Praying for Our Children

I was reading the book of Job this morning and came across this verse:

When God's intimate friendship blessed my house.

Job 29.4

We are at the moment in a season of a lack of English-speaking friendships for our three oldest children. We are very thankful for the local friends they have, but they would love to have just one friend roughly their age who speaks English. We have, over the years, been blessed by some wonderful friends for them. But families here tend to leave! This verse really spoke to me this morning as one I should pray for my children. Wouldn't it be wonderful if, in this season, R, L &J came to know God's friendship more sweetly and intimately? First, how incredible that it is possible for us to have an intimate friendship with God! Let's not skip by that part too quickly!

 What better friend could there be for our children? One who will never let them down; who will never leave or forsake them; who has proved his love for them; who is not fickle; who sticks closer than a brother and is always wanting them to be in touch and speaks to them!

While on the subject of praying for our children, I also read this verse this morning:

From my youth I reared [the fatherless] as a father would,

and from my birth I guided the widow.

Job 31.18

I find these chapters detailing Job's pursuit of justice for the poor and vulnerable really challenging. I'm not sure if I've noticed before that he says he has been doing these things from his youth and from his birth! Now that's a prayer we can be praying for our children! That from their very youngest age they would be serving the most vulnerable and despised in our societies.That they would be willing to go without so others can have. That they wouldn't be so unaware of the needy that they never reach out helping hands to them. And that their lives would continue to be marked out by this Christ-like quality.

I rescued the poor who cried for help,

and the fatherless who had none to assist them.

the one who was dying blessed me;

I made the widow's heart sing.

I put on righteousness as my clothing;

justice was my robe and my turban.

I was eyes to the blind

and feet to the lame,

I was a father to the needy;

I took up the case of the stranger.

Job 29.12-16