Revelation Chapter 18

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins. . .’”     Revelation 18:4 (NIV)
 
Prayer Over Our Children
Oh God, call my children out of this adulterous world so they may not fall into sin nor receive Your judgement or wrath. May they not taste death, mourning, or the famine of Your consuming fire. Instead, let them rejoice in Your justice and might. When the City of Babylon is thrown down, oh God, may my children still sing Your songs, know Your good and honest work, shine with Your light, and hear Your voice.
 
Family
 
     Guilt and discouragement recently infiltrated my heart. Great hopes and expectations enthused my start to summer break. Yet with less than a month left, the utter lack of any tangible progress to my list of summer priorities left me downtrodden. Why bother? I asked myself, You can’t do anything anyway.

     Sometimes, my impaired sight weighs me down. Instead of focusing on what I can do, I confess, my focus shifts to what I cannot. It leaves me a helpless puddle. . . Just where Satan wants me. But God in His infinite mercy, reaches down to lift me up. He breathes new life into my lungs. And He uses the body of Christ to be His hands and feet.
     With my summer agenda rudderless, I shared my heart with a few close friends. Just as the arms and feet of Christ, they reached out to encourage and raise me up. They poured truth and light into my weary soul. Where my spirit thirsted for water, God used them to point me back to Him. To His Word I fled and to His truth I clung. No longer did derisive words whisper. Instead, God’s still, soft voice filled my soul.
     Family, came His silent voice, filling the expanse of my soul. Family. As this word reverberated within me, a flash of insight startled me to complete stillness. Understanding illuminated my brain. With new eyes, I saw the summer for what it was. A summer of my agendas and of my priorities. Not God’s. I had striven to reach goals of my own making rather than God’s. Likewise, I was using the world’s standards to measure my success rather than God’s. This one simple word put it all in perspective. Family
     God’s priority for me this summer was not career accomplishments nor steppingstones. It was not excavating the garage nor traveling to vacation destinations. Neither was it building a stronger social media platform or adding to my writing resume’. Instead, God’s priority for me this summer was the investment of time into my family and the family of God…
     What took precedence was quality time with my husband and Sweet Pea before the fall rat race. Laughter, smiles, hugs, and kisses with my little girl. Lazy mornings, snuggles in bed, and late movie nights with popcorn and pizza. Splashing in the pool, bobbing in the ocean waves, and fun daytrips. Board games, harvesting vegetables from our garden, and cooking together. Conversations about God, reinforcing Truth, teaching the wielding of spiritual weapons, and correcting, training, and encouraging my family with the Word of God. This is what God’s agenda was for me. To build and strengthen relationships with the members of my household, the family of Christ, and with the Lord Jesus Christ.
     Against whose standards are you measuring your own priorities? So often, our eyes fix upon earthly agendas. This can cause us to forget the priorities of eternal significance. Our busy schedules, personal agendas, and worldly measures can drown out the still, soft voice if we are not careful. May we continually lay our plans before the Lord to seek His priorities. May we measure ourselves not by the world’s standards but the Lord’s measure of eternal significance. May we keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus.
 
A Parent’s Prayer
Lord, I commit my day to you. Keep my eyes fixed upon You. Fill my mind with Your priorities and higher ways. Help me to put away earthly strivings to focus on eternal ones. I surrender myself to You. Amen.