What God has joined together, let no one separate (Mark 10:9).

Father God,

We pray that our adult children and their spouses honor Your covenant of marriage. Let them be attentive to this covenant, investing the time needed to nurture and maintain a strong relationship with You and each other. “Let (their) marriage bed remain undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4), spiritually, emotionally and physically.

We pray that our children and their spouses love one another, sacrificially, as Christ does. Let them treat each other with patience and kindness, without envy or pride. Let them offer each other grace and mercy without a cost. Let them forgive one another, relinquishing their need to have the final word.

We pray they maintain healthy lines of communication, so they can work well as a team. Let them be flexible with their schedules and willing to compromise on things like parenting styles and the family budget. Let them persevere during times of adversity, anchored together in Christ. Let them share a deep and intimate friendship.

In Christ’s Name, we pray.

Amen.

(Submitted by Sherry Schumann)

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Heavenly Father,

We pray that you raise up multitudes of church leaders who are willing to challenge the grandparents in their congregations to pass their faith in Christ to their “children and children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Please let the grandparents hear this message and heed your call. Encourage them to tell their grandchildren “the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders he has done” (Psalm 78:4). And help them teach other grandparents to do the same.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.

©2021, Sherry Schumann

For a fabulous resource designed to help families celebrate the season of Advent across the generations, please see https://christiangrandparenting.com/

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Heavenly Father,

We approach your throne of grace on bended knees, our hearts troubled for our grandchildren as they prepare for Halloween. Please protect them from mischievous, shady and cruel characters who delight in playing tricks on unsuspecting children.

We pray also that you keep our grandchildren from becoming enamored by the supernatural, lest they open the door to Satan’s influence. Give them strength to avoid the occult, witchcraft and the macabre symbols of death assigned to Halloween.

Please dress our precious grandchildren in “the whole armor of God, that they may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10). Let them wear the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the readiness for the Gospel of peace and the helmet of salvation. And let them carry your shield of faith and sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18, paraphrased).

We ask you to protect our grandchildren and guard their hearts, not only on October 31st but every day of the year.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

©2021,Sherry Schumann

For more information about how to pass down a legacy of faith in Jesus, please see Christian Grandparenting Network at https://christiangrandparenting.com

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Abba Father,

The sibling rivalry between our grandchildren disrupts their family unity. We worry that if this constant bickering goes unchecked, it will follow our grandchildren into adulthood.

First, we pray for the parents of our grandchildren. Let them create a safe environment, free from comparison or favoritism. If and when arguments arise, which they naturally do, please show these devoted parents when and how to intervene effectively.

Second, we pray for precious grandchildren. Please let them treat each other with kindness. Remind them that “a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Let them be secure in their parents’ love and affection, so they don’t feel the need to compete. 

Please restore unity and peace to our families, so that together we may rejoice and sing, “Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) dwell in unity” (Psalm 133:1).

In your Son’s name, we pray.   

Amen.

©2021, Sherry Schumann

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Abba Father,

In Your mercy, You promise to seek the lost, bring back the strayed, bind up the injured and strengthen those who are weak (Ezekiel 34: 15-16, paraphrased).

Therefore, we pray with boldness for our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, who have strayed from their faith in Jesus. Let them “rend their hearts and not their garments. Let them return to the Lord their God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Joel 2:13).

For “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

We pray this in Jesus’ Name.

Amen.

©2021,Sherry Schumann

The post Prayer for the Lost Sheep in Our Families appeared first on Sherry Schumann.

Homecoming:

My grandson and I stood on the sidewalk, watching and waving, as the horse-drawn carriage pulled away from the curb and into the line of traffic. Our hands were sticky from the ice cream cone we shared moments earlier.

We continued waving while the carriage, filled with passengers, none of whom we knew, bounced its way down the cobblestone street. I heard the tour guide introduce himself before pointing in our direction. “Did you see that toddler waving to us. He doesn’t realize it, but his daddy is coming home today after being deployed for two months…”

Tears pooled in my eyes. The thought of our son and the sacrifice his family makes with each deployment threatened to overwhelm me. I picked up my grandson, wiped his hands and put him in the stroller. We had approximately thirty minutes left to wait.

As I strolled my grandson along the Riverwalk, I couldn’t help but wonder if our daughter-in-law was enjoying her cruise up the Cape Fear River on our son’s cutter (Coast Guard vessel). Early that morning, she and a few other women joined their husbands downstream. Riding on the cutter was a special opportunity, one that I hoped she was enjoying.

I vigilantly counted the minutes, watching for any sign of the cutter’s return. My heart soared when I saw a fireboat pass under the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, shooting celebratory streams of water into the air. Quickly, I gathered my grandson into my arms and pointed to the ship following the fireboat.

“Your daddy is home,” I said, my voice thick with tears.

At first, my grandson looked confused. Then, he began to squeal, “Dada’s boat home. Dada’s boat home.” The tears I squelched all morning ran down my cheeks, unchecked. Despite the passing years, these tears are still fresh in my memory.

Needs of Military Families:

The core needs of our military families are no different than those of our non-military families.  All families need security and stability. The members of our armed forces AND their families sacrifice both to protect our freedom.

Military families with a strong support system handle subsequent moves, deployments and fear of the unknown better than those without support. This is where grandparents have the opportunity to step in and lend a helping hand.

