time constraints, and unforgiveness within our families. Some are forbidden to mention Jesus’ name in their presence.
Prayer provides a natural avenue to pass a legacy of faith to our posterity. It offers us a platform where we can communicate our love for our family and for God. It affords the opportunity to confirm God’ s abiding presence and steadfast love. It opens the door to teach our grandchildren how to trust and depend upon Jesus.
Our grandchildren are like sponges, constantly watching and soaking up the lessons we teach. Start by letting them know we are praying for them and asking them or their parents for specific prayer requests.
It’ s imperative to allow your grandchildren to hear you pray. I remember the afternoon that I took our oldest granddaughter to the neighborhood playground. She was standing on a slide, awaiting her descent, when a siren wailed in the distance.“ Grandma, there’ s an emergency,” she cried.“ We have to pray.” My heart exploded with joy— not because there was an emergency but because our three-yearold granddaughter understood the principle of intercessory prayer. I always pray when I hear a siren or see an emergency vehicle pass me on the road. Unbeknownst to me, our granddaughter was paying attention. God numbers our days.
He may call us home today, or He may grant us thirty more years to dwell on this earth and effectively influence our grandchildren’ s faith. Either way, we need to dedicate the remainder of our earthly lives to finishing the race and completing the task that Jesus gave us. We need to focus on passing a spiritual inheritance to our future generations, one that testifies to the good news of God’ s grace.
Scripture references are from the New International Version( NIV).
Sherry Schumann has the privilege and joy of helping grandparents leave a legacy of faith rooted deeply in prayer. She is the director of Christian Grandparenting Network, a ministry of RenewaNation. She has written two grandparenting books, The Grand Expedition: A Practical Guide to Praying for Your Grandchildren and Prayers that Stir the Hearts of Grandparents, and a novel called The Christmas Bracelet. Sherry’ s life in rural South Carolina is simple and beautiful. She has been married to her soulmate for more than four decades. They are blessed with three grown sons, three daughters-in-law, and eight gorgeous grandchildren. Sherry’ s heart rejoices whenever their home echoes with the sounds of their grandchildren’ s voices.
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