Knowing What Your Child’s Purpose Is

It’s always interesting to think about how I get from one thought to another.  At least it’s interesting to me.

Typically, in my prayer time I start with adoration and praise.  To me, adoration is telling God how great He IS.  It has nothing to do with what he has done, but just who he IS.  I have a list of His attributes and names that I use to help me.  Praise, on the other hand, is about what he has done or the blessings he has given; salvation, a loving home, working in the lives of our children who need to be walking with Him.

So, today, I was kind of jumping back and forth between supplication, confession, and adoration.  One of the words that jumped out at me in my list was “dayspring.”  So, as I often do when a word or phrase catches my attention, I jumped in my e-Sword and did a search.  I keep several versions on my PC.  e-Sword is a great resource which I highly recommend if you are interested in doing in-depth Bible study.

In the KJV, there are two scriptures that refer to dayspring.  One is in Job and the other is Luke 1:78 where Zechariah is prophesying after John the Baptist was born.  He was praising the Lord for the promised Messiah whose birth was now imminent and for John’s role in preparing the way.

And I wondered what it would have been like to know, when my boys were born, what God’s specific plan was for their lives.  Zecharias and Elizabeth knew, based on God’s revelation to Zecharias, what John’s role was to be.  They knew from the beginning that God wanted him to prepare the way of the Lord.  Their son had been selected to announce the impending coming of the Messiah that had been promised for centuries.

So, how does that impact how you raise a child?   Would you be more serious about teaching the Bible in your home?   Would you pray more about his/her development spiritually?  Would you be able to give better counsel as they entered teenage or early adult years?

My children are raised.  It’s easy to look back and second-guess all the things I could have done differently.  No value there.  But my grandchildren are young and there are a lot of opportunities ahead to impact them for the Lord. 

Whether you are raising your children or contemplating your impact on your grandchildren, the fact is you probably don’t know what God’s plan for them is specifically.  But you know God’s plan for them generally:

1.  To know Him personally

2.  To honor and glorify Him in all they do

So, do you pray for God’s will to be accomplished in each of their lives?  Do you pray about what YOUR role is in helping them know and do God’s will?  Do you spend the TIME needed to ensure God’s will is done?  Do you talk about your Exous?

Lord, help me begin immediately to change the behaviors that keep me from doing these things to maximize my on my grandchildren.