1 Peter Chapter 2

“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:4-5 (NASB)

A Prayer Over Our Children

Father God, may malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander hold no foothold in my child’s life. I pray that You will nourish her with Your spiritual food so that she may taste of Your goodness and grow in her salvation. Like living stones, choose her, find her precious, and build her up as a spiritual house to be a royal priesthood. How I plead that her sacrifices of worship will be pleasing and acceptable to You, oh God. ...

Be her precious Cornerstone, trustworthy in all things while You never putt her to shame. Make her one of Your chosen people, oh God, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation of people who belong to You so that she may declare Your praises. I plead that You will help her abstain from sinful desires and to live a life that bears witness of You so that You might be glorified. May she live a life of freedom, serving and hearing You, showing respect to all, loving the family of Christ, and honoring earthly authority. Oh God, I ask You to fill her with all joy and bless her with Your strength when she suffers for doing good just as Christ suffered for us.

90-degree temperatures promised to ensure a hot, sweaty summer day. At 9:30 in the morning, the air was already thick with heat and humidity. My gym workout did not help the matter. I stepped out from the cool sanctuary of the gym, already dripping and drenched in sweat to a blazing hello from the sun. Tap-tap, tap-tap, came the quick rhythmic strokes of my white cane. I was eager to remove myself from the sweltering heat as quickly as my fleeing cane would allow.
    
My house although nearby, was still a 10-minute walk from the gym. So, resigned to my sweaty, sticky state of affairs, I set my cane to autopilot and began the short trek. Often in these situations where I am well familiar with the terrain, my mind needs not concentrate as much on the sensory input provided by my cane. Thus, freed to wander, my thoughts sometimes take on a life of their own. Some days, prioritizing the day’s events takes precedence and other days figuring out solutions to problems consume my thoughts. But today, an onslaught of whispering derisions awaited me.
    
They can’t stand you. They think you are just like the other people in their life. Accusing claws slashed at me. They think you are self-focused, don’t listen, don’t abide by the agreement, and don’t carry through. Words continued to sliced through me like razors, causing me to inwardly wince and crumble despite what I knew to be true. An inner war raged within as I struggled to be freed from the power and control these whispering accusations.
    
Perhaps it is my bent as a woman, perhaps it is everyone, or perhaps it is just me, but I often struggle against defining myself by what others think of me or by how I think others perceive me. Regardless, subsuming not to put on the mantle that others would force upon you is a real battle for me. Perhaps, because I am my worst enemy, I think it is sometimes easier to believe the lies rather than struggle to rise above through mortal combat. But not today, I refuse to be the victim.
    
Help me, Lord, I cried out into the void, let this hold no power over me.
    
Armed through the strength of the Word of God, my recent morning quiet times have been rich in their depths and full in their revelation. So, with the strength of the Word of God fresh beneath my wings, a verse rose up against the dark as my battle cry from I Peter 2:9.
    
“I am a chosen people. I am a royal priesthood.” The quiet words stood firm in the face of the Accuser, igniting a tiny flame in the circling darkness.
    
“I am a holy nation. I belong to God.” I felt the Light of God’s Truth cut through the shadows, giving my feet a firm footing on which to stand and emboldening me.
    
“I am a chosen people,” I declared against the dark.
    
“I am a royal priesthood,” came my chant as I punched out the 7-syllable cadence, “I am a holy nation.”
    
“I belong to God!” Ended my proclamation. The claws released, the talion’s no longer pierced. Though still circling, the intensity of the attack had lifted.
    
“I am a chosen people,” I began again, “I am a royal priesthood…” Each time I repeated the proclamation, I grew stronger and the voice of the Accuser grew more faint. Once more I repeated the chant and once more yet again. An assuring, grounding peace settled over me. The Word of God sliced like a double-edged sword. In the face of Truth and adopted lineage, the Enemy could not stand. Not a whisper remained.
    
Identity is a powerful thing. Who am I? Where have I come from? What do others think of me? These questions left unanswered or defined inaccurately can leave us susceptible and vulnerable. Identity shapes not only our belief of who we are, but what we believe we are capable of achieving, attaining, or accomplishing. If we do not know who we are, or rather whose we are, how will we ever be able to withstand the battle? For as adopted sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, we are already victorious over the Enemy through Jesus’s death and resurrection. Likewise, as children of God, we can seek shelter and protection from the storm because it is God who fights our battles and it is God who gives us strength. Without a firm foundation or the Rock of Jesus beneath our feet, we will surely crumble. Therefore, as followers of Jesus, it is vitally important that we know what our identity is and who we are in Christ to wage war effectively against the Enemy.
    
Yet, just as identity in Christ tells us who we are, it also tells us who we are not. We are NOT failures or mistakes. We are NOT worthless or meaningless. We are NOT without hope or broken beyond repair. We are NOT unforgiven nor forsaken. Rather, we are beautiful, cherished, and treasured children of God. We are chosen and valued. We are forgiven and freed. We are a part of His royal priesthood and made into a holy nation. We are loved FOR We belong to God.

A Parent’s Prayer

Oh Lord, help me cast off all false perceptions of self and the lenses from which others view me. Rather help me find myself in You and walk in the fullness of Your love. Oh God, You know me by name for You formed me from my mother’s womb. Help me to know You even as You know every part of who I am. Help me become all that You have created me to be and do all that You have called me to do. Oh God, let me hide myself in You this day.