You Never Stop Praying For Your Children

 

Today, I cracked open the Book of Job. This is my 4^th time through it and I hope I do better this time. The unsettling part of this book for me is a lot of times, I find myself in agreement with Job’s friends, only to find out they are way off base! Lord help me get that straightened out this time through!

 

But, thankfully, there are more lessons for us than the errors of Job’s friends.

In chapter one we get a glimpse into the intercessory lifestyle of Job. He prayed fervently and regularly for his kids. Apparently his ten kids liked to party. Job 1:4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.  5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to  the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.

 

Note the substance of his prayers. He was praying for their salvation! He was praying that their faith remain intact. Life happens to us and to our kids, and along the way we sin, but we pray that through faith in Jesus our sons are forgiven and our faith remains to usher us into eternity with God.

 

This Job did regularly because there is no greater concern on a believing parents’ heart than the eternal good of their children.  3Jo 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Pray regularly for that seed of faith in your children! Even though they may be partying a little too much, keep asking God for His hedge of protection around them. Claim what Jesus said in Joh 10:28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

There are no guarantees for how long we will walk this earth. Sadly, all of Job’s children were taken from him suddenly in a windstorm WHILE THEY WERE PARTYING! (Job 1:18) Who knows if God didn’t honor his prayer. Who knows if his children did not harbor a wisp of faith as the tornado zeroed in on their house. It didn’t take much faith for the thief on the cross and remember what Jesus said about faith in Mt 12:20 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench,

 

In the matter of saving faith, the only unforgiveable sin is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. This is what Job prayed against for his children. He prayed that they would not curse God, which is another way of saying that they would not reject God’s saving grace, which is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.