But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant (Psalm 103:17-18, NLT).
Praying for grandchildren isn’t about direct guidance of their actions but our spiritual legacy in their lives.
When we were parents, we had to dictate, coerce, and cajole to get and keep our children on the narrow path. With young children, we might offer snacks for using the potty, promise a visit to McDonald’s with a nine-year-old for good behavior at the babysitters, with the rewards increasing in monetary value during the teen years.
But despite our efforts and bribes, the early childhood and teenage years still brought tension and arguments. If we didn’t hear from a child the time-honored phrase, “I hate you,” we weren’t good parents!
As a grandparent, all of that is behind us now.
We can be the all-loving, all-giving grandparents who spoil the grandchildren and then send them home to the rod of their parents. (Though it would be nice for us to slip some cash to our kids to help with the bribe/reward process of their rearing our grandchildren.)
Our prayer strategy should change as well.
As parents, there wasn’t time to dwell deeply in discerning prayer for our children. As grandparents, we have the time to pray and seek discernment. During our intercession, God will speak to us about our grandchildren’s futures…
Then we focus on those revealed futures as prayer-points for them.
Be careful – legacy prayers must often be kept hidden.
We can’t run to our daughters telling them to be better parents because their child will become a latter-day evangelist, doctor, or educator. We also can’t tell a four-year old that she will be persecuted for the faith in her later years.
Grandparent praying anticipates the future but often keeps the revelation hidden.
We can pray our grandchildren through a wrong turn on their narrow path. Above all, we avoid the lie of the devil: that a child should be left to choose his or her own way. Legacy praying is about God’s will and His righteousness for our grandchildren!
Okay…
How many of us know what God wants for our grandchildren? It’s important for us to discern and carry this burden of revelation. Our children are overwhelmed and our grandchildren won’t understand.
We stay silent with hidden knowledge and pray. And pray! And pray!
The Bible teaches that when we keep God’s covenant our children and their children will be blessed. Psalm 103 says, “The love of God remains in our children’s children through our [grandparents] fear of the Lord.”
We have a great responsibility as grandparents.
Loving fear for our grandchildren motivates our prayers. We discern prophetically about their future, we pray for their protection, and we ask that they have the strength to walk in their calling.
My prayer is that we realize the power of our prayers with our grandchildren. Also, that we will have the discipline to develop legacy prayers.
Please, no excuses – we now have the time!
The righteousness of our children’s children (the spiritual well-being of our grandchildren) is our legacy.
When I converse with grandparents today, and my peers are mostly grandparents, with some, I get the sense that they have arrived in blessed “retirement.” The cumbersome responsibility of parenting is over for them.
Now they can live in bliss till Jesus returns.
The truth is our spiritual authority through legacy praying is needed more than ever with our children and grandchildren.
Okay, I’m done with this Interruption as my “word limit” for an Interruption has expired. I have harangued without giving practical advice. I will explain more about “legacy praying” in tomorrow’s Interruption.
Tonight, let’s go have a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant.
We raised teenagers – we deserve it!