Pray Network Forum

 There was a time when the word “grandparent” evoked images of rocking chairs, gray hair, wrinkles, and big meals. However, things have changed. Recent data indicates about one-third of all adults are grandparents, and their average age is 64, and the average age for becoming a grandparent is around 47. My husband and I became grandparents at 43.

Now, not only has our image of a grandparent become fuzzy, so has the grandparent’s understanding of their role. Messages aimed at a [population with money to spend and time to spare), scream, “Indulge yourself. You’ve earned it, live independently.

God is the Creator and Designer of all. Grandparenting is His idea. He created it, and His Word has much to say about it. Within the pages of the Bible, God defines the role of grandparent and describes how to carry it out. It is here where we find the answers to our confusion and learn what God has to say about grandparenting.

If you want to understand God’s design and yearn to grandparent with a purpose for the glory of God. I invite you to join me in exploring what His Word has to say about the biblical portrait of a goodly grandparent.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his child’s children,  . . . (Proverbs 13:22).

That you may fear the Lord God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long (Deuteronomy 6:2).

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts (Psalm 145:3-4).

Be careful to obey all these words that I command you that is may go well with you and with your children after you forever when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 12:28).

There are many more verses, but I hope these will give you an idea of a biblical design for a grandparent. And how to live out God’s design.

I am praying that God will do a mighty work in the lives of grandchildren all over the world through grandparents committed to His biblical design. I am also praying you will fulfill your assigned role with purpose and pray intentionally for your grandchildren and their parents.

I have used exerts of my friend, Deborah Haddix ‘s book, Biblical Portrait of Grandparenting, Discovering and Living Out God’s Design of our Role. It is available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Biblical-Portrait-Grandparenthood-Discovering-Living-ebook/dp/B07NP7984P/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=deborah+haddix&qid=1590960666&sr=8-8     In fact the Kindle book is free.

I have developed “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for Grandchildren” that many grandparents have found helpful to pray Scripture for their grandchildren. Just by joining the mailing list on the right side of this page, you will receive the blogs about grandparenting and suggestions to pray for your grandchildren.  I will email you a free downloadable copy of Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren” you can print.   

By Lillian Penner, Author of Grandparenting with a Purpose, www.grandparentingwithapurpose.com,pennerlp@gmail.com

How often do you pray for your children or grandchildren? I once heard Dee Duke say he was committed to pray for his daughter, and each of his children, everyday of their lives. Most of us come pretty close to this without making a commitment. How do you pray for your offspring? Are you asking God for insight on what and how to pray for them?

Many years ago now, I witnessed a clandestined baptism in a bathtub in small apartment in a city in China. Several of us crowded in to see the joyful event. As the candidate stood up, water pouring from his clothes someone said, “Stop! Does anyone have a prophetic word about our new brother at his baptism?” Although no one seemed to have a word from God concerning the new convert, I thought the question was appropriate. God certainly has great plans to work in the life of every new believer. And simply asking the question ignited a spirit of expectancy in the crowded room. Who knew what God was planning to do through the life of His new child?

Hebrews 11:23 God tells us something very interesting about one of the greatest people who ever lived.

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”

This always strikes me as funny. Can you imagine the parents of Moses peering at their newborn child? Suddenly his mother says, “He is red and wrinkled. Throw him in the river!”

I remember waiting through the night in the nervous father's waiting room in a hospital. It was after 3:00 A.M. when a nurse stepped into the room and told me I was a father, but I could not see my wife and daughter until they had moved them back to the hospital room.

But as a pastor I knew my way around the hospital. I made my way to a place where they would have to pass on their way to the room. When the bed came rolling round the corner I had our daughter in my arms before the nurse was able to speak. And she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

But I don't believe the scripture refers to physical or sentimental beauty here. Stephen clarifies this in his sermon in Acts 7 where he says the child was beautiful in God's sight. It seems his parents got a glimpse of what God saw in the life of Moses.

My children are all grown now with careers and families of their own. But I still pray for them. And I ask God to show me what He is seeing in their futures so I can be part of what He plans for them in my prayers.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

Grandparents who believe in the power of prayer can make a great impact on their children, grandchildren

 and future generations not only on National Grandparents’ Day but everyday.  

