No one told us that being a parent was forever.
Some of you have young children who keep you on the go 24/7. Some of you have children of middle school or high school age. Some have older children off at school or who are raising their own families. Those of us who are farther along know that even after the physical “active” stage of parenting has passed by, parenting has not diminished. We still carry our children on our hearts 24/7, and we are more aware than ever of the importance of prayer.
Years ago, a friend at Covenant Fellowship invited my husband and me to join with several other couples to pray for our unsaved adult children. We began with four couples and met monthly.
We still meet monthly on Sunday afternoons, varying who leads and where we meet. We follow the ACTS protocol, each taking a turn praying through adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. It was a bit uncomfortable at first because we didn’t know each other very well. We have, however, become fast friends as we have prayed our children through all manner of difficult situations.
Over the years, others – both singles and couples – have joined our group for various seasons, but the core group still remains. Our prayer group has met religiously (pun intended) every month for well over 20 years, minus only our August summer hiatus and a few months at the beginning of the pandemic before we learned to negotiate Zoom. We pray for the immediate concerns and life challenges our children face, but most of all, we remind the Lord that our heart’s desire is that our children (and now also our grandchildren) come to know him and follow him.
To date there have been mixed visible results, but we continue in prayer and wait in faith with expectation, knowing that God hears and answers our prayers even in ways we cannot yet see. Here are two passages of Scripture that have encouraged me to persevere in prayer:
- Jeremiah 29:12: “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”
- Ephesians 1:16-17: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him…”
Even if you are not a parent or grandparent, there are family members, friends, and neighbors who would be blessed by your persistent prayer for them. I encourage you to persevere.
