This weekend began rather painfully when my youngest daughter and I had a huge argument on Tuesday evening. It got to the point where I had to take her to her dad’s house so we both could cool off for the next four days. She had crossed some lines and I’d had enough. She is now dealing with some painful consequences.
I increasingly feel as though I’m very alone in fighting this battle to raise my children in a godly way. It’s as though I’m fighting against this shroud of evil that envelopes our world. Actually, a visual just came to me–if you ever watched the old Disney movie, “Sleeping Beauty,” you might remember when the prince has to fight his way through a huge wall of thorns to get to the the sleeping princess in the castle. If that weren’t enough, the evil Maleficent turns herself into a gigantic fire-breathing dragon, and the prince has only his sword to wield against her.
But the beauty of this sword is that if it is driven into exactly the right place–the heart–then it can kill the dragon. And that is precisely what the prince does. He waits for the right moment, then, when the dragon lunges at him, he drives the sword into the heart, and that huge dragon falls, never to rise again.
And that is what we must do as well. We must wield our own sword–the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God–and drive it into the heart of the dragon. We must take up the shield of faith with which we will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And we must take care to wear righteousness as a breastplate, specifically the righteousness of our Lord Jesus as a covering. Only with His righteousness can we be found blameless. Only with His righteousness can we be strengthened, confident, absolutely certain to hit the heart of the dragon with one fatal blow–the death and resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. (Ephesians 6)
And we must pray, pray and pray again over our children, and our loved ones–those whom the devil is seeking to devour. I was telling my husband last night that I often feel like a candle in the wind, when it comes to lighting the way for my children. But God is the master of the wind, and if I am but a candle, He can still the storm. He hears our prayers and He is faithful. He will not let the light of our prayers and guidance to our children be snuffed out, no matter what malicious winds we encounter.
Still, sometimes it’s hard to remember that our God is on our side. That He is with us every moment. When I climbed into bed last night, I was still feeling as though my efforts for my children are so feeble. I opened my Bible, and my eyes fell upon this passage:
Thus says the Lord,
“Restrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
“And they shall return from the land of the enemy.
“And there is hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your chidlren shall return to their own territory.” (Jeremiah 31:16-17)
The words were balm to my soul. Thank you, Lord, for encouraging me when my steps were faltering.
Our work on behalf of our children is not in vain. It will be rewarded with godly children who, even though they spend time in the land of the enemy, will return to their own territory–the fruitful land of righteousness and peace.
Let’s go forward today with our heads held high, knowing that God will accomplish what concerns our children. (Psalm 138:8) Amen.
