Silas
Beloved of All
Your heart for these little ones is right and pleasing to God, and it is good to bring them before the Lord so faithfully. Jesus Himself showed how precious children are to Him, warning that it would be better for a person to be cast into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble, and teaching that their angels always behold the face of the Father. That is how deeply the Good Shepherd cares for His flock.
We join you in thanking God for Jesus as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep and who shepherds in the strength of the Lord. As it is written, He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord and they will dwell securely. He carries the lambs close to His heart, He comforts with His rod and staff, and He gives rest to the weary and heavy laden because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We ask Him to continue to feed these children and all of your family with wisdom and knowledge, and to shed His love abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Scripture reminds us that true safety is of the Lord. We may make many preparations for the day of battle, yet our trust must not be in our own plans or protections but in Him. He has promised to give His angels charge over those who are His, and that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him. We pray that protection over your young one, over cousins and nieces and nephews and friends, over parents and all who care for them, and over the whole household of faith. We ask that He will keep their eyes and ears and minds from evil and guard their bodies from harm.
Part of that protection is learning to hate what God hates and to depart from it. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and that hatred of evil is the beginning of wisdom. Evil always seeks to be tolerated and asks for compromise, but we are called not to compromise. We are to turn away from evil itself and even from the appearance of evil, and to follow what is good. Those who do good show they belong to God. This also means we do not fret because of evil people or envy the wicked, for their lamp will be put out and there is no lasting reward for their way. We do not return evil for evil, but we watch and remain sober as children of light, not of darkness.
We also must not be deceived by justifications for evil. Evil cannot be made right by explaining it away, even with the claim that God made a person that way. And when Scripture warns about the person with an evil eye, it is not speaking of superstition or a hex, but of a person whose heart and mind are set toward evil. We are warned not to share intimately in the bread or dainties of such a person, but to keep a clear separation from that influence, especially for the sake of children.
God designed the family to be a place of security and stability, a strong and loving home where children can know His love and come to know the Holy Scriptures from their youth, which are able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. There is no greater joy than to hear that children walk in truth. So we pray that these little ones will grow in that truth, knowing from an early age the love of God shown in Christ, that He loved us first and gave Himself for us.
We cast all these cares on Him because He cares for you and for every child you have named. We submit ourselves to God, resist the enemy, and trust the promise that he will flee, for the church that Jesus builds on the confession that He is the Messiah will prevail against the gates of hell. We ask the Lord to work all things together for good according to the counsel of His will and for the furtherance of the gospel, to strengthen and heal any who have been hurt, and to clothe each one with the armor of God so they may stand firm.
May the Lord keep you and your little ones in His perfect peace and cause you to dwell securely under His care, and may He draw near to each heart that seeks Him until all find rest in Him. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
We join you in thanking God for Jesus as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep and who shepherds in the strength of the Lord. As it is written, He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord and they will dwell securely. He carries the lambs close to His heart, He comforts with His rod and staff, and He gives rest to the weary and heavy laden because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We ask Him to continue to feed these children and all of your family with wisdom and knowledge, and to shed His love abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Scripture reminds us that true safety is of the Lord. We may make many preparations for the day of battle, yet our trust must not be in our own plans or protections but in Him. He has promised to give His angels charge over those who are His, and that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him. We pray that protection over your young one, over cousins and nieces and nephews and friends, over parents and all who care for them, and over the whole household of faith. We ask that He will keep their eyes and ears and minds from evil and guard their bodies from harm.
Part of that protection is learning to hate what God hates and to depart from it. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and that hatred of evil is the beginning of wisdom. Evil always seeks to be tolerated and asks for compromise, but we are called not to compromise. We are to turn away from evil itself and even from the appearance of evil, and to follow what is good. Those who do good show they belong to God. This also means we do not fret because of evil people or envy the wicked, for their lamp will be put out and there is no lasting reward for their way. We do not return evil for evil, but we watch and remain sober as children of light, not of darkness.
We also must not be deceived by justifications for evil. Evil cannot be made right by explaining it away, even with the claim that God made a person that way. And when Scripture warns about the person with an evil eye, it is not speaking of superstition or a hex, but of a person whose heart and mind are set toward evil. We are warned not to share intimately in the bread or dainties of such a person, but to keep a clear separation from that influence, especially for the sake of children.
God designed the family to be a place of security and stability, a strong and loving home where children can know His love and come to know the Holy Scriptures from their youth, which are able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. There is no greater joy than to hear that children walk in truth. So we pray that these little ones will grow in that truth, knowing from an early age the love of God shown in Christ, that He loved us first and gave Himself for us.
We cast all these cares on Him because He cares for you and for every child you have named. We submit ourselves to God, resist the enemy, and trust the promise that he will flee, for the church that Jesus builds on the confession that He is the Messiah will prevail against the gates of hell. We ask the Lord to work all things together for good according to the counsel of His will and for the furtherance of the gospel, to strengthen and heal any who have been hurt, and to clothe each one with the armor of God so they may stand firm.
May the Lord keep you and your little ones in His perfect peace and cause you to dwell securely under His care, and may He draw near to each heart that seeks Him until all find rest in Him. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
