Monday's Prayer

Lord, may we, our children, and our families encounter You!

I have been reading in 2 Chronicles this week, and I am amazed by the number of good kings that had evil sons follow them as king. I have been wondering what makes that happen---how can a son who has grown up seeing God's presence and blessing reject Him and think other things/gods/people are better? For example, Hezekiah was a wonderful king who brought Israel back to God's heart, but his son, Manasseh, actually sacrificed (literally) his sons to a different god (2 Chronicles 32-33). My guess is that these fathers were not active in their children's lives and that these sons never had a personal encounter with God.

In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul teaches that God is revealed to us by His Spirit---it is a spiritual encounter. So, our work of memorizing bible verses, bible study and prayer are in vain if His Spirit is not present. Jesus even chastised the Pharisees for depending on their "doings" in John 5:39-40. We, our children and our families need the work of the Holy Spirit to engage and to draw us to God's heart. We, our children, and our families need a face-to-face encounter with God!

In The Message, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 is translated in a beautiful way: "Whenever...they (we) turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they (we) are---face-to-face! They (we) suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation (religion) is recognized as obosolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured (changed) much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him."

I am not encouraging you to get rid of your bible study and devotion, but I am praying that you and your families experience God in a face-to-face way that frees you from rules and regulations. Then, you can serve Him truly with your whole heart, mind, and soul. I also encourage you to pray that your children will experience Him face-to-face at an early age, so we will have children that will follow the ways of the Lord and walk in His blessing. May we not leave behind a generation that does evil, but one that is mighty in the power of His Spirit!