Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.”
Psalm 127:6 (NIV)“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31: 6 (NIV)
For years, before they moved to Gainesville, our granddaughters, Hannah and Ellie Kate, would visit us regularly. After they would fall asleep each night, after we had prayed with them, I would always return to check on them.
Their Mimi would as well.
Returning to where our granddaughters were sleeping, and after checking that they were comfortable and that their rooms were secure, with all the monsters under the beds removed, I would gently lay my hand on their heads—one-at-a-time—and pray a prayer similar to this over each of them—
“Dear God, I pray You will keep Your hand of protection over this precious child of Yours. I pray that You will keep a ring of Angels around her twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to protect and guard her.
I pray that You and Your Angels, and those to whom You have entrusted her—Mommy & Daddy, Mimi and me, and others—will protect her innocence and childhood—and that she will be protected from the things and people in the world which might harm and wrongly direct her by their influence.
I pray that You would allow her to be a child—Your child—all the days of her life.
And Lord, I pray that You will continue to grow her into the wonderful and precious young girl, and then woman, You created her to be.
In Your Name I pray. Amen and Amen.”
I would then lean down and softly kiss each of them on the cheek, and whisper in their ear—“I love you precious girl.”
I trust God did and will continue to place His Angels around them. I trust that those of us who are entrusted by God and expected to look out for—and protect them—and others like them, will do so.
In a world which is not generally focused on the well-being of our children—I pray for their protection.
In a world where parents are pressured to conform their children to “new and neat” things—I pray for the protection of our children everywhere, from the harmful influences of that world.
In a world where children are allowed to be exposed—by default, negligence or intent—to things older, tempting and harmful—I pray for their protection.
In a world where we tend to try to re-live our lives through our children—I pray for our own maturing and healing—to assure the protection of our children from personal agendas which are not theirs.
In a world where children are hurt, abused and go to bed hungry—I pray for our children, and that we see and act upon opportunities to help them.
I pray for God’s protective intervention in all moments of their lives.
And that they will see and embrace all that God continues to actively do in their lives, as He shows them and points the way toward all that He has created them to be.
Through all of that, I pray for strength and wisdom, that as we pray, we also act upon moments which come before us to help lift children, and others, everywhere to become all who God created them to be.
In His Name–Scott
