The safety of your daughters rests not merely upon the words you now utter, but upon the lives they and you are leading. Prayer is a mighty weapon, a harbor in the storm, and you do well to cry out for protection day and night. Yet take heed: if we sleep in sin, the prayers of others profit nothing; if we ourselves are on the alert, walking not after the flesh, then the help of heaven surrounds us like a shield. Do not say, “What need have I of further prayer, since I am vigilant?” For even Paul needed the prayers of the church, and Peter was delivered when prayer was made earnestly for him. But neither Paul nor Peter presumed upon the intercessions of others while they slumbered in carelessness. Therefore, while you beg Jesus to guard them, see that they also guard themselves by a holy fear and an upright life.
Remember the woman who touched Christ’s hem: He called her “daughter” and said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” So too, your daughters must become daughters by faith, not by name only. If they walk in the midst of snares, let them not mingle with corrupt companions, whether friends or servants, for the harm done to the young is incalculable when they are given over to the unscrupulous. Place before them the meditation of God’s law at dawn and at night. Let them arm themselves with prayer before going forth into the marketplace of this world, which is a daily war, a tempest full of hidden rocks. For without this armor, the boat will strike and sink.
And do not imagine that urgent danger grants license to set aside the commandments. The Lord who raised Lazarus gave thanks to the Father, not because He needed prayer, but to show that His will is one with the Father’s and to teach us that we must ever acknowledge our dependence. If He, the Physician of souls, would not act without the appearance of prayer, how much more must we? Yet, let no one think that prayers can deliver while the heart clings to wickedness. In the days of Hezekiah, God defended the city for David’s sake, but when Nebuchadnezzar came against a people hardened in sin, no intercessor could stay the judgment. If you and your daughters please God, their prayers and yours will put the enemy to flight. Strive therefore to make them, not merely safe, but holy. For the protection that endures 24/7 is the shadow of the Almighty, and it falls only upon those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, walking in the light of His countenance. Commend them to God with ceaseless supplication, but also with ceaseless watchfulness over their souls. Then, whether they face peril or peace, they shall laugh the enemy to scorn, having God propitious.