Keeping our adult children in prayer.

[airIam2worship]

Brothers and Sisters, after a long absence from CU Forums, I am so happy to be back. I thank God for all He has done and is still doing for me, and in my life.

I am the parent of 4 adult children ages 29-41, 14 grandchildren, ages 5-23, and am soon to become a great-grandmother.

Lately I have found that I have had a need to pray more for my adult children and grandchildren.
When they are young, we can always train them, and take them to church, but once they are grown, and have moved into their own homes and started their own families, and settled into their own lifestyles, many times they tend to drift away from God and His Word.

They start to develop new friendships, either through work, school, or family members related by marriage. soon we see that they no longer are putting God first in their lives.
In this age, of so much technology, and media, and apps, they seldom find time to spend with their own parents, children and especially with God.

I feel led to look into how we may uphold our adult children up in prayer before the Lord. Certainly there are some parents that do not, nor have ever faced a situation, where their children have strayed from the Lord, but the majority of us have.

They are our seed, and their children are our seed as well, we need to lift them up always and in all ways that they may have the mind of Christ and use wisdom, and if they have not had fellowship with God, that their hearts be stirred and they would run to Him.

We cannot control them once they are adults, and sometimes we don't know them as well as we did when they were young. For this reason I am going to begin a new thread dealing with this topic. I would appreciate any positive, Biblical input that you may be willing to share.

I am prayerfully, seeking God for material that I can share with the readers of this thread and I pray that it will be a blessing to you and to your children, and your childrens' children.

Thank you, and please pray that God will lead me to Christian courses and prayers that I will be able to share soon.

Love in Christ,
Maria.

[nChrist]

Hopefully, all Christian parents pray for their children and grandchildren every day - whether they have needs or not. Prayer is many times one of the few tools that we have. Our adult children are going to make their own ways and make their share of mistakes. Sadly, some of those mistakes have costly consequences. It is with sorrow that we watch some of those consequences, but we can't run the lives of our adult children. Trying to run their lives will simply drive them away from us, and they will make poor choices anyway.

So, what are the answers other than prayer? It depends on the situation and what kind of help the parents can offer. Sometimes it's advice or asking them to seek other assistance, but more often it's simply prayer and more prayer. They are under no obligation to take our advice, and many times they might not appreciate our advice or even view it as meddling in their lives. Now, we're back to prayer again and children having to face consequences - good or bad - for their actions. One of our tools is praising them for right choices and encouraging positive paths, but we must do it like we're walking on a tight rope and not push too far. If we push to far, they will simply avoid us completely, so a voice of reason, right, and good is lost completely to them. While we walk this tight rope, prayer is obviously our best and most powerful tool. In the meantime, they might be learning lessons from the "school of hard knocks". We should avoid "I told you so."

So, we can gently try to guide our adult children and grandchildren, knowing that we are no longer in control of them. We can try to help pick them up when they fall or stumble, and they will sooner or later. We might or might not have the resources to rescue them, and that's when they must sooner or later learn there are consequences. There might even be times when it would not be for their good to rescue them. This is all part of walking on that tight rope with God's help and lots of prayer. There will be many times when there are no easy answers and no place other than God to seek answers or solutions. There will also be many times when they must be willing participants for any potential solution. If they refuse, we are back to prayer and leaving things at the feet of God.

So, what is the best answer most of the time? - PRAYER! 

[airIam2worship]

THANK YOU, BROTHER TOM, NO MATTER WHAT THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS PRAYER!! THERE ARE MANY WAYS WE CAN PRAY FOR OUR ADULT CHILDREN, AND GRAND-CHILDREN, AND THERE IS ALSO THAT TOUGH LOVE THAT WE HAVE TO SHOW THEM EVEN WHEN IT HURTS US MORE THAN IT DOES THEM.

SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT NO MATTER WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR CHILDREN, WHETHER THEY ARE ADULTS, ON THEIR OWN, OR YOUNGER AND STILL LIVING AT HOME....GOD IS THE ONE IN CONTROL, NOT US. HE MAY BE TRYING TO WORK SOMETHING IN OUR CHILDREN'S LIVES THAT MAY REQUIRE FOR THEM TO SUFFER, AND THAT OF COURSE WILL CAUSE THE PARENTS TO SUFFER AS WELL. WE HAVE TO BE WILLING TO SURRENDER TO GOD OUR HURTS AND SUFFERING.

