“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” ~ II Peter 3:10 (NASB) A Prayer Over Our ChildrenOh Lord, stimulate within my child wholesome thinking that keeps Your Word fresh upon her heart. Please protect her from scoffers and evil doers in the last days so that fear or ambivalence will not possess a foothold. Instead, continually fill her with awe and wonder at Your great works and the power of Your right hand. Be patient with my child, oh God, that she will not perish but be brought to repentance in You. ... I plead that You will help her to live a holy and godly life where she looks forward to the day of Your coming. Fill her with longing for the new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells as You instill within her every desire to be spotless, blameless, and at peace with You. Oh God, may You guard her against falling for the errors of lawless men but keep her secure in Your grasp, never to fall or be shaken. Help her, I pray, to grow in Your grace and knowledge that she may bring glory to You now and forever. As the New Year settles around me, I blink my eyes to see where the proverbial dust has landed. The New Year started out with a bang! And I am left wondering, reeling in the wake of unexpected potentials. But, isn’t that the joy of starting a new year, a new decade? A clean slate on which to paint. A fresh start on which to write. Yet, despite all the fluttering possibilities, for me, the call is simple. The call is clear: Obedience. As a parent, I expect my child to obey. After all, the very first Bible verse my daughter learned was, “Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right (Ephesians 6:1).”With great love and patience, I have drilled this verse in her little mind, reinforcing it through correction, and discipline when necessary. It has been an argumentative year as my little girl struggled to balance her budding autonomy and knowledge within the bounds of obedience. And although perfection defies my every attempt with parenting as I strive to lovingly teach my child to obey, I am left with a nibbling question. Are you obeying? When you hear the Spirit whisper, do you obey right away, all the way, and with a happy heart? Or are you like a rebellious child who is argumentative and demanding of her own way? This past Sunday, I stared at my daughter across the kitchen table at breakfast. Curiosity was written across her face as she stared into my mug. “Why aren’t you eating, Momma? And what is that orange stuff in your cup?” I closed my eyes and wondered where to start. Would she understand? Could I do the explanation justice? “I am fasting, Sweet Pea,” I answered, opening my eyes, “and this is beef broth that I am drinking.” A crinkle wrinkled her little brow. “What is fasting?” She looked worriedly at my plate less spot on the table. “You didn’t eat pizza with us or turkey,” she referenced to the past two evening meals. My husband was nowhere to be seen, having excused himself to take a shower. So, the answer was left just to me. The sound of water pummeling the shower walls from the master bathroom hung between us as she waited for me to speak. With a prayer flung heavenward, I took a big breath and plunged in. “Fasting is when you give up something that is important to you so that you can spend more time with God,” I said. Confusion littered her face. I took a deep breath and tried again. Racking my brain, I searched for words that she might understand. “For example, you like to read. One way of fasting would be to give up reading.” I explained, “But, instead of reading, you would spend praying or reading the Bible. Fasting is a way we tell God we are serious about seeking Him because we are putting Him first over our own desires, wants, and needs.” Understanding flickered in her eyes. She nodded as she forked a bit of scrambled egg. Then, she looked square in my eyes and queried, “Why are you fasting, Momma?” Had she asked me this question two days prior or even the day before, I would have stumbled to answer, for I didn’t quite know myself. The past week came flooding back with startling clarity. A speaking opportunity turned into an unexpected, powerful alternative, a train-ride home with 2 God anointed appointments, a potential new direction with writing… All ended with a quiet whisper to my soul. Fast. Fast from eating for three days and seek me for direction. I remember feeling quite startled at the thought. I had never fasted through complete food abstinence. Sure, during Lent I had abstained from eating chocolate, bread or carbohydrates. I had even fasted from watching television or reading. But, fast from eating meals? Me? Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to eat. I love the taste of food! I love the sweet and salty, the crunch and the pop of flavor and texture in my mouth. Me, give up eating? Yet strangely, where in times past I have struggled to obey, where I have argued and pushed aside the Holy Spirit’s prompting, I felt compelled to obey. To trust when I did not understand and trust in the provision of the Lord. For even He had gone before me, giving me the exact tools, I needed to fast from one of those pre-ordained meetings I had encountered earlier this week. So, as I laid my head to bed late Thursday night, I surrendered with a resolve to trust what I did not understand. Over the next few days, as I marveled over God’s provision, I questioned myself. Why am I doing this? Why am I depriving myself of food? The answer which came quickly to the forefront blared the obvious. To ask God for direction, to listen to His leading, to seek answers. But, somehow, although correct in its statement, the answer still felt hollow. As the smell of pizza wafted through the house or as I sprinkled French onions into my green bean casserole, denying myself of even a nibble, the question would arise front and center again and