A Grandpa’s Prayer for his Grandsons

A Grandpa’s Prayer for his Grandsons January 10, 2014

Dear Phoenix (age 3), Judah (almost 3), and Decker (4 weeks),

Following Jesus has been an important part of my life since I was your age.  My grandpa was a pastor who prayed for me and modeled a compelling faith for me. 

As you grow into men, I pray the following for you:

  • That you will always know, no matter what, that God loves you, believes in you, and is proud of you
  • That you will always know, no matter what, that you are God’s beloved son and that he will never give up on you
  • That you will always live in the power and joy of God’s forgiveness given to you through Jesus
  • That you will hear the call of Jesus, first given to you in your baptism, to follow him into good, compelling, honorable, noble manhood
  • That you will discover and use your unique God-given gifts and talents in the cause of Christ—which is to bring grace to the world
  • That you will use and develop the amazing gift of your brain by studying hard and learning all you can, using your growing knowledge wisely
  • That you will learn the importance of good work, fun play, and deep rest
  • That you will commit yourself to taking care of yourself physically
  • That you will choose your friends wisely—and choose friends who bring out the best in you as you bring out the best in them
  • That you would learn to respect yourself and treat others with respect as well
  • That, should you marry, you will marry a woman who shares your faith and heart; that you will treat her as your equal, with dignity and respect…and that your marriage, like my marriage to grandma, will be filled with a life-time of joy
  • That God will even now begin to prepare the heart of your future wife for a lifetime partnership with you (and she may or may not yet be alive!)
  • That you will stay connected to a compelling faith community, serve and support the pastor and staff, and do your part in carrying out its mission (unless of course God calls you to be a pastor—then may you enjoy pastoral ministry as much as I have!)
  • That you will grow to be a man of lavish generosity
  • That I will live up to this invitation from my heart to yours: Follow me, as I follow Jesus.

I love you guys.

Grandpa


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