Parents, why we need to be praying for our children more than ever
On Valentine’s Day last week, another American flag was lowered to half staff. In Parkland, Florida, 14 students and three faculty were murdered at the hands of a broken, severely troubled 19-year-old young man.
Weeks prior, on Jan. 23, another mass school shooting hit our land, where two students were killed and 18 injured by a 15-year-old male student with a handgun in Benton, Kentucky, not far from Nashville.
Both tragedies come shortly after the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, where another man killed 26 people during their Sunday worship service.
Even though the news headlines are starting to die down, the hurt and pain is still greater than ever in the hearts and lives of so many families.
A spiritual battle
My heart sinks as a parent with two children in school and two preschool-aged children soon to make their way through elementary doors. Perhaps you’re a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent experiencing similar feelings and emotions. In light of recent news, I’m reminded more than ever about the spiritual battle at hand in our culture and how desperately our children need our prayers each and every day.
“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
Parents, we are not fighting a battle that is merely flesh and blood, but a spiritual one. We’d be foolish to think we can fight the battles that are upon our children today with merely physical armor. These battles can only be fought spiritually through our prayers.
Healing to our nation
In prayer, we plead with Jesus to bring refreshing rains of healing and restoration to our nation again — to the hearts of families that desperately need a Savior. On our knees, we cover our children in God’s protection, love and security. In calling on our Redeemer, we humble ourselves and turn to the One who is able to do far more than we’re capable of with our finite hands.
Parents, we have the tremendous privilege, by the shed blood of Jesus, to regularly go to the throne of grace in confidence that God will hear us when we cry out to him. May the healing in our land that we long for first start with us. And even if our prayers are broken and our words are stuttering, make no mistake, that is still a beautiful thing. We’re calling on the One who is greater.
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