This past week has been an amazing week of prayer for my 2 boys.
When I joined the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons challenge a few weeks ago, I was so eager to get going on it, I could hardly contain my excitement! There is just something about praying the Word specifically that empowers and fills you with hope.
These 2 young men have made life interesting for the past almost 6 years. We have had our fair share of challenges and moments of throwing up our hands in surrender and discouragement (well, really, I think that was more me, my husband seems to always keep his head about the situations we face, maybe that has something to do with the fact that he was a boy once? :D) and (me again) wondering if they’ll E-V-E-R do what I want them to?!?!
But something interesting has happened over the past week. As I’ve been praying the scriptures for my boys, I have noticed two things.
1. Somehow, for “some reason”, they are different.
I know, I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, God answers prayer! That’s why I’m committing to praying for them! (Oh, and once the 21 days are over, I am starting over again :D) I am humbled and amazed at how “simply” it comes down to prayer. Over the past 7 days, it has hit me like a load of bricks – everything that I was worried about and fretting over was a result of not surrendering to God and not committing the issues to prayer BEFORE and when they happened!
2. I am different.
My view of my boys (and girlie too) has changed. No longer do I see them as little monk-sters who are out to make mama’s life as interesting, challenging and heart-breaking as possible. We still have those moments, and I am certain we will have many more of them to come! But suddenly, my eyes have been opened to their helpless estate.
We certainly do not excuse any of their behaviour. Discipline is commanded by God and is necessary for the instruction and training in righteousness. However, I am able now to see the depth of how lost they are and how unable they will be to do ANYTHING to please God, let alone WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE AND HEART, without the power of the Holy Spirit at work within them.
One of our favourite verses is Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily for the Lord, and not for men.”. Another favourite, Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”. The reality of these verses has hit home this week. It really is “God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) Without God, these boys are completely lost and unable to do what is right. Without God, they are helpless to help themselves, and their motives will not be pure. Without God, they are lost.
And so my focus on their “behaviour” has changed. This has been a long time coming, I feel like God has been preparing me for this ever since I read 1 Kings in January of this year and now it is all culminating in this challenge of prayer.
I still get discouraged when I see them make choices that are wrong. I still get frustrated and throw up my hands in defeat.
But my hands go up to the Lord to ask him, for the sake of my children, to instill in them Purity, Humility (James 4:10), Wisdom (Psalm 14:1), Integrity, Submission to Authority (Acts 5:29) and Obedience (Ephesians 6:1).
Our God is an awesome God. And I am grateful to him that I can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
