Resource for Grandparents & Parents In Your Church . . .

Over the past several years I have taken time to write about how Grandparenting Ministry strengthens Children's Ministry. When grandparents are focused upon passing their faith to their children's children, this benefits children, families and your ministry. So, it makes great sense for you to support and encourage grandparents. One way you can do this is to recommend resources for them to use to better understand how to pass their faith to their grandchildren and to use with their grandchildren. 

Today I'm very happy to recommend to you one such resource . . . Deeper In 4 Grandparents & Parent's, Too! Praying the Scriptures for the Children You Love - Psalms Edition. This book provides grandparents - and parents - with 52 weeks of prayers from Psalms which they will be able to pray for themselves and for the children they love. Each week provides a Scripture passage from the Book of Psalms, questions to help you think through what this passage is saying and then a personalized prayer for you to pray for your own walk with God and another for you to pray for your grandchildren. Then, the prayers are broken into seven portions - one for each day of the week. This helps you to pray focused on smaller portions so you are able to be very specific in your prayers throughout the week.

I'm putting a sample prayer here for you to see . . . and try. 

Week 35 - Read – Psalm 100 - 

Pay attention to – 

 What does this passage tell me about God’s love?  What do I learn about God’s faithfulness and my response?  What do I especially like about this passage?  What do I not like or do not understand?  How does this help me know God better?  What will I do to live this passage today?

Prayer  - 

Dear God, please help me notice all You do and shout for joy to You, worship You with gladness, and come before You with joyful songs. I know You are God, You made me and I am Yours; I am the sheep of Your pasture. I want to enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. I give thanks to You and praise Your name for You are good and Your love lasts forever! I praise You for Your faithfulness, which continues through all generations! 

Please help my grandchildren/children notice all You do and shout for joy to You, worship You with gladness, and come before You with joyful songs! Please protect them from the lies of the devil, so they are not deceived, but instead know with confidence, You are God, You made them, and they are Yours; they are the sheep of Your pasture. Please give them hearts which are thankful and filled with praise; please help them see all they have and be thankful. I pray throughout their lives they will be able to see the truth; You are good and Your love lasts forever! Please help them to not be deceived, but to instead be able to see, experience and remember how You show Your great faithfulness. Thank You for Your great love for us, amen! 

Focus for the Week – 

Make this your prayer in the coming week and draw your thoughts to the following focus . .

 Sunday – Dear God, please help me notice all You do and shout for joy to You. Please help my grandchildren/children notice, experience the joy and praise You, too. Do I notice all God has done and is doing for me, or do I live without seeing? What has God done recently? Pray my grandchildren/children will see what God does for them, remember and praising God.

 Monday – I want to worship God with gladness and come before Him with joyful songs! Please help my grandchildren/children do the same. How does worshiping God with gladness change my life? How will I do this today? Pray my grandchildren/children will be glad in God, and have hearts which are quick to worship Him with joy!

 Tuesday – I know God is God! Please help my grandchildren/children be protected from the lies of the devil, so they are not deceived, but instead know with confidence, You are God. How does it change my life to know God is God? Pray my grandchildren/children will have eyes which see the truth, so they are not deceived, but will know with confidence, God is God.

 Wednesday – God made me and I am His; I am one of His sheep! Please help my grandchildren /children know they belong to You and see and remember how You care for them. How does it change me to know God made me and I belong to Him? Make a list of at least five ways I see God is my Shepherd and cares for me – and thank God! Pray my grandchildren/children are confident in knowing they belong to God and see and remember how He cares for them.

 Thursday – I want to enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Please help my grandchildren/children have hearts which are quick to praise and thank You. What will I do today to “enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and praise”? How will this change my life? Pray my grandchildren/children will be thankful people who are quick to praise God.

 Friday – I give thanks to God and praise His name for He is good and His love lasts forever! Please help my grandchildren/children see all they have to be thankful for and make the choice to give thanks to You. Please help them throughout their lives be able to see the truth; You are good and Your love lasts forever! How does it change me to know God is Good and His love lasts forever? What will I do to thank and praise God for His never-ending love? Pray my grandchildren/children will be thankful.

 Saturday – I praise God for His faithfulness which continues through all generations! Please help my grandchildren/children so they are not deceived, but instead will be able to see, experience, and remember how You show Your great faithfulness, which continues through all generations! What will my life look like if I really believe God’s faithfulness continues through all generations? What am I doing to pass on a heritage of faith? How will I praise God today for His never-ending faithfulness? Pray my grandchildren/children will see, experience, and remember how God shows His great faithfulness to them and will grow to be people who pass on a heritage of faith.   

Consider using this book in your own prayer time and recommend it to classes and small groups with grandparents and parents in them at your church. How could praying Scripture for adults and children not be a positive thing? (And, just so you know . . . I wrote this book.)