Silas
Beloved of All
Your love for these little ones and your desire to see them kept safe is precious to the Lord, and He hears this kind of prayer. Jesus Himself showed how seriously He takes children when He said that their angels always see the face of the Father and that it would be better for a millstone to be hung around a person's neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
The Scriptures give us a true picture of His care. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He carries the lambs close to His heart, He leads and feeds His flock, and He comforts with His rod and staff. That is not a magic charm or a formula to ward off harm. In ancient times people treated holy things as if they were a lucky object that would automatically protect them even while they lived corruptly, but God does not work that way. Our security is in a living relationship with the Shepherd Himself, and we cast all our cares on Him because He truly cares for us and for our children and extended families.
God has also spoken of His angels as ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation, and of His promise to give His angels charge over His people and that the angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him. This is not about an old superstition of a person putting a curse on you with a look. The Bible speaks of an evil eye to describe a person whose whole outlook and heart is bent toward evil. The inner life of the wicked simply desires evil, and his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. That is why we pray for discernment.
Part of reverence for God is learning to hate what He hates. The beginning of wisdom includes hating evil, not learning to tolerate it or make peace with it. Evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, and when people turn away from God's authority they find ways to excuse all kinds of wrong, even using the weakest excuse that God made them that way. Evil cannot be justified. We are not to fret or be envious when we see evildoers prosper for a time. Scripture is clear that there is no lasting reward for the wicked and that their light will be put out. At the same time we must stay watchful, because the Bible warns that savage wolves can come in among the flock, that evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, and that this can even happen among those who claim to be spiritual leaders. That is why your prayer for mothers and fathers and all who watch over children to stay alert is so needed.
God's design for children includes the security and stability of a strong, loving home where they are shepherded and fed with wisdom and knowledge. From their youth they are to know the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ. There is no greater joy for those who love the Lord than to hear that their children are walking in truth, doing what is good rather than following what is evil. Each child is different in personality and needs wise, patient instruction. Some respond to one kind of correction and others need a different approach, and parents need the Holy Spirit's help to know how to guide each one.
History shows how serious the battle for children is. In the days when Israel forgot the Lord and did evil in His sight, the surrounding pagan worship involved even the sacrifice of children to false gods, an abomination that shows how deeply evil can take hold when people forsake God. We still live in a time when many boast openly of evil and call what is good evil and what is evil good, and laws are sometimes twisted to protect what is wrong. We should not be drawn by curiosity into that darkness, but turn away from evil, which brings health and wholeness, and honor the Lord with our lives.
So we continue to stand with you in prayer. We ask the Lord to keep these youngsters, their cousins, friends, parents, aunts and uncles and all who care for them, under His hand. We pray that He would shed His love abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit and strengthen them to know the breadth and depth of His love, that He would keep their eyes and ears from what is evil and guard their minds and bodies from the evil one. We submit ourselves to God, resist the enemy, and trust the promise that when we do, he will flee. We put on the armor of God and pray in the authority that Jesus has as the risen King to whom all authority has been given, trusting that the church He builds on the truth of who He is as the Messiah will prevail against the gates of hell.
We thank Him in advance that He is working all things together for good according to the counsel of His will and for the furtherance of the gospel, and that He gives rest to the weary who come to Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. May the Lord Himself shepherd your little ones, cause them to dwell securely, and keep them in His love.
The Scriptures give us a true picture of His care. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He carries the lambs close to His heart, He leads and feeds His flock, and He comforts with His rod and staff. That is not a magic charm or a formula to ward off harm. In ancient times people treated holy things as if they were a lucky object that would automatically protect them even while they lived corruptly, but God does not work that way. Our security is in a living relationship with the Shepherd Himself, and we cast all our cares on Him because He truly cares for us and for our children and extended families.
God has also spoken of His angels as ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation, and of His promise to give His angels charge over His people and that the angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him. This is not about an old superstition of a person putting a curse on you with a look. The Bible speaks of an evil eye to describe a person whose whole outlook and heart is bent toward evil. The inner life of the wicked simply desires evil, and his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. That is why we pray for discernment.
Part of reverence for God is learning to hate what He hates. The beginning of wisdom includes hating evil, not learning to tolerate it or make peace with it. Evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, and when people turn away from God's authority they find ways to excuse all kinds of wrong, even using the weakest excuse that God made them that way. Evil cannot be justified. We are not to fret or be envious when we see evildoers prosper for a time. Scripture is clear that there is no lasting reward for the wicked and that their light will be put out. At the same time we must stay watchful, because the Bible warns that savage wolves can come in among the flock, that evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, and that this can even happen among those who claim to be spiritual leaders. That is why your prayer for mothers and fathers and all who watch over children to stay alert is so needed.
God's design for children includes the security and stability of a strong, loving home where they are shepherded and fed with wisdom and knowledge. From their youth they are to know the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ. There is no greater joy for those who love the Lord than to hear that their children are walking in truth, doing what is good rather than following what is evil. Each child is different in personality and needs wise, patient instruction. Some respond to one kind of correction and others need a different approach, and parents need the Holy Spirit's help to know how to guide each one.
History shows how serious the battle for children is. In the days when Israel forgot the Lord and did evil in His sight, the surrounding pagan worship involved even the sacrifice of children to false gods, an abomination that shows how deeply evil can take hold when people forsake God. We still live in a time when many boast openly of evil and call what is good evil and what is evil good, and laws are sometimes twisted to protect what is wrong. We should not be drawn by curiosity into that darkness, but turn away from evil, which brings health and wholeness, and honor the Lord with our lives.
So we continue to stand with you in prayer. We ask the Lord to keep these youngsters, their cousins, friends, parents, aunts and uncles and all who care for them, under His hand. We pray that He would shed His love abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit and strengthen them to know the breadth and depth of His love, that He would keep their eyes and ears from what is evil and guard their minds and bodies from the evil one. We submit ourselves to God, resist the enemy, and trust the promise that when we do, he will flee. We put on the armor of God and pray in the authority that Jesus has as the risen King to whom all authority has been given, trusting that the church He builds on the truth of who He is as the Messiah will prevail against the gates of hell.
We thank Him in advance that He is working all things together for good according to the counsel of His will and for the furtherance of the gospel, and that He gives rest to the weary who come to Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. May the Lord Himself shepherd your little ones, cause them to dwell securely, and keep them in His love.
