him as if these things are a done deal. That’s faith—and faith pleases God. What a great way to intercede every day of 2017! Get ready for miracles to happen.
The writer is a pastor and acclaimed author. He has authored 14 books including the best-selling title, ’65 Promises From God for Your Child’.