Time and experience, plus numerous blunders on my part, have taught me that as military grandparents, we need to be knowledgeable, available, encouraging, generous and faith-filled.

Knowledgeable:

The draft or active conscription ended when an all-volunteer force was established in 1973; consequently, many of us are unacquainted with the ways of the military.

Did you know that each branch of the armed forces has its own language, complete with acronyms like MRE (Meals Ready to Eat: A vacuum-sealed meal with a long shelf life)? Everyday words take on a new meaning. For example, sandbox doesn’t refer to a child’s playground, and the head isn’t a body part. The sandbox is Iraq or Afghanistan, and the head is the bathroom.

To help those who serve in the military, we must attempt to understand their world. We start by asking engaging and informed questions.

Available:

 A visit from grandma and grandpa normally boosts everyone’s spirits, especially during moves or deployments. I try to visit once a month when our son is gone. The frequency is dependent, of course, on the distance I need to travel.

When I visit, I offer to bathe our grandchildren, read them bedtime stories, unload the dishwasher, fold laundry, babysit or anything else our daughter-in-law asks of me. I remind myself that I’m not there to take charge; I am there to serve.

Additionally, I try to be a source of encouragement. I often remind our grandchildren that their father is doing an important job, helping people who are lost at sea.

My husband and I understand that one of the best ways we can love our son is to be available for his family while he is underway. We always remind him that we will be there ASAP if an emergency arises.

Generous:

Many military families have financial struggles. The spouse who is left at home often has trouble finding a job. Employees are hesitant to hire military spouses because they move so often. Therefore, I recommend that grandparents offer to pay for a month of childcare, treat to a week of groceries or purchase new shoes for their grandchildren.

Whenever our son and his family move to a new duty station, I check to see if the books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are available in their area. These books are age-appropriate, delivered monthly free of charge and give children something to look forward to.

Faith-filled:

Normal childhood fears—such as fear of the dark or fear of thunderstorms—escalate when families move to a new duty station or a parent deploys.

One way to alleviate our grandchildren’s fears is to teach them that our heavenly Father is always with them. He is the Good Shepherd who promises never to leave them nor forsake them (Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:8). Another way is to let them know that we are interceding for them every day and to teach them how to pray.

I love reading bedtime stories with our grandchildren and tucking them in bed at night. For me, this is a special time to talk about God’s love and to give them the Aaronic (or Levitical) blessing:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you His peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

One Final Note:

Yesterday, while writing this blog, I received a text from our daughter-in-law, Though brief, her message spoke volumes. “Just got him,” it said.

I smiled at the picture she sent. It was a photograph of our son, still in uniform, cradling his daughter in one arm and embracing his sons in the other arm.

"Thank you, God,” I whispered, “for once again bringing Dada’s boat home.’”

The post Reflections from a Military Grandmother appeared first on Sherry Schumann.

Lord Jesus,

It’s summertime when the days are longer, and our grandchildren have more free time available to them. Free time, which is often unsupervised.

We pray our grandchildren respect their body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Let them start by recognizing that their behavior, mannerisms and dress speak volumes about their self-image. Let them “adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control” (I Timothy 2:9).

We pray our grandchildren “walk by the Spirit and… not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Please give them the moral conviction and strength to flee from temptation, thereby abstaining from sexual immorality and keeping themselves pure for marriage.

We pray this in Your precious name.

Amen.

©2021,Sherry Schumann

Authors' note:  To be encouraged as a praying grandparent, please visit the Prayer Ministry of Christian Grandparenting Network Facebook page.

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Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the freedom we find in Your Son, Jesus Christ. The shackles of sin, which once bound us, have been broken. Our strongholds have been torn down; our souls washed clean in His precious blood. We have been “crucified with Christ. It is no longer (us) who live, but Christ who lives in (us)” (Galatians 2:20).

We pray our grandchildren experience the freedom, which comes from having Jesus in their hearts. Please strengthen them so they “stand firm… (and) not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

We pray this in Jesus’ name,

Amen.

©2021, Sherry Schumann

For information about Grandparents Day of Prayer, please see https://christiangrandparenting.com/

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Lord Jesus,

We praise You for all the blessings of this life, especially our precious grandchildren. They are the apple of our eye, and they bring us indescribable joy.

More importantly, they are the “apple of Your eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10). You formed their inward parts; You knitted them together in their mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13, paraphrased).

You know then they sit down and when they rise up; You discern their thoughts from afar. You search out their paths and their lying down and are acquainted with all their ways (Psalm 139:2-3. paraphrased).

Thank you, LORD, for “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17), and that includes our grandchildren.

Amen.

©2021, Sherry Schumann

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Dear Lord Jesus,

Summer’s vacation has arrived! Our grandchildren have finished their last spelling tests, hugged their teachers and discarded their backpacks deep within their closets. For some of our grandchildren, this is a time of exuberance; for others, it’s a time of transition and uncertainty.

Please watch over them this summer. Let them experience the wonder of Your creation in their rest and play. Be the shade at their right hand, so neither the sun by day, the moon by night nor anything they encounter harms them. Watch over their comings and goings both now and forevermore (Paraphrase, Psalm 121:5-8).

In Your precious Name,

Amen!

For more ideas about prayer and how to share your faith with your grandchildren, please see https://christiangrandparenting.com/

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