again. Why are you fasting? Finally, the eve of the third day of my fasting, as I sat with belly full of beef broth and honey-water, the answer popped into my mind. Because I asked you to. Because I asked you to obey. I realized with startling revelation that although people fast for different reasons, for me it was an act of obedience and trust in the Lord. Did I trust that He would curb my appetite? Did I trust He would provide strength and energy despite lack of food? Did I trust that He would answer my cries? Did I trust Him enough to obey? Sweet Pea looked expectantly at me from across the table. She had placed down her fork and was no longer eating. My mug made a quiet thump on the kitchen table as I placed it down. With a smile, I reached a hand out to my little girl. “Mommy is fasting because I am asking God for answers and seeking His guidance. But, most importantly, I am fasting because He asked me too. And I am trying to obey Him.” The lines on her forehead crinkled again. “You know how Mommy and Daddy ask you to obey even when you don’t want to?” I explained, “Well, it’s the same for Mommies,” I said, “God also asks Mommies and Daddies to obey Him just like I ask you to obey me.” I continued, “This is why it is so important that you learn to obey Mommy and Daddy. Because if you don’t learn to obey Mommy and Daddy, you will not likely obey God when He asks you to obey.” Sweet Pea’s face brightened. A smile widened her face. “And Daddy too,” she said excitedly. “You’re supposed to obey Daddy to.” She paused a thoughtful moment, “And God,” she added. I sighed. A wry smile quirked the corner of my mouth. “Yes, Mommy does struggle obeying Daddy at times.” I made a funny face. “I sometimes argue with him just like you argue with me when you don’t want to obey.” Sweet Pea giggled and nodded. “See, Sweet Pea? I struggle with obeying just like you do. I’m not perfect.” My eyebrows raised as I smiled. “Perhaps we can help each other out. Maybe you can give me hugs and kisses when you see me struggling to obey Daddy and I can give you hugs and kisses when you are struggling to obey me or Daddy.” Sweet Pea’s chair scraped against the floor as she pushed back and scrambled down. Soft but now longer legs scurried onto my lap with sweet arms reaching around my neck in a hug. Then… Mwah came the soft kiss on my cheek. Mwah-mwah! My heart melted as my little girl snuggled in my arms. “I will, Momma.” She smiled, her voice happy and bright. “I love you.” Obedience is an act of trust. It is as Chip Ingram says (and I paraphrase), “Doing what we do not want to do out of faith and trust that it is best for us.” Sometimes, okay - often, obedience is the hardest thing to do, especially when we don’t understand. Yet, regardless of our inability to grasp what is before us or comprehend, God still asks us to obey. However, I have found that even as we step out in trembling obedience, this very act of trust is a fragrant sacrifice before the Lord. How? Because it is an offering of trust in the face of uncertainty and the unknown. It is a conscious surrendering and laying down of our own understanding with the choice to trust God and lean on Him. It is putting Him first before our own hopes, desires, and needs. It is an act of worship. For me, as I embark upon the fresh pages of the New Year, it is my desire to not only obey, but obey with trust. It is my prayer that this trustful obedience will be quantified by right-away, all-the-way action with little to no argument. I pray that my obedience will be done with a willing heart. Why? Because just like it is pleasing to a parent when a child obeys with little to no resistance, my first-time obedience is also pleasing to the Lord. For when our obedience is extracted with much effort like a bad tooth, that fresh delight in our eager and quick response can be quelled by the resulting wrestling scuffle of our submission. But when we trust and obey the Lord, particularly in the face of uncertainty, it is beautiful in His sight. So, dear friends, as we embark upon the New Year and decade, I pray that you will join me with a fresh resolve to listen to the Holy Spirit’s whisperings and obey His promptings when He first calls. I pray that our acts of obedience become fragrant offerings of trust and pleasing unto Him. And as we strive to place Him first in all things, I pray that our very acts of obedience would be acts of worship to the Immortal, Invisible, and the only wise God. A Parent's PrayerOh Lord, help me to listen and grant me the faith to obey You when You call my Name. Help me to lean not on my own understanding but to trust in You instead. When I am weak and unwilling, turn my heart, oh God, and grant me strength. Give me Your sight to see what I do not understand. Oh God, make my obedience a fragrant offering as an act of worship that is pleasing unto You. Amen.
2 Comments
1/22/2020 19:37:42
Loved this, Marj! It's not only powerful in instruction regarding parenting, but the self-application as we walk as Father God's children. We never grow too old, too wise, or too self-sufficient to go it alone. May we both continue to seek His face, His will, and then walk in perfect obedience, or at least as humanly possible close to perfect submission. May His doors and windows open as we obey in 2020!
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Mom
1/23/2020 16:22:33
Thanks, Marie. Nice post. I used to describe myself as "being dragged kicking and screaming" when I did not want to obey. Much love, Mom
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AuthorMarried to my best friend for over 20 years, my husband and I are the proud (and often exhausted!) parents of a vivacious kindergatener. As a vision-impaired mom, prayer and trust in the Lord play a vital and moment-to-moment role in my life. Read more ... Follow me:
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