“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil.” John 17:15
Knowing He would soon be leaving the disciples, Jesus prayed for them before His crucifixion. What a great model to follow in praying for our children!
We live in a hostile world greatly influenced by Satan and our tendency can be to hold on to our kids too tightly. Instead of helping them become independent of us and dependent on God, our fears may cause us to make parenting decisions that foster reliance on us.
If anyone knew the reality of spiritual warfare, it was Jesus. His prayer, however, demonstrated confidence in the character and power of God to guard his disciples. In the same way, we can prepare to “leave” our kids by letting them go a little bit each day.
We do this by giving them age-appropriate responsibilities and by allowing them to experience the consequences of their choices. It is an act of faith to trust this process to God’s plan and protection, rather than giving in to fear-driven control. Relinquish control of your kids to the One who will protect them.
Who am I praying for God to protect today? What spiritual warfare affects my life? Am I depending on God for His protection today?
1 Comment
Lita Bonsignori
October 5, 2015 at 11:02 pmThank you! I needed this today. While I have absolutely tried to live this as a parenting practice, there’s been times I’ve been at the 1% of faith (previous devotional blog by Cody Kuehl). However, this truth is in my heart and I do know that God loves my children more than I do!!! He is trustworthy and mighty, even when I am weak.
PS: The tone of devotional appears to be written towards of parents of younger children, but as a mother of a 31 and 18 year old, and grandmother of three, relinquishing control and these prayers are equally important 🙂