Day 1:  Godly Patterns

(When you see “these children”, insert the names of the children for whom you are praying.)

Lord, may these children not conform to the pattern of this world, but may they be transformed by the renewing of their minds, so that they may be able to test and approve what God’s perfect will is.         Romans 12:12                          

                                                                                                                                                In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I remember when my mother used to sew for us.  I remember the feel of the thin paper pattern, I remember watching her lay the pattern on top of the cloth, pin it onto the fabric with straight pins, and then slowly and carefully cut along the pattern lines.  It makes me smile to remember that.

What pattern is laid on your life?  What is pinned to you, determining how you will be shaped?  We are told that we are not to conform to the pattern of this world.  Instead, we should allow God to lay His pattern found in His Word on our hearts, pin it securely there and cut away the access, so we may look and act the way He intends for us to look and act.  But it won’t look much like the rest of the world.  And for us to be okay with that, we must change our thinking—renew our minds.  Then we will clearly see and be glad of His perfect will being fulfilled in our lives.  May it be so for us and for our children.

Update:  Last night was a big night for many teenagers around here.  It was Formal night and my son, Troy, got all dressed up in a black tux.  I know I am a proud mom, but he was one handsome dude.  His big brother Joseph decided to pick him up for a funny picture, and off popped the front button on his tux jacket.  Of course, this happened to be five minutes before he was supposed to leave.  As they looked for the button under the sofa, I ran to the back for black thread and a needle.  After screaming for my “readers” and finally getting the thread through that tiny hole (how did I ever used to see that without glasses?), I did a fast job of sewing back on the button, just in time.  The job wasn’t beautiful.  I am not a great seamstress like my mother was.  But I can sew on a button in a pinch.

It occurred to me that there may be a lesson in that for me.  You see, as Christian parents, we deep down want our kids to be perfect, don’t we?  It is good and right to train them in the things of God and expect them to follow the pattern of Christ.  And we rejoice when we see good fruit in them.  But don’t freak out if a button pops off every now and then.  It does not mean that they will end up in jail or walk away from Christ or lead others astray.  It means they are human beings in need of a Savior, just like we are.  So, instead of freaking out, sew the “button” back on and get on with life, walking in grace and respect and forgiveness and great expectation that the pattern of Jesus does make all the difference.

As a parent of seven and former teacher, I have prayed every day for the past 25 years for children.  I have seen abundant answers to those prayers in the lives of my own children and in the lives of my former students.  I believe in the power of prayer.  I believe in the power of God’s Word, which will never return void, but will accomplish all the many purposes which God has set forth.  I believe that praying God’s Word over children is a powerful and effective means of prayer. For the next month, I invite you to pray for the children in your life as I share with you some of the many prayers that I have prayed for my own children.  This challenge is extended to moms, dads, grandmas, granddads, aunts, uncles, teachers, friends—anyone who has children in their lives.

I invite you to enter into the wonderful job of being a “watchman” over the children that God has brought into your life. In the Old Testament, we find that ancient cities were often surrounded by walls for protection.  In addition, “watchmen” were assigned to stand on top of the wall to keep watch over, to warn, and to defend the inhabitants of a city.  As you teach and model for your children the wonderful truths of the Bible, you are helping to lay brick by brick a high, protective wall of godly integrity around them.

In addition to this, I invite you to stand on top of that wall, and go the extra mile, as a prayer watchman. These prayers are based upon the Word of God, which never returns void and will accomplish its purpose in your family.

“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it- The Lord is his name:  call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Jeremiah 33:2-3

Starting tomorrow, January 2, let’s pray together for 30 days.  Let’s believe that God will do great and unsearchable things we do not yet know. Join me and invite your friends!  I am looking forward to seeing first-hand the power of prayer.

 
It is time for our 2nd Annual Thirty Days of Prayer.  This is just what I need to start my year off right.  I saw amazing, miraculous answers to prayer in 2014.  And I think God wants us to believe BIG!

The holidays are over and the New Year has come!  I think we all are contemplating what God would have us do this year.  For me, I have that pull of once again sitting in the seat of intercession, especially for my children.

Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a church member, a neighbor–it doesn’t matter what your  place in life is—you have some contact with children.  Would you ask the Lord who you should be praying for?  And would you join me for 30 days (starting Friday, January 2) in praying for those children in your life?

I look around at the world in which my children are growing up, and if I am not careful, I start down that familiar road of fear.  I sure am glad I am not growing up in this current society, and it pains me to see all of the moral challenges with which my children are faced.  However, God does not want us to fear, He wants us to have faith that He is still God and still on the Throne no matter what swirls around us.  And the best way to move from fear to faith is prayer.

We don’t have perfect kids; we are not the perfect parents.  But we do love our children; we are committed to training them in God’s way.  We have realized that one of the greatest parenting tools is prayer.  In fact, we must pray for our children.

       1 Samuel 12:23 says, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.”

                        And Isaiah 59:15, 16 says, “And the Lord saw it…and wondered that there was no intercessor.”

Sin literally means to “miss the mark”.  We don’t want to miss the mark with our children.  We don’t want to sin against the Lord by failing to pray for those entrusted to us.  We don’t want the Lord to look at our family and wonder why in the world we are not praying.

Webster’s Dictionary says intercession means “an entreaty or prayer on behalf of others.” An intercessor is simply someone who prays for someone else.  As parents, we believe that one of our primary roles should be as intercessors for our children.  We need to pray for all the children that God has put in our path.

So, will you join me?  And will you invite your friends?  I am thanking the Lord in advance for all the many ways He will answer our prayers.