Cavin Harper, Executive Director of Christian Grandparenting Network  (CGN) says. In his book, “Courageous Grandparenting, “Builders and Boomer generations represent the majority of today’s grandparents. There are nearly eighty million of us. Yet on our watch we have stood by in silence and allowed the Father of lies to inject his venom 

into our culture, hardening men’s hearts to the truth.”[1]

However, during the last five years, thousands of grand

parents have united on National Grandparents Day to make it a Day of Prayer for their grandchildren and their parents.  On September 13^th we have yet another opportunity to link arms in prayer across this nation and around the world. Will you help us in this cause? 

 We need your help

We need grandparents to help us promote this event and who will take the lead to arrange an event-calling grandparents to join in prayer on September 13. This event could be in your church, in your home, in a retirement complex, or any meeting location you choose. 

It’s not a complicated process; Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN) will provide you with step-by-step guidelines, resources, and online tools to help you create a successful event that will engage grandparents in prayer in your

church or community. Just invite some grandparents in your home for prayer and a snack on Grandparents’ Day of Prayer.

To learn more about becoming involved, please follow the steps below.

Check out the website for blogs, endorsements, testimonials and promotional materials and free downloads.

http:/http://www.grandparentsdayofprayer.com.

Then complete the form to indicate your participation.

Free Resources Available for distribution at your event.

(Download and print)

1. 31 Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren. Spanish a

nd English   Downloadable FREE

2. Suggestions to Pray for School children. (Preschool-College)

            Downloadable FREE

3. Suggestions to Pray for College students. 

          Downloadable FREE

4. Suggestions to Pray for the Different Life Stages (Infants through married grandchildren)

          Downloadable FREE

5. Placemat with “31 Scriptures to Pray for Grandchildren.”        

           Downloadable FREE

6.  E-book - “Reflecting on my Grandparenting Jou

rney” by Lillian Penner     Downloable FREE

For additional information, contact Lillian Penner

National Prayer Coordinator for Christian Grandparenting Network  lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net.

Join Us in Making National Grandparents Day on September 13, 2014  A Grandparents’ Day

of Prayer

We need your help to promote  Grandparents Day of Prayer.

Will you forward this post to your friends?

By Lillian Penner

CATCH UP ON  PREVIOUS DAYS HERE

VERSE:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come....2 Corinthians 5:17 
PRAYER:
Most Holy and Gracious God, You are a good of new things. In the beginning You created something out of nothing and You made all things new. Most Holy Father in Heaven, You molded man out of the dust, breathed life into Him and gave Adamah his own work to do and food to eat in the Garden.  Since the corruption and the Fall of Genesis 3, You gave Your prophets and Your Word for 3500 years, very specifically of when Maschiach would be born, live, minister and cut off and Jesus paid it all on the instrument of death almost 2000 years ago.

Because of that historic act, ordained in the Heavens and flawlessly executed by the Only One Who is flawless as both man and the Son of God, we can now be new creations, remade even while we are standing in perishing mortal flesh and be made new by simply seeking His Forgiveness and repenting of our sins, crying out to Him to save us because we understand His sacrifice and the amazing thing is He sees our heart longing for transformation and accepts us so that we can be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and made new, born again and saved as a new adopted child of God!

Father, we know You have absolutely no grandchildren but call all women and men to repentance to become adopted daughters and sons, that we may not be thrown into outer darkness with unforgiven sin, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But because You are such a God and Creator of Love, as the Scriptures testifies from cover to cover, as You are such the Supreme mechanical engineer of all time, as You are such the most amazing Architect ever, You take our foul Adamic nature, corrupted as it is and use the same process You used to make Adamah in the Garden, at the dawn of time! You take the spiritual dust and clay we are, You morphe us into the image of Christ at the point of Salvation where we immediately turn from a confirmed resident of Hell, breathe Your Spirit into us, exactly as You did in the beginning and flip our spirit man around in an instant into a whole new creature! This salvific process will never be appreciated and understood by even those who come to Faith until we see His nailed-pierced Hands in Glory, heavenly Father, but oh what an amazing RE-CREATION You have made!

Now, the old man is gone, the old man is dead and the new man lives. You have no just taken our sins and removed them, to forget them from Your Sight, but going one step amazingly better, You destroyed the work of Satan in our lives, and renew everything to such an extent, if we just stay in, abide in, walk in Your Ways and live daily in Your Presence as you want us to, You will reveal more and more new things which we could never imagine in our puny little minds! So, Father and Maker of All Things, thank You for that. Thank You for returning us to the old paradigm of Creation at the Point of Salvation, which sets us on the road to return to the Glory of the Garden one day in Paradise, when You have restored all, defeated all evil and brought back Your Intended and Your Anointed to rule forever more, and it is in His Name - YaHWeH - Commander in Chief all all Heaven - Jesus I pray, amen. 

