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A Prayer For Our Children
Since our Fall Focus on prayer, my mind is constantly alert to
biblical prayers. One of my favorites is David’s prayer in I
Chronicles 29:10-19.
One aspect of this prayer has recently
jumped off the page at me. The last verse of the prayer is
David’s prayer for Solomon. I have even incorporated a similar
statement in my own prayers for my children.
David prayed: “Give to my son Solomon
a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and
Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for
which I have made provision.”
What an awesome prayer for Solomon.
What an awesome prayer for our children. Is this not what we want
for our children?
May God grant to our children perfect
hearts. We must recognize that service to God begins with the
heart; from it springs the issues of life (Proverbs
4:23). It is not enough that our children keep a list of
commands that we have drawn up, their heart must be right with
God.
When their heart is right with God, our
children will keep God’s commandments, testimonies and statutes.
May God strengthen our children to keep His law.
Interestingly, we may think “keep”
simply means to follow or obey. However, the word carries the
concept of protecting and guarding. David was praying not only
that Solomon would obey God’s law, but that He would protect it
and guard it. May God strengthen our children to become defenders
of His faith.
Further, David did not want Solomon to
pick and choose the commandments, testimonies or statutes to keep;
he wanted Solomon to keep them all. No wonder he wanted Solomon to
have a perfect heart. Keeping all of God’s law takes growth and
maturity. Solomon would need to mature in his heart to keep all of
God’s law.
Finally, David prayed that Solomon
build the temple, just as God had commanded in II
Samuel 7:12-16. While our children will not build a
physical temple as Solomon did, do we not want our children to be
builders of God’s temple (cf. Ephesians
2:19-22)?
Perhaps one of the most important
aspects of this prayer, however, is David’s final statement:
“For which I have made provision.” David not only
prayed—David worked. He knew God’s promise and He prayed that
God keep it. However, David also worked to prepare Solomon to be a
tool by which God would keep His promise.
Let us pray this prayer for our children. Let us also
prepare the way for our children that they may be tools God can
use to build His temple.
Edwin L. Crozier
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