We have two sweet, beautiful, loving granddaughters-- currently 11 and 13-- and it is my greatest desire to be the kind of grandmother who upholds her granddaughters in prayer daily.
We live in different provinces and have varied, busy schedules that do not always allow for us to connect by phone or social media in that satisfying way that can occur when you live nearby your loved ones, and can gather on a fairly regular basis for meals, chats, concerts, movies, sleepovers, church, just for the sheer joy or as a support. Prayer is really key to our having the relationship we want with our grandies. Regardless of distance or other access issues, we can play a significant role in their lives by interceding through our prayers for their needs.
Praying the Scriptures
Sometimes when we pray we find ourselves repeating the same phrases, wondering if we have really conveyed what it is we are wanting God to provide.
The Bible is God's Word for us. There are hundreds of different translations in hundreds of languages. You can read it or listen to it read by someone else. If you have already started or established a personal relationship with Jesus, the actual "Word" for each of us, << as you can read about in the first chapter of the first book of John, one of his disciples, I am certain that you will find the use of Scriptures will really enhance your prayer experience. If you are not a Christian, but just want to learn about this type of prayer, welcome!
God values prayers in your own words that you pray, and He is faithful to answer them. It is not mandatory to pray with attached Scripture. But using the God-inspired phrases that have guided people through the Ages is a wonderful powerful blessing for the person doing the praying, and for the grandchild who is being prayed for.
You can read the Bible and pray as you find verses that particularly resonate with you-- often in Proverbs or Psalms-- but you can also find a lot of books and blogs that have done the work of sorting out appropriate scriptures for different situations, needs, desires. Then, you simply place your loved one's name into the Scripture, and voila! you are "praying Scripture" for them.
I am reading an older version of the book called Praying the Scriptures for Your Children: Discover How to Pray God's Purpose for Their Lives
available in several different formats through Amazon. The author, Jodie Berndt, has included a lot of wonderful assists in understanding and "customizing" Scriptural prayer to individual and situational needs. It's an easy, enjoyable read with lots of wonderful examples of how God has responded to prayers on a lot of different areas such as faith, character, safety, relationships with peers and siblings, and for the understanding and awareness of purpose for the child's future. I will be reflecting on some of what Jodie writes in upcoming blogs (topics listed below this article) about praying for our grandies, as well as using other books, blogs and videos to elucidate the joys of being a personal prayer ministry to your grandchildren. I hope you will check out the blog posts and be blessed through this delightful way to contribute to your grandchildren's lives, now and in their futures. (I have met so many grateful adults who tell me that "my grandmother prayed for me".)
I am reading an older version of the book called Praying the Scriptures for Your Children: Discover How to Pray God's Purpose for Their Lives
available in several different formats through Amazon. The author, Jodie Berndt, has included a lot of wonderful assists in understanding and "customizing" Scriptural prayer to individual and situational needs. It's an easy, enjoyable read with lots of wonderful examples of how God has responded to prayers on a lot of different areas such as faith, character, safety, relationships with peers and siblings, and for the understanding and awareness of purpose for the child's future. I will be reflecting on some of what Jodie writes in upcoming blogs (topics listed below this article) about praying for our grandies, as well as using other books, blogs and videos to elucidate the joys of being a personal prayer ministry to your grandchildren. I hope you will check out the blog posts and be blessed through this delightful way to contribute to your grandchildren's lives, now and in their futures. (I have met so many grateful adults who tell me that "my grandmother prayed for me".)Discovering How To Pray God's Will for My Grandies
I believe that God's Will is ultimately for the very best in our lives: health, relationships, wisdom, learning, etc. The rub is in recognizing that God knows the beginning from the end-- He has a plan for our lives, and for the lives of each one of His children-- and what might seem like God's Will, might be our own slightly blurry understanding of how things must work out to appease our less than crystal clear perception of what He truly has planned for us. The New English Standard Bible quotes Paul as writing the following in a letter to the Roman Christian Community (Romans 12:2):
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
When we pray using actual words from Scripture-- the picture of what he truly desires for us and our families-- we glimpse the wonderful, powerful, positive gifts he wants to give us and those we pray for. He has a purpose for each one of us, and it is 'what is good and acceptable and perfect'. Praying daily will reveal that purpose for each of our grandchildren, and for each of us individual praying grandparents. Exciting, yes?
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