“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7
Beautiful feet! One of my favorite pictures of our grandchildren is that of just their feet. Whether there feet are wet, dry, dirty, clean or wiggly…they are precious to me! This verse has taken on a new meaning and challenge for me. My continual prayer is that the LORD GOD who created them and has blessed us with them, will raise up four bearers of good news—declaring His plan of salvation. And that their hearts will each be soft, pliable and quick to respond to His calling on their lives. Although each of them has already been given gifts, talents and specific abilities, the greatest accomplishment they can ever achieve is to have a heart open and pliable to hear and respond to their heavenly Father’s voice within. Our job as nurturers is to cultivate these gifts which are yet to be more clearly defined.
I have no greater desire for any of them—Joshua, Nathan, Elizabeth and Jaden—than that they ‘grow in the nurture and admonition of the LORD.’ To accomplish anything else is only secondary in their lives. The gifts and abilities will provide the opportunities for them to share what they learn to experience first-hand about God and His love for and through them.
What stands out the most significant to me of my three children’s lives, has not been their secular accomplishments, as great as they have been, but rather the moments that they have shared spiritual insights of their awareness of God speaking to their hearts and being real to them. When this life on earth is over, it will not be what we have accomplished, but rather WHO we have listened to that will mark our lives with completion on God’s terms.
Whose precious feet are you praying for today? Your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, small group of children at church, your class at school? They are all precious and beautiful. How has God been leading you to nurture them? Please share with us what this looks like in your life.
Nancy (Nana to my precious grandchildren)
I have been praying for my kids and their friends since they were in elemementary school. Now my daughter is a recent high school graduate and my son is a high school junior. I have seen so many answered prayers over the years, in their lives and tge lives of their friends. God led us to Long Hollow Church over a year ago and my familie’s spiritual growth has blossomed in so many ways. Most recently , both my kids re dedicated their lives to Christ at long hollow camp and were baptised by their dad and Brad Damas. Through faithfulness to God,prayer,dicipleship and fellowship, we have been blessed and are looking forward to what God has in store for all of us.
Wow, Jenny! That is so beautiful how the Lord has worked and answered your prayers! He works in mysterious ways that are beyond us. I love to claim Romans 11:33-36. I pray your children grow in their walk with Christ and have a deep love for Him!
Jenny, God is sooo faithful to His word! Now praying for our second generation is such a priviledge and responsibility we gladly accept. God does show us creative ways to invest in our offspring through prayer and communication with them about prayer.