The Bible describes prayer as “Standing in the Gap” or “Bridgingthe Gap” the channel through which God’s will is brought to earth. We are going to look in God’s Word to see some examples of people He used to stand in the gap so his purpose could be accomplished.                 

God chose or appointed Moses to stand in the gap between His people, the Israelites and Pharaoh. Esther stood in the gap for her people, the Israelites with prayer and fasting when Haman wanted to destroy the Jews.

There was no gap between God and the earth after God created the earth. However, after Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden, sin created a gap between God and his plan for the earth. ¹ 

Fortunately, God stood in the gap for us by sending His Son, Jesus to the earth to live as a man, die for our sins, and arise from the dead so we could have a personal relationship with Him. He chose us, to be a channel for His power to bridge the gap between himself and the earth.

God chose us to partner with Him and intercede in behalf of our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Just as Jesus, Moses, Esther, Daniel, Joseph, and many others in the Bible stood in the gap for God’s people, we as grandparents have the privilege to stand in the gap with prayer for our families.

Satan is very active in the world today; he knows his time is short. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10, “We are to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” against Satan’s well- thought-out plans and agenda. His goal is to distract and steal our children, grandchildren, and future generations from faith in Jesus Christ. Our goal ought to be that our grandchildren would know the adventure of a full, purposeful, and fruitful life in Jesus Christ.

It is not only important to pray for our families individually, it is vital that we unite with other grandparents to pray for our families in these crucial times. As Prayer Coordinator for Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN), I would like to encourage you to stand in the gap for your grandchildren by participating in a Grandparents @ Prayer (G@P) intercessory prayer group.

We currently have about 22 G@P groups uniting in prayer. Go to http://www.christiangrandparenting.net/prayer/grandparents-prayer/introduction-to-g-p  check out the locations of current groups, testimonials, and additional information. We would love to have you to be a part of the G@P prayer ministry.

I would like to share one of my favorite songs May all who come behind us find us faithful which is my desire for my grandchildren and future generations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi-Mn5tRHvM

 As we are in the autumn season, I was reminded of my childhood, growing up on a wheat farm in Oklahoma. In the summer after the wheat harvest, my father would prepare the soil for the next year’s harvest and in the autumn, he would sow the wheat seed. Throughout the winter months, we would wait for the rains to water the seed and wait for it to come up and watch it grow. In the spring, we would see the wheat heads form and ripen to a golden color for the harvest in early June.

We simply had faith that once the seed was in the ground, nature would take its course, and the golden heads of wheat would be ready to be harvested in the summer.  

It reminds me of when we pray we are sowing seed, asking God in faith for what we desire. Once we have asked, things start happening behind the scenes, whether we are asleep or awake, God is at work, preparing an answer to our prayers. In God’s timing the answer will be evident and we will “reap” the results of our seed (prayer) sown.

However, we must have faith trusting God is at work even when it seems like nothing is happening while we are wait for the seed (prayers) to sprout, grow, and bring forth a harvest.

One little seed has a lot of potential, it seems so small, but under the right conditions, this one seed can grow into a plant that will yield a great harvest! Spiritual multiplication is the same. The seed (prayers) that we sow in the lives of our grandchildren will produce a harvest, even into the next generation, our great-grandchildren. The seeds of prayer that we plant today will yield a harvest of blessing in the future.

Questions: What are you asking God in faith for your grandchildren today?

Are you able to fully trust God with the prayers that you are sowing to bring forth a harvest in the lives of your grandchildren?

“And let us not grow weary while doing good,

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9, NKJV).

“Prayer is one of the easiest subjects to talk upon, but one of the hardest to practice.”

−Henrietta Mears, What the Bible Is All About, p.598.

I would appreciate your comments about how you are sowing seeds in the lives of your grandchildren.

 Isn’t it exciting to have your precious grandchild come running into your arms with hugs and kisses? Your six-year-old granddaughter calling to tell you she lost her first tooth and the tooth fairy is coming to her house or your seven-year-old grandson thrilled to tell you how many goals he made in his soccer game. Last Saturday my two youngest granddaughters came over to visit and we enjoyed making cookies together. Just as you enjoy your relationships with your grandchildren, God enjoys your relationship with Him.  

     This month as we celebrate Valentine’s we are reminded of our relationships, a time when friends express love to each other. However, it can also be a great reminder for us to express our love to our heavenly Father for the privilege of having a personal relationship with Him.

