This past Memorial Day weekend Robbi and I were able to spend some time with our children in Michigan as well as our youngest grandchild.  It was a great getaway even though it was only for a couple of days.  We had not held our grandson since January and he is no longer a baby for sure.  He is a really big boy and he is also a very happy boy and this pandemic means nothing to him.  It has not cramped his lifestyle; in fact, he has his mommy and daddy and aunt with him just about all of the time.  He does not lack for attention.  It took him some time to get used to grandpa but finally on the last morning that we were there, he sort of warmed up to me.  When we FaceTime with him he always likes to visit with grandma and grandpa but this in person stuff took a little bit of time for him to get comfortable.  When I finally was able to hold him and talk to him I was reminded of the times that I held his mother some 34 years ago.  She loved to be held and she had no problem warming up to anyone.  As she grew older she was our little mother.  Whenever Robbi and I would go out some where she would want to know where we were going, who we were going with and what time we would be home.  If we were a few minutes late, she would call and want to know where we were.  I think she was six years old at the time when all of this started and we would often times remind her that we were mom and dad and she was our little girl.  I cannot wait for our little Greyson to revisit this on her and her husband, and we will laugh. 

This weekend was a time of remembrance for most all of us, and I was reminded of how Robbi and I have prayed over and for all five of our children for almost 38 years.  From the day that each of them were born we prayed for each of their spouses not knowing who they were but trusting that God did.  We have three married children and all three of their spouses are answers to our prayers.  We now have five grandchildren and we are expecting little Olivia in

August from our daughter and her husband in Brooklyn, NY.  We pray for all five of our grandchildren regularly and we have already been praying for our granddaughter to come.  We have two daughters that are not yet married and we have been praying for their spouses for 26 years and 21 years each and we look forward to God answering those prayers too. 

I know that all of this sounds like a nice little bio of our family, but I tell you all of that to ask you this:  do you pray for your kids and grandkids?  I mean, do you REALLY pray for them?  As I held my grandson I began to think about what he will face in the years to come should Jesus not return soon.  As I look at what is going on in this world and even in our country I am disturbed and concerned about what he might face as he grows into his teenage and young adult years.  Think about where we were 20 years ago and how things have changed since then, and then fast forward to 2040 and imagine what that might be like.  What will our country be like?  What will our churches be like?  Will we even be able to continue to meet together like we do now?  Will the church be persecuted and if it is how will Christians respond?  If Jesus should tarry, my little grandson who I was holding in my hand as well as my four other grandchildren will be living in the midst of it.  That can be a little scary if you think about it.

While all of that can be very concerning, I want to ask you: Do you pray for your kids and grandkids?  Robbi and I are so very grateful that everyone of our kids are living for Jesus and those who have children are raising their kids and pointing them to Jesus.  They are committed to bringing up their children under the teaching of the Word of God and living out their faith in front of them in their homes.  As I held my little grandson, I was overwhelmed with gratitude that God saved our five children, three in-laws, and a vibrant relationship with Jesus is characteristic of each of their lives.  There may very well be some of you who have children and grandchildren that are not living for the Lord.  Some of them may have nothing to do with Jesus and have no interest in the things of the Lord, and if that is you, I ache for you.  There is no greater joy than to know that you will spend eternity with your children and grandchildren in the presence of Jesus.  Do you pray for your kids and grandkids?

How do you pray for your kids and grandkids?  Do you pray for their safety?  Do you pray for their education?  Do you pray for their careers?  Do you pray for their marriages?  Do you pray for their souls?  Do you pray for their souls?  DO YOU PRAY FOR THEIR SOULS?  As I held my grandson and thought about my other grandchildren, I, like any parent or grandparent, want good for them.  I want them to have a good life.  I want them to have good jobs.  I want them to do well at whatever they decide to do in their lives.  What I want more than anything is for them to know Jesus.  While I enjoy spending weekends and vacations with them, I want to spend eternity with them more than anything.  Do you pray for your unsaved kids and grandkids?   Don’t ever assume that your kids and grandkids are saved because they were raised in a Christian home or went to SS or VBS when they were little.  Don’t take that chance!!!  So what do we do?

Moses is about to leave the children of Israel as they head off into the promised land.  He has spent more than 40 years with them as God led them out of slavery and prepared them for the land that He was about to give them.  They all saw the hand of God as He brought them across the Red Sea.  They saw God provide daily manna for them and quail for meat.  There was always enough.  They saw miracle after miracle and yet Moses reminded them to do something.  Deuteronomy 6 is the account of Moses telling parents and grandparents to remember, observe, teach, and impress what they have seen and been taught on their children and grandchildren.  Moses tells them to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (6:5-9)  What do you suppose that might have looked like?  Do you think they prayed?  Do you think grandpa and grandma prayed?  Do you think they talked about it?  He said to impress it on their kids and grandkids.  How would you do that?  What do you talk about when you are alone with your adult kids?  What do you talk to your grandkids about?  Moses says when you are sitting in the family room or on the porch talk about it.  When you take a walk what do you talk about?  When you go fishing, what do you talk about?   If you want to impress something on someone, you need to talk about the subject, and I cannot think of any subject more important than the salvation of your kids and grandkids.  As i read that passage, I have to believe that they probably had quotes and sayings and Bible verses everywhere in their houses and that is a good thing, but why did they have all of that stuff?  So that the kids would ask about them and you could talk about it.  Ask God to give you opportunities to talk to your loved ones about Jesus.  Tell them what Jesus has done for you.  Whether it be your kids, grandkids, parents, or spouse, ask God to do a work in their hearts and give you the opportunity to share what God has done in your life and heart. Do you pray for your kids and grandkids?

Finally, have you asked others to pray for your kids and grandkids?  Have you asked your church family to pray for your unsaved spouse or child?  If not, why not?  You will ask us to pray for their health or a job interview and we do it.   Why would you not ask your church family to pray for the people you dearly love, especially when it comes to their souls?   I hope and pray that we will have grandparents and parents who will call on their church to pray for the salvation of kids, grandkids, and spouses so that we can labor with you in prayer.  Give us the privilege of helping you get under the load of that burden and allow us to pray for you.  May God be glorified as we do this.  I look forward to what God might do if we as a church really pray for the salvation of loved ones.  Pray for your kids and grandkids!