Written by Deb del Villar, Director of Communications
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” – James 5:16b
This verse above is such a timeless promise from God on prayer.
Before we dive in, remember that the first half of this verse is about confessing your faults/sins within the framework of close relationships. We need to be willing to be vulnerable and truthful when sharing our needs. We are designed to live in community with others, journeying down this hard path of life together. By our vulnerability, we can be healed and lead a life of flourishing instead of floundering.
Isn’t this something we want for our family members, especially our children and grandchildren? May we be gracious, consistent models of this verse.
Earnest Prayer
This verse speaks of a righteous person who is right in character and action. This grandparent knows, loves, and serves the Lord. They have a personal, growing relationship with God.
This person prays earnestly. In other words, this is a grandma who prays from her heart, pouring out to the Lord for herself and those she loves. This is a grandpa who prays continually for the grandson who is straying from the path of righteousness, begging God to open the eyes of his grandson.
These are also grandparents who join others to pray in faith for their families. Do you have a group of grandparents who gather and pray for their families? This is a great way to start a grandparenting ministry.
Additionally, this speaks of grandparents who consistently check their hearts to be aware of any sin in their life that could block the effectiveness of their prayers. Accountability partners are needed even now in this stage of life. Are you willing to be vulnerable so your prayers can be effective? Seek out and ask others to join you in prayer.
Powerful Prayer
Grandparents, we must be people who pray, believing God listens and will respond. We must believe that prayer accomplishes much, yielding powerful results.
Think of it as dynamite! Do you have any obstacles or barriers in your family relationships that need to be blown up or cleared away? Any hard hearts that need to be broken up? God can do far more than we can imagine. Believe in the tremendous force behind your prayers.
Share with your grandchildren how God has answered prayers in your life. Allow them to hear your prayers. Help them to understand the force behind their prayers (the Holy Spirit). It is not their words but The Word (Jesus) that is critical. May they know there is strength in praying God’s Word back to Him.
Our Prayers for My Grandchildren Desk Pad has passages to pray for each day of the month. Consider using it to pray for specific character traits and actions you would like to see in your grandchildren. I keep mine by the coffee maker as a constant reminder to pray daily for my grandchildren.
We are called to be faithful in praying, and God will be faithful in answering. However, we must trust the results to Him. As we live our lives before our families, this may be where our testimony speaks the loudest and lasts the longest. How do we respond to answers that might be different than what we expected? How do we respond when it seems the answer is delayed? Does your life exemplify that God answers prayer with wonderful results?
“Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.” – Robert Law
Purposeful Prayer
“Father, I know you hear my prayers for my grandchildren. You created them and purposefully placed them in our family. I lift each one before you to receive help when they need it most. I trust you with the results as you guide them through your Spirit. Protect them from evil and keep them close to you.”
This is an example of a purposeful prayer from our Grandparenting Planner. Look at each of the above sentences, thinking of your grandchildren. Make this purposeful prayer for your grandchildren, by filling in the area where they need the most help.
Pray passionately and purposefully for each grandchild, knowing there is power in prayer. Simply put, prayer works!
Let’s not be remembered as grouchy, grumpy people with unkind, critical words that destroyed much. Let’s be remembered as grandparents who prayed unceasing, purposeful, heartfelt prayers that accomplished much.