      Prayer is about a relationship, our relationship with God, and those for whom we pray. God gave us the gift of prayer so we could communicate with Him because He loves us and desires our communication. God does not want us to make our prayers a great production. He wants us to have a personal, intimate conversation with Him from our hearts, sharing our fears and struggles.

      Paul Miller writes in his book, The Praying Life, “American culture is probably the hardest place in the world to learn to pray, we are so busy that when we slow down to pray, we find it uncomfortable. We prize accomplishments, production. However, prayer is nothing but talking to God. It feels useless, as if we are wasting time.” ₁   Our heavenly Father rejoices when we take the time in our busy, hurried life to communicate with Him in prayer, expressing our love to Him, since relationships thrive on communication.

      The enemy, Satan distracts us with our busy lives hindering our walk with God by distracting our thoughts, making our prayers shallow, hurried, or rote. We face a great deal of stress, difficulty, and disappointments in life for which we need to be deliberate in setting a regular time to pray for our loved ones and ourselves, not just when we have a crisis.

      Our lives will be less stressful if we bring our needy hearts to God asking Him to work out His agenda in our life and in the lives of our loved ones, instead of trying to figure out our own agenda. As we see our prayers answered, we will grow into a more intimate relationship with God and experience more boldness in our praying.  

      Our Enemy knows a family’s faith can be lost in one generation. However, we as grandparents can be their prayer warriors to defend their faith in Jesus Christ by praying for them. Our children and grandchildren do not inherit our salvation. Nevertheless, we can pray that when they are presented with an opportunity their hearts will be prepared to step into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

      Do you sometimes feel like you are too busy to pray?

      Are your prayers hurried or repetitious?

      When you pray do you find it hard to connect with God in our distracting world?

      How is your relationship with God?

      Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:7, 10, 11, “If you love me, you will obey me. . . . If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you . . . I have told you this so that my joy will be in you and that your joy will be complete.”

      Send your heavenly Father a Valentine telling him of your love for him by your obedience to him.

 Dear Father, I choose to make a daily appointment with

You to pray intentionally for the hearts of my children, grandchildren, and myself. I want to have an open intimate relationship with

You so I feel comfortable bringing my needy heart to You. I am going to trust you that the seeds of prayer I sow today will bring forth a harvest of blessings in the days ahead.

In Jesus Name.

Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress  2009), 15. Used by Permission of NavPress, All Rights Reserved. www.navpress.com

 © 2012 Lillian Penner

Author of the book Grandparenting with a Purpose.

An excellent resource to challenge grandparents and suggestions

of how to pray for their grandchildren.

When I was a young woman, I had many opportunities to visit my widowed grandmother while I attended college in her town. As she grieved my grandfather’s death, she reflected her trust in God to care for her and showed how God sustained her each day, by claiming the promise Jesus gave His disciples after His resurrection. 

“Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Matthew 28:20 (KJV).

My grandmother’s faith that God would always be there for her made a great impact on my life. Her testimony influenced me to incorporate that verse into my daily experiences. Since those early adult years, whenever life has been difficult, disappointing, or downright discouraging, I have claimed that same scripture verse. My prayer is that I will have opportunities to reflect my life experiences of trusting God during my difficult times to my children and grandchildren.

In Proverbs 27:19 we read, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.” However, we may ask what does that look like. When we meditate on God’s Word and grow in our relationship with God, we will reflect God’s glory because we are being transformed into His image. We glorify God when we reveal or manifest his character by the way we live by demonstrating God’s love to those around us.   

 We, as grandparents who love the Lord have a responsibility to reflect a godly life to our grandchildren. We must ask ourselves, is my walk with the Lord as I want reflected in the lives of my grandchildren. 

My grandmother made a lasting impression on my life because she reflected her faith in God’s provision to sustain her during her time of grieving. When we reflect God’s love to our grandchildren and they are walking with the Lord, our love for God will keep on living through our grandchildren.

Questions to ask ourselves:

What does the reflection of my life look like to my grandchildren?

Do I want my grandchildren to imitate my spiritual life?

Will they want my Jesus?

Pray your love for God will keep on living through your grandchildren, even after you are deceased. 

Prayer

Lord, forgive me when I have not taken the time to be in Your Word

 and model the life of a godly grandparent.

 Help to take the time to read and meditate on Your Word every day

So I will reflect your face in the heart of my grandchildren.  

Even after I have passed on to be with you.

In Jesus name.

© 2010 Lillian Penner