메누하 영성훈련원 원장 윤남옥 목사 자녀 축복기도

There is no greater gift or blessing than the children that God grants to families. We hope and pray for our children because we know the will of God for them. Otherwise, we would pray for them in selfish and worldly ways.

God has entrusted us with our children. We are anointed missionaries entrusted by God to raise these children well. They were created in the image of God, made up of body, mind and spirit. They have the same needs that we have. They can feel spiritual thirst, and they have a need to mature spiritually.

Being entrusted with these lives does not imply that we have the power to sustain them, for only God can truly sustain life. God gives these precious lives to each family, as only He can give. He entrusts us to raise them well and to return them to Him at His will. Psalm 127:4 says, "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in ones youth." This means that we must raise our children with a direction and target, which is God.

 Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in ones youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:3-5)

 We must Return Our Children to God as Choice Fruit

God wants our children returned to him as strong spiritual houses. Therefore while they are in our care, they need to be trained so they will mature in character and spirit. That is indeed the spiritual call of parenting.

What does it mean to raise them as spiritual houses? It means to restore Christ's lordship in their lives. In other words, it means to restore the image of God in them so that Christ will be their Lord and King. The purpose for our children is to follow God's will, live for His glory, and to live a life of worship. They must be taught to live God-centered lives.

So it is the parents' calling to bring up their children to become true worshipers of God. For this very purpose God has given us the tools of prayer and the Scriptures. Not only must we train them to study the Scriptures and pray, but we ourselves must do likewise. I want to stress the importance of prayer throughout this book.

I believe that prayer is like a seed we plant in heaven. There is life in prayer, and that life will not be snuffed out. Rather, it will bear much fruit. That is why I believe that when we plant prayers within our children, they will bear much fruit, according to 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. If we sow the eternal things, we will reap eternal life. If we sow things of the flesh, we will reap decay. Ultimately prayer will never falter. The seeds of prayer that you sow for your children will remain to bless them, even after you have left this earth.

We can also see prayer as a deposit that we make in heaven. God will hear our prayer, and at the right time, he will answer those prayers when our children need them. Some prayers take years to be fulfilled. We can only conclude that God, indeed, does remember all of our prayers and answers them at the right times.

Matthew Chapter 6 tells us to store up our treasures in heaven. If there is a place in heaven to store up these treasures, then there also must be a place to store up our prayers. (Malachi 3:16). When that prayer is needed, God will use it.

I have experienced the power of prayer as a third generation Christian. Whenever I have undergone trying times, I have felt that the prayers of my parents and grandparents have always protected me. Whenever I had a decision to make, I was sure that I was being guided in my decision. (Of course this is the Holy Spirit). But I also believe that it is the fruit of my forbearers prayers for me.

I also believe that prayer is a way to participate in God's work. The Lord has taught us through Ezekiel 36 about the participation of man in the Divine plan through prayer.

 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 36:37-38)

If this can be expressed in another way, we can compare prayer to railroad tracks. Prayer can be thought of as spiritual tracks. If God's will can be compared to a train, praying is like laying down the tracks so that the train can advance. Without tracks, the train cannot move. God works through our prayers and through the prayers of others. Therefore, praying for your children is like laying tracks for them so the work of God can be done in their lives. Prayer is needed in order for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. In that sense, prayer becomes a means by which we are co-workers with God.

I have witnessed the work of God in the presence of abundant prayer in the home as well as in the church. God works through our prayers.

I also believe that prayer is the means by which we hear God's voice. God imparts wisdom and directs our paths through prayer so that our problems can be resolved. Although God's voice may not be audible like ours, we learn to hear His voice through the peace He gives us when we pray. This happens especially when we pray in the spirit, because He is in us and we are in Him. When we pray through the Holy Spirit, God directs our prayers toward what we truly need. During our prayers God's anointing takes place, because the Holy Spirit is like the anointing oil that God pours out on us. When we hear God's voice through prayer, we receive the divine wisdom that will make our lives victorious.

I believe that my time of prayer is a time of fellowship with Jesus. It can be compared to the everyday relationship that parents and children share even in the absence of some crisis. God has called us to himself so that we may have a loving relationship with Him. Prayer is the medium through which we share fellowship with God.

 

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:9)

The parent-child relationship does not occur only during crises or special occasions. People who love one another share all the events of life: happiness, sadness, joy, and hardship. Likewise, prayer is the time of fellowship when we share our joys, sadness, hardship, and everything else with God. Prayer is indeed a time of exclusive relationship with the Lord.

 To me, there is life in prayer. I had a very good prayer experience when my son was four years old. A member of our congregation asked me to pray with her at her house, so I took my young son with me. It was in the evening time, and the house began to get cold; but as we prayed earnestly for two hours we did not feel the cold. My young son fell asleep next to me while we were praying. As we prayed the woman received the gift of tongues, so we prayed even more with thanksgiving to the Lord. The next day my son said to me, ''Mom, I almost cried last night when you prayed.'' When I asked him why, he answered, ''My chest became very hot when you were praying.''

The amazing thing was that we had also felt the warmth in our hearts as we prayed. I hadn't realized that my four year old son also felt it in his heart. Through this experience I learned that there is life in prayer. Where there is life, there is warmth. That is why the two disciples who were headed toward Emmaus after Jesus' resurrection said, ''Were not our hearts burning within us·...'' (Luke 24:32) It is cold where there is death, there is no warmth; but life gives off warmth.

