Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,
Speaker 1: where we help you find the words you need to
Speaker 1: connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what is
Speaker 1: happening in your life today, you can trust that God
Speaker 1: wants to hear from you. Right after this short word
Speaker 1: from our sponsors, we'll pray God today's prayer to Disciple
Speaker 1: the Next Generation. A Prayer to Disciple the Next Generation,
Speaker 1: written by Laura Bailey, read by Kerrie Eichberger. And so
Speaker 1: is my word that goes out from my mouth. It
Speaker 1: will not return to be empty, but will accomplish what
Speaker 1: I desire and achieve the purpose for which I scent it.
Speaker 1: I say a fifty five verse eleven. Okay, girls, what
Speaker 1: are you all learning in Sunday school? I asked my
Speaker 1: three daughters on our way to our doctor's appointment. The
Speaker 1: car has quickly become where we spend most of our
Speaker 1: waking hours together as a family during the school year.
Speaker 1: Between drop offs, pickups, and shuffling from practices, appointments and meetups,
Speaker 1: we spend hours on the road. In an attempt to
Speaker 1: redeem this time. I decided a few years ago to
Speaker 1: use it for faith filled conversations. My daughters range from
Speaker 1: twelve to seven, so the conversations and their spiritual maturity theory. Yet,
Speaker 1: for the most part, we can, for at least a
Speaker 1: few minutes, have good dialogue around what's going on in
Speaker 1: their lives, what they are learning, and what questions they
Speaker 1: have about their faith. I've learned over time that one
Speaker 1: of the best ways to engage all three at their
Speaker 1: level is to ask what they are learning. In Sunday school,
Speaker 1: we are talking about Moses and the Ten Commandments, my
Speaker 1: youngest daughter shared. We are going through the Book of
Speaker 1: Acts and disgusting how to share the gospel? My oldest
Speaker 1: daughter interjected, what about you? I turned to my middle
Speaker 1: daughter as I could see her brain working by the
Speaker 1: wrinkles on her forehead. Well, we have been learning about
Speaker 1: the Lord's prayer, but I have a question. Do I
Speaker 1: pray to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit? Or can
Speaker 1: I just say all three? She inquired. My mama's heart
Speaker 1: did a little flip. One because I was so excited
Speaker 1: to see her learning and asking good questions about her faith,
Speaker 1: And two I was a bit nervous about how to
Speaker 1: answer her. Still, I said a silent prayer, asking that
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit guide my response. That's a good question.
Speaker 1: Will all three? The Holy Spirit helps you know what
Speaker 1: to say. You are praying to Jesus and he's interceding
Speaker 1: or taking our prayers to God side. Note No, there
Speaker 1: is more I could have said, but understand I have
Speaker 1: elementary and tweens. I try to answer theologically accurate in
Speaker 1: a way they can understand within their attention time limits.
Speaker 1: Everyone was nodding. I received a few oh, that makes sense,
Speaker 1: and then my youngest daughter spoke up. But Mom, I
Speaker 1: have another question. I braced myself, eager to hear what
Speaker 1: she would add to our lively conversation. What are we
Speaker 1: going to have for supper? I couldn't help but laugh.
Speaker 1: Do I think she was listening to our conversation? Yes?
Speaker 1: But do I think she is an easily distracted seven
Speaker 1: year old too. Yes. Discipling our children and the next
Speaker 1: generation isn't always a social media pinterest worthy event. In fact,
Speaker 1: most of the time it looks like my har right experience,
Speaker 1: which can leave us wondering if we are even making
Speaker 1: a difference. I understand its importance intellectually, but at times
Speaker 1: wonder whether they are too young or not yet spiritually
Speaker 1: mature to talk through difficult questions or even to dive
Speaker 1: into the complexity of scripture. Isaya fifty five eleven always
Speaker 1: encourages me when I question the impact of sharing God's
Speaker 1: word with my children. This verse reminds us that God's
Speaker 1: word will never return void. While on the surface it
Speaker 1: may feel that difficult truths aren't penetrating little hearts and minds,
Speaker 1: we know that God's purposes and plans will prevail. It
Speaker 1: is never wasted. When we read the Bible, pray over
Speaker 1: and with, and talk with our children about our faith.
Speaker 1: The Lord is always working and using our obedience to
Speaker 1: disciple the next generation be encouraged today if you've had
Speaker 1: a similar expi sperience to mine. God's word will achieve
Speaker 1: its purposes of transforming hearts and minds, but it's on
Speaker 1: God's timetable and plan, not ours. How privileged though, like
Speaker 1: the prophet Isaiah, that God invites us to co labor
Speaker 1: with him in sharing his word and teaching the next generation.
Speaker 1: I don't know exactly how God will use those car conversations,
Speaker 1: but I do know He is working in their lives
Speaker 1: all for His glory and our good Let's pray Heavenly Father,
Speaker 1: thank you for the gift of your word. I know
Speaker 1: it often take for granted the luxury of reading the scriptures,
Speaker 1: communing with you through prayer, and openly gathering with the
Speaker 1: community of believers. Help me to abide in your word
Speaker 1: daily so that I will be prepared to share with others,
Speaker 1: specifically the next generation. Lord, I ask that your truth
Speaker 1: will penetrate the hearts and minds of the those who
Speaker 1: hear it. May they feel the weight of conviction and
Speaker 1: turn to you. For those in Christ, I ask that
Speaker 1: your word will give them strength and guide them as
Speaker 1: they desire to live in a way that is wholly
Speaker 1: unpleasing to you. Give me the knowledge and encouragement to
Speaker 1: continue talking with my children about You, their faith, and
Speaker 1: the scriptures, even when I wonder whether they are comprehending
Speaker 1: or even listening. I know that your word never returns empty,
Speaker 1: and I can trust that you are always at work
Speaker 1: in Jesus name. Amen. Your Daily Prayer is a production
Speaker 1: of Life Audio in Sale Media. If you haven't already,
Speaker 1: be sure to follow the show in your favorite podcast
Speaker 1: app so you never miss an episode. For more faith
Speaker 1: filled inspirational podcasts, visit us at lifeaudio dot com.
Speaker 2: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched
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