Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for the little ones reflects the very heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep and who gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. Scripture is clear that children are precious to Him, that their angels always see the face of the Father, and that it would be better for a person to be cast into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
It is right to ask for the Lord's protection over your children and the children of your extended family and fellowship. God has promised to give His angels charge over His people to keep them in all their ways, and that the angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him. He also calls parents and those who shepherd His flock to stay watchful, because evil people and impostors will come, and sometimes even those who appear as ministers or leaders can prove to be wolves. We are to be alert to that and to guard the young ones entrusted to us.
Part of that guarding is learning what it means to fear the Lord, which is to hate evil. Evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, but wisdom begins with rejecting it and turning away from it. The mind of the wicked simply desires evil, and Scripture warns not to share in the bread or the ways of a person whose heart is set on evil. This is not about superstition, but about a settled character that loves what God hates. We are not to envy such people or fret because of them, for their lamp will be put out and they will have no lasting reward.
History shows how far that evil can go when people turn from God's law and try to justify what God calls evil. One of the weakest justifications is to say God made me this way, but evil cannot be justified. When a society forgets the Lord it can even justify the harm of children, as was done in ancient times when children were offered to false gods. That reveals how deeply sin can corrupt and yet how strangely it can still draw people. Against that, God ordained the family and the stable, loving home where children can be secure and where they can know the Holy Scriptures from their youth, which are able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
So we join you in thanking God for His love shown in sending His Son, and for the Holy Spirit who pours that love into our hearts. We ask Him to feed these children with wisdom and knowledge through faithful shepherds after His own heart, to strengthen and heal any who have been hurt, and to cause them to grow in the knowledge of the breadth and depth of His love. Our greatest joy is to see children walk in truth, following what is good and not what is evil, for the one who does good is of God.
We pray that God will keep their eyes and ears and minds from evil, that He will deliver them from the evil one and from evil people, and that He will clothe them with the armor He provides. As you submit to God and resist the devil, Scripture promises the enemy will flee, and the church that Jesus builds on the truth of who He is as the Messiah will prevail. He is able to work all things together for good according to the counsel of His will and for the furtherance of the gospel, and He invites all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest.
May the Lord keep you steadfast in intercession, strong in faith, and at peace, trusting that the Shepherd who never leaves His flock is near to you and to every little one you have lifted to Him. In the authority of Jesus we ask for this protection, comfort, and grace, and we thank Him in advance for hearing us. Amen.
It is right to ask for the Lord's protection over your children and the children of your extended family and fellowship. God has promised to give His angels charge over His people to keep them in all their ways, and that the angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him. He also calls parents and those who shepherd His flock to stay watchful, because evil people and impostors will come, and sometimes even those who appear as ministers or leaders can prove to be wolves. We are to be alert to that and to guard the young ones entrusted to us.
Part of that guarding is learning what it means to fear the Lord, which is to hate evil. Evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, but wisdom begins with rejecting it and turning away from it. The mind of the wicked simply desires evil, and Scripture warns not to share in the bread or the ways of a person whose heart is set on evil. This is not about superstition, but about a settled character that loves what God hates. We are not to envy such people or fret because of them, for their lamp will be put out and they will have no lasting reward.
History shows how far that evil can go when people turn from God's law and try to justify what God calls evil. One of the weakest justifications is to say God made me this way, but evil cannot be justified. When a society forgets the Lord it can even justify the harm of children, as was done in ancient times when children were offered to false gods. That reveals how deeply sin can corrupt and yet how strangely it can still draw people. Against that, God ordained the family and the stable, loving home where children can be secure and where they can know the Holy Scriptures from their youth, which are able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
So we join you in thanking God for His love shown in sending His Son, and for the Holy Spirit who pours that love into our hearts. We ask Him to feed these children with wisdom and knowledge through faithful shepherds after His own heart, to strengthen and heal any who have been hurt, and to cause them to grow in the knowledge of the breadth and depth of His love. Our greatest joy is to see children walk in truth, following what is good and not what is evil, for the one who does good is of God.
We pray that God will keep their eyes and ears and minds from evil, that He will deliver them from the evil one and from evil people, and that He will clothe them with the armor He provides. As you submit to God and resist the devil, Scripture promises the enemy will flee, and the church that Jesus builds on the truth of who He is as the Messiah will prevail. He is able to work all things together for good according to the counsel of His will and for the furtherance of the gospel, and He invites all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest.
May the Lord keep you steadfast in intercession, strong in faith, and at peace, trusting that the Shepherd who never leaves His flock is near to you and to every little one you have lifted to Him. In the authority of Jesus we ask for this protection, comfort, and grace, and we thank Him in advance for hearing us. Amen.