AS HARD AS IT MAY BE WE MUST ALSO REMEMBER TO KEEP GOD IN FIRST PLACE, NOT OUR CHILDREN, OR THEIR CHILDREN, AND WE HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT IF WE TRUST GOD AND HIS PROMISES.

NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE LOVE OUR CHILDREN, GOD LOVES THEM MUCH MORE, AND HE CAN TAKE CARE OF THEM FAR, FAR BETTER CARE THAN WE CAN.

SO THEN WHAT IS LEFT?? PRAYER

[airIam2worship]

ONE OF THE VERY FIRST POSTS THAT I AM MAKING ON THIS THREAD.

SAD TO SAY IT IS VERY PERSONAL AND VERY REAL, BUT IT IS A REAL WAKE UP.

I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MY BROTHER AT 2AM. (TODAY, FRIDAY, APRIL 15. EST)

MY BROTHER'S SON WAS MURDERED, I HAVE NO DETAILS ABOUT THE MOTIVE, OR THE CAUSE OF DEATH YET BECAUSE WHEN MY BROTHER CALLED ME HE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO GO TO THE CRIME SCENE. FORENSICS, AND CSI, WERE STILL AT THE SCENE AND MY NEPHEW'S BODY WAS STILL LAYING IN THE STREET. HE WAS 27 YEARS OLD.

YES OF COURSE HE WAS RAISED IN A VERY CHRISTIAN HOME, HE WAS BORN AGAIN, HE HAD STRAYED FROM THE LORD AND RECENTLY REDEDICATED HIS LIFE TO THE LORD, HOWEVER HE WAS STILL NOT WALKING IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

I PRAY THAT MY BROTHER, WHO IS IN VERY POOR HEALTH AND HIS WIFE WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS SAD SITUATION..THAT THE LORD MAY GIVE THEM PEACE AND THAT THEY MAY FEEL HIS PRESENCE DURING THIS TIME OF SORROW.

BECAUSE THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN SO OFTEN, EVEN TO CHRISTIAN PARENTS I WAS MOVED TO OPEN THIS THREAD. I HAD NO IDEA THAT .....TO MY SORROW, IT WOULD BE WITH MY OWN PERSONAL TESTIMONY.

I WILL BE POSTING MORE AFTER MY NEPHEW'S FUNERAL, HE LIVED IN PUERTO RICO, AND THAT IS WHERE I WILL BE GOING. I AM NOT SURE OF ANY DETAILS YET, I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED, WHEN I RETURN.

LOVE IN CHRIST,
MARIA

[nChrist]

Hello Sister Maria,

I know that I've already told you this elsewhere, but you and your entire family will remain in my prayers. May God give your family peace and comfort like only He can do. Amen!

Love In Christ,
Tom

[airIam2worship]

Hello Sister Maria,

I know that I've already told you this elsewhere, but you and your entire family will remain in my prayers. May God give your family peace and comfort like only He can do. Amen!

Love In Christ,
Tom

THANK YOU BRO TOM.
I WILL NOT BE MAKING PLANS TO GO TO PUERTO RICO FOR THE FUNERAL, AS THE AIRLINE TICKETS ARE OUTRAGES.

MY HEART AND MY PRAYERS ARE WITH MY BROTHER AND MY SISTER IN LAW, AIDA. THEY ARE TOTALLY DEVASTATED.

MY NEPHEW WAS GUNNED DOWN BY 18 BULLETS ONE WHICH BLEW HALF HIS FACE AWAY. HIS BODY HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED TO THE FUNERAL HOME YET SO WE ARE STILL UNSURE AS TO WHEN THE FUNERAL WILL TAKE PLACE.

PLEASE EVERYONE KEEP, MY BROTHER, HIS WIFE AND 2 REMAINING CHILDREN IN YOUR PRAYERS.

LOVE IN CHRIST,
MARIA

[nChrist]

Sister Maria,

You and your entire family will be in my prayers, especially your brother and his family. Sister, it will take the authorities days to do the work they need to do with your nephew's body. This is standard procedure - something that you want them to do properly. Everything possible should be done to identify the suspects and bring them to justice. There will be a lot of evidence collected from his body, so please expect a delay.

In the meantime - KEEP LOOKING UP!

Love in Christ,
Tom