Day 5: Do not hinder them
But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Luke 18:16).
We thank You, O Father, that in Jesus our Savior You showed us the heart of God. He did not just say, I am gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29), but He demonstrated His gentleness, His kindness, and His compassion to all—to the mighty, to the vulnerable, and to the little child.
In a gesture likely at odds with the customs and expectations of the day, He invited the children to Himself, and forever assured their place in the kingdom of God with a rebuke to His disciples, Forbid them not (Luke 18:16 -KJV).
Lord, Your words still resound today—Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them... (Luke 18:16). You still desire to embrace our children—to bless them. And You still want us to bring them to You.
We desire the best for them. We strive to give them the best education and the best extra-curricular and developmental activities to prepare them for the future. We encourage them when they struggle and we celebrate their achievements.
We invest in all that concerns their welfare and their success in this life—to make them "good citizens" of this world. But this world is filled with so much difficult and uncertain territory they cannot navigate on their own—even as "good citizens". They need godly wisdom, protection, shelter from the elemental spiritual forces of this world (Galatians 4:3).
We can make no greater investment than to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We can construct no greater safeguard than to bring them to You, to commit them to Your care, to pray like Abraham, O that [my child] would live before You (under Your blessing)! (Genesis 17:18 - ESV, NIV).
Father, we pray for the children in our circles and our extended circles, and for our young people—the new generations—struggling to make sense of a chaotic, confused world. You see the dangers, the threats, the snares and the pitfalls.
You see their hopes and dreams, their ambitions and plans, their efforts and endeavors. You see their mistakes and confusion, their defeat and despair. We commit them to Your protection, Your deliverance from all evil.
Help us to willingly and sacrificially invest in their lives. Help us not to exasperate them (Ephesians 6:4). Rebuke us where we hinder them by carelessness or neglect, by prayerlessness or apathy. Stir in us a deep commitment to bring them to You. Bring them to our minds by name or association.
Give us the fortitude to wrestle in prayer on their behalf, to cry out for Your strength, Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord (Psalm 35:23). Show us Your wisdom, Your help and Your mercy.
With unflagging hope and with gratitude, Lord, we cling to Your promise that from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts (Psalm 103:17-18).
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