Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Prayer for your Children

Janice Sjostrand taught us to pray this prayer over our children at the 2015 Reign Conference in Beaumont, Texas.



Numbers 6:24-26

Verse 24 - The Lord bless you and keep you- for it is written, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and He addeth no sorrow with it.” (Prov. 10:22).  If I bless you with a new car, you will have to put gas in it, keep good tires on it. If I bless you with a new house, you will have to pay taxes on it and do maintenance to keep it. I can't bless you without adding something to it that will cost you. But when He blesses there is not attachment that will weigh you down. So when I pray for my children, I pray "The Lord Bless you and keep you".  I can't go with you every day and in every room, so may the Lord keep you. When I say these words, heavens hears me over whoever I am saying them to The Lord said you say these words if you want to bless my people. You say it and I will do it.  I did not make them up. So I am quite sure that when I say may the Lord keep you, that I have dispatched heaven to walk with you when you leave.

How often do I need a blessing?  Every day. You walk every day, you eat every day, you wash every day.  You need this blessing every day. And your children need to hear them. 



Verse 25 -the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you;


Some children are people pleasers and some of you have been people pleasers, Just like the children's book "Are You My Mother" always searching for someone to look down at you and say, 'You're lovely, you're precious, you’re special'.  But most people put a price tag on that.  They will make you pay something for what you want.  You have to behave a certain way.  It is called pay to play. But when the Lord makes His face to shine upon you, what does that mean?  It means he makes eye contact.  If I could just get into your presence you could fix anything that is wrong with me because you are God and nothing can resist you.  Like standing under a sun lamp.  You will just fix it all.  You are saying when you pray this that you are asking God to arrest this person, hold their face in your hands and look you in the eyes.

And then when He does, the scripture says he cannot behold iniquity.  When he sees us through Jesus he looks past our filthiness.  We can't dress up good enough for him, because no flesh will glory in his presence. So when I say the Lord make his face shine upon you, I am saying, overlook (that's what gracious means, it means to overlook) when he looks at you, I am praying that he does not look at all the things your accuser points out to you. Because you look pretty good to me.  I know you are human, but I believe Jesus wants to populate heaven with people like you. I believe he wants to give you a crown.  You won't wear it, you will throw it at his feet, but I think he wants to crown you, in fact David said, Bless the Lord Oh my soul, who crowneth me with loving kindness and tender mercy.  I want a crown I don’t deserve.  He has blessed me, so I have tender mercy around my head, not the voice constantly reminding me of what I am not and can't do.  I wish this for you. I wish this for your children.



Verse 26 - the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace."  After the Lord makes eye contact with you, he doesn’t want to make you self-conscious, so  he skips over the dirt, mistakes and errors.  I see a little child laying on the pew beside his mom, with tennis shoes on and his hair tussled, I have scanned him from his head to his foot and he looks just perfect to me. I am lifting my countenance upon him, and he is sound asleep and doesn’t even know it.  I am moved with compassion.  So you see what I am doing, I am smiling.  When the Lord looks at you and your children, I pray that he looks at you with the same tenderness that I look at that little boy.

I believe what is wrong with the world is that they are looking for a smile or approval from someone who could care less. But if your kids and you can catch his eye and he can look at you long enough, and you don’t look away, you see that is what the Song of Solomon was saying, he sang to her, remove your veil and let me see your face. And instead of getting judgment or correction, he smiles.  There is something so satisfying  about him looking at me and saying you are everything I want you to be.  You are just fine.

He has danced with us, laughed with us, played with us. And smiled with us.  I feel his approval, his favor, his love. 



“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just” (Prov. 13:22).

 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2).

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