They asked each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together (Luke 24:32-33)

Not all prayer is life-giving. Some people pray according to their worldly desires. However, the good news is that although our prayers may be spiritually immature, the Lord still hears them and gives us suitable answers. As we grow and mature spiritually, we begin to pray according to God's will and His word. That prayer becomes a truly life giving prayer.

The Beauty of Praying Parents

Prayer cannot die. Parents leave good and bad legacies as their children's inheritance. It may be an inheritance of faith or a legacy of addictions. The most beautiful memory I have is that of my parents' praying. I remember the times when my parents were happy, angry, or serious; but of all those times, the memory of my parents' prayers has left the deepest impression upon me. I cannot forget how my mother would pray every night for her children. When my mother faced difficulties, I remember her softly crying as she prayed. I feel more confident now knowing that my parents had prayed for me all of those years. Even when I became an adult and there were very difficult times in my ministry, I just wanted to give up. However, I would remember the image of my mother praying, and I would be greatly encouraged. That is what I want to leave to my children also.

 The Most Spiritual Inheritance is Prayer

These days people leave their wealth to their children and to charities. Sometimes leaving an inheritance with the children causes fights among siblings. My parents did not leave any wealth to us. The one thing that my father left was a large collection of books which he willed to a seminary library. The little money and a few gold rings that my mother had were given to the poor before she died.

The greatest inheritance my parents left us was a life of faith. They showed us through their lives that the most precious thing in life was to serve God. They willed to us a life of church community, prayer, praise, and helping seminary students. Our unique legacy is the numerous seminarians my father helped when he was a seminary professor. This kind of legacy has enriched our lives deeply. Children live their lives just as they saw their parents live. Parents become their children's lifelong teachers.

That is why the greatest inheritance we can leave our children is prayer. This kind of inheritance cannot be wasted or squandered. I hope that you can have this kind of theological foundation as you pray for your children. This book was written to aid parents to pray for specific biblical blessings for their children. I suggest that you hold your children's hands as you pray for them or lay your hands on their head. I believe that you are planting prayers when you pray with your children, and it helps them to grow spiritually.

This prayer book was prepared to help people learn to pray; there is no need to strictly follow its format. The daily prayers are succinct so you can add your own personal prayers. There will be special prayer topics for each child every day. This prayer book can augment those topics. But I hope that this book will be especially helpful to those parents who do not yet know how to pray for their children or who are just starting to learn to pray. It is more effective if you read the prayer and understand its content before actually praying. Merely reading the prayer does not count as praying. This book was not written to be read, but to become prayers that come from the heart.

I hope that you will deposit many prayers in heaven for your children. I hope that you leave an inheritance of a large prayer account. Others may leave many worldly riches for their children, but it is far better to leave a spiritual inheritance that can never decay or perish. We see many instances of people squandering away their inheritance, but the inheritance of prayer cannot be taken away; it is life giving.

Raise Your Children to Become People of Prayer and of the Word

If children can be raised to become people of prayer and a people who live according to the Bible, then there is no need for parents to worry, no matter where they are. When my son was in college, he called me before going to the library to study. He said, ''I'm going to study, but I'll also take my Bible with me to read it.'' Hearing that made me truly happy. No matter how much we nag, there will always be things we cannot change. However, the power of God's word will truly set them on the right path. No matter how earnestly we try to guide them on this path, there is no greater influence than prayer. We are able to gain divine wisdom through prayer.

It is necessary for parents to teach prayer through example. We must show them the power of ''kneeling''. Allow your children to experience the work of prayer in their lives. Not only will they enjoy your prayers for them, but they will become people of prayer themselves.

Included on each page is a section for you to write down the special happenings of that day for your children. It may be helpful to also jot down prayer topics and answered prayers in this section. Let your prayers be like the following:

er of our family. Help me to become a father who is rooted in God's word. Help me to first apply God's word to myself so that I can provide it also for my children. Help me not to become a mere breadwinner for this family. Help me to become their spiritual leader and a man of God's calling. Lord, you have created our children in your own image so that they are spiritual beings as well as moral beings. Help me to feed them spiritual bread and not the poisonous bread of this world.

 

Help me to also become a praying father. I believe that you have called me to be the prayer warrior for this family. Help me to pray for them by faith continually. Help me to leave an inheritance of prayer for my children. Help me to get on my knees as I leave them the legacy of a praying father.

 

Lord, you have your temple in our family. Help me to desire spend time with my children just as You desire to spend time with us. Help me to play with them and to listen to them. May your presence abide in our family so we may be changed to be more like You. Help me to be a father of discernment so that I can see how Satan is attacking our family. May I fulfill the role of spiritual priest. Help me to know the way of protection through God's word. Help me to maintain a home of worship that is synonymous with life. May our family be set apart to be holy. Free us from idolatry, and watch over us for a thousand generations.

 

God of Hope, help me to be a father who plants dreams and hope in my children. Help me to find their spiritual gifts so that they may grow up before the Lord, and may I encourage them to live according to their vision. Help me to support them so that they may grow freely in the Lord, for you have instructed me, ''Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.'' Help me to raise them according to your will. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.