The Prayers of a Grandparent

It’s Thanksgiving week and I’m sure you’re counting your grandchildren among those blessings you’re thankful for. Have you told God lately that you’re thankful for your grandchildren?

And while you’re at it, what else would you like to talk to God about on behalf of your grandchildren? If you’re anything at all like me, my prayers can get mighty general, which means vague. This can be a problem because if our prayer are general or vague, how will we recognize when God answers them?

But what if we make our prayers specific? For me, that takes effort. I have to work at it. I have to think carefully, pray deliberately, then record my prayers carefully. But then the results are amazing. I can actually see concrete answers to my prayers.

What about you? Have you ever tried to make your prayers very specific? Need some help? In a related article I wrote titled “How to Pray? Be Specific and Find God” I wrote:

What, specifically, do you want from God? What would you like Him to do for you? Is what you want within His will, meaning it doesn’t violate His good and pure personality? If yes, then get specific and ask Him.

So think about it.What would you like God to do for you in regards to your grandchildren? What do they need? And I’m not suggesting what they might want, or even need, as a gift for Christmas. I’m thinking more along the lines of what do they need to be spiritually healthy? Do they need salvation? Do they need strength to stand against a society that is increasingly moving away from God? Do they need to make more godly choices? Do they need a desire to read God’s Word more? To walk more closely with God? To learn more about Him and His Word through a true desire to take part in a good church?

Get specific with God and see what happens. You might want to record your prayers in a journal. Then you’ll also have a place to record God’s answers!

In our book, Grandparenting Through Obstacles: Overcoming Family Challenges to Reach Your Grandchildren for Christ, each of the 20 chapters has a suggested prayer at the end of the chapter called “One Way to Pray.” The suggested prayer was inspired by the events of the story in that chapter. I know one thing that helps me when I get stuck in a rut with my prayers is to hear how someone else might pray. I find it always inspires and refreshes my own prayers.

Each chapter also has blank lines at the end for your own “Prayers, Notes, or Ideas.” This could be a perfect place to record your own prayers for your grandchildren.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, why not create some specific prayers for each of your grandchildren and then this Thursday share with them what, specifically, you’re thankful for in regards to them as well as what you are praying for them?

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It’s Election Day. What kind of a world will your grandchildren have?

Hi there. It’s Dianne here writing today.  I’m old enough to have voted in quite a few presidential elections now and I, like a lot of people, think this is the most heated one I’ve witnessed. Many people are saying this is the most important election in our lifetimes. I would agree with that…until the next one. Weren’t we saying that same thing in 2008?  And in 2004? And even just two years ago in 2010. Yeah, we were. And rightly so.

I don’t think 2016 will be any different. By then, (if we’re still here), that will be the most important election in our lifetimes.

You see, I don’t think the world is getting any better. And I don’t think it’s going to start getting better–no matter who wins the election today. I think that because I believe the time we have left on this earth before the events God told us would happen happen is growing shorter all the time (which only make sense). But I really do think time for us is growing short. The signs are all around us. And I think that regardless of who wins the presidential election today.

While I say words like that, I’m very conscious of how fearful that might be to parents and grandparents who want their children and grandchildren to grow up and enjoy life on this earth. We all want them to have long and happy lives. But when we’re fearful of the future, what can we do with that?

The reason I chose to bring all this up today is because last weekend my husband passed along to me a pretty awesome blog post by Erick Erickson over at RedState.com. This is a political blog, so I was pretty surprised, and very pleased, to see Mr. Erickson’s post, “50,000 Feet Looking Down,” so blatantly and openly talk about his faith in God and God’s view of this whole election. If you’ll jump over there and read his post, I think you’ll be blessed.  

To give you a taste, here’s a little of what Erick Erickson wrote:

“God is sovereign and He is in charge and He will return. That is my hope and my ever present expectation…

“When I wake up on Wednesday morning, I’m still going to have my wife. I’m still going to have my kids. I’m still going to have my family. And I’m still going to have my God. So will you.”

I would add: You are still going to have your grandkids, too.

And regardless of what happens today in this election, what you do here on this earth matters–no matter how much time we have left. Spending time with your grandchildren matters. Loving them matters. Praying for them matters. Working toward a moment to lead them to faith in Jesus Christ really matters. Training them and teaching them and helping them to know God and live for Jesus Christ matters. Regardless of how much time this earth may have left, these things will last for all eternity.

So take heart. Go read Erick Erickson’s God’s-eye view  “50,000 Feet Looking Down”  blog post. Be encouraged. Be inspired. Be blessed.