For churches who are looking for a way to start a grandparenting ministry emphasis in the local church, there may be not greater way to start that with this idea–a one-day event to encourage grandparents to be more intentional about praying for their grandchildren.
I have adapted following prayer stations from a workshop held at the South Carolina Daughters of the King Fall Retreat in 2016 and modeled at the Grandparent Summit held in Frisco, Texas last November.
PRAYER STATIONS FOR GRANDPARENTS
Station #1 Blessings Oak
Scripture: Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)
Reflection: Consider the blessings of your children and grandchildren.
Action: Write the names of your grandchildren on the acorn. Hang it on the Blessings Oak.
Station #2 Words
Scripture: Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
Reflection: Consider your words and thoughts toward your children and grandchildren. Do they encourage or discourage them?
Action: Take a mint. As it melts and refreshes your mouth, pray that God will refresh your words and thoughts.
Station #3 Sorry Bin
Scripture: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139: 23-24)
Reflection: Reflect upon and pray the words of this Psalm.
Action: As areas of sin are revealed, write them on a piece of paper, asking for forgiveness. As symbols of His grace and forgiveness, crumble or shred the paper and throw it in the Sorry Bin. Be sure to thank God before moving to the next station.
Station #4 Letting Go
Scripture: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31)
Reflection: Consider these two verses. Is there a person you need to forgive? Are you holding onto unforgiveness and bitterness?
Action: Using the washable marker, write the name of the person on your hand. As you wash off the name with a wipe, ask Jesus to help you forgive the person and let go of any resentment you are harboring.
Station #5 Praying Scripture
Scripture: For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen __________________ with power through his Spirit in their inner being, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. And I pray that__________________, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.(Ephesians 3:14-21)
Reflection: One of the most powerful forms of prayer is praying Scripture for our loved ones.
Action: Write the names of your grandchildren (or initials, if you have a host of grandchildren) in the blanks provided. Pray the Ephesians prayer for them. Commit to praying this prayer on a regular basis.
Station #6 Praying for Specific Needs
Scripture: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests before God. (Philippians 4:6)
Reflection: God is bigger than any storm, which comes our way.
Action: List specific prayer requests on the card, as general or specific as you want. Place the card in the Prayer Box. Thank you for sharing. We are committed to praying for the prayer requests placed in this box.
Station #7 Grandparents Linking Arms
Scripture: For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:4-5)
Reflection: God has placed us in community.
Action: Write your name on a strip of paper. Connect your strip as a loop of the paper chain, being reminded that grandparents are being called to link arms in prayer for future generations.
