Ephesians 3:14-21
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”
Our eldest daughter and I had been invited to a planning meeting for a women’s conference being hosted by the church where we, along with my husband, were members. Before we got down to business, we chatted over lunch, and soon a conversation between my daughter and another woman caught my attention. The 40ish woman was relating her remarkable story of how, having prayed for years and finally giving up on ever getting married, she had a chance meeting with the man who had recently become her husband. Almost immediately I heard two voices in my ear, the first from my daughter, “Mom, that’s not going to happen to me so you can stop praying.”
You see, her father and I had been praying since both of our daughters were young teens, that God would bring God’s man into each of their lives. Our youngest daughter had married at age 27, and our eldest daughter remained single at age 38. Despite the fact that she had come to a place of being content with her singleness, we had not felt led to stop praying and so, after her comment, I simply smiled at her. For within a couple of seconds of my daughter’s comment, I heard another voice, “She’ll be married by the end of the year.” I said nothing about the words whispered by that “still small voice” until much later. Within a month, through an amazing set of circumstances, she met someone, was engaged four months later, and married on New Year’s Eve of that same year!
Praying for the future mates of our children and grandchildren should be a priority in our prayer lives, something not taken lightly. It can change the course of history for our family, impacting generations to come. Even before our children and grandchildren are born we should set a pattern for praying for their mates:
• Pray for a Christian spouse (2 Cor. 6:14).
• Pray that they are devoted Christ-followers (Luke 10:27).
• Pray for the health of their mind, body, and spirit, as well as for that of their family (1 Sam. 16:12).
• Pray that they do not fall prey to the world’s pressures (Colossians 2:8).
• Pray for a legacy to be passed down to the next generation (Deut. 7:9).
Our verse for today conveys beautifully what surely springs up from deep within our hearts. There is nothing more powerful than praying God’s Word back to Him as we intercede for the character and future of our children, grandchildren, and their future mates. Commit to praying often, consistently, and fervently!
Dear heavenly Father, our children, and grandchildren are our most precious gifts from You, and we care deeply for their future. Remind us daily of what we owe them—to intercede on their behalf. We pray earnestly for their salvation, their devotion to You, their health, and their legacy, and that You would keep them in Your will and care, apart from temptation, deeply rooted and established in Your Word. We pray that they would have hearts devoted in service to You and to the welfare of others. May we never underestimate our part and theirs in the building of Your kingdom. For Your sake we pray. Amen.
~ painting by Jessie Willcox Smith
