Bryson did something this past week that absolutely blessed my soul. This boy has had a life of being prayed over since birth. Still, he is an eight year old boy, he doesn’t always see the value in that and there are times when I want to lay hands on him and pray that he will say ‘Awww Nana, you prayed for me already.’ That’s the boy in him, the natural him but I am learning if I keep feeding and his mom keeps feeding the spiritual side of him, it will arise and be stronger than the natural side, as it is with all of us; what we feed will grow.
Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. This scripture is what we endeavor to do with my grandchildren. I want them to have a strong spiritual life. However, at times, as I already shared, they don’t always know the value of it, but they are beginning to, let me share a story with you from this past weekend.
Each time Bryson goes to his dads for the weekend, I pray over him. I lay hands on him and pray and declare God’s protection over him and I make sure angels are around him keeping him safe, just as the word promises. I have done this for four years. As I said, sometimes it annoys him and he lets me know it, but I do it anyway. Many times I have seen God’s hand at work through these consistent prayers.
This past Friday Bryson knew he was going to his dads the next day. He asked me if he would see me before he went. I said ‘probably not, but I will pray for you today.’ He said ‘Nana, will you record me some prayers and I can listen to them before I go?’ He said ‘that way if I don’t see you before I go you will still be praying over me.’ I must tell you that this blessed me beyond words.
I said ‘absolutely buddy.’ I recorded him a prayer for before he goes to his dads. I recorded him a prayer for bedtime. And I recorded him a prayer for before school. I handed them to him and said ‘here you go!’
That Saturday I did not see him, however when I talked to Breanne, I said ‘How was Bryson?’ She said ‘fine, he listened to his prayers before he left.’ Oh my, what a blessing!
He is beginning to see the value of a praying Nana and Mom. He doesn’t want to go without prayer – I could not ask for anything more.
I pressed through those times when it irritated him and he didn’t want to take the time to pray…and it paid off.
We are training him up in the way he should go and I am confident that he won’t depart from it just as the word of God says. I love the Amplified version of that scripture, it says; Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
I love that it says to train them up according to their individual gift or bent….don’t you love that? We pray differently for different children. I feel God has shown me Bryson’s gifts and bent, as well as Brailee’s and I pray for them both, but I pray for them different…why? Their gifts are different.
I know you are probably a praying parent or grandparent, and I am so glad you are. I wanted to encourage you today to press past the times when you are simply annoying them. Smile and keep training them up, before you know it, you will see the fruit of your prayer and oh! How sweet that fruit is. I got a taste of it and I must say ‘I am loving it!’
