As I sit here on the morn my last son launches, I’m asking God what’s my part moving forward. I know (kinda) how to be a mama of many men, but what happens when they’re gone?
As I read Nehemiah’s account of dedicating Jerusalem’s new wall, several details spoke instruction to my heart - he:
•Lead the leaders to the top of the wall where they “played & sang loudly, making sacrifices with great joy”
•Restored the Levites to their proper positions
•Reminded them of the significance of the Sabbath
•Commanded that the gates be guarded
If the walls had not been repaired, the lack of fortification would’ve left the people defenseless against their foes.
As my son prepares to set foot on the college campus, I am reminded that he, & we, fight a defeated foe that is still trying to steal, kill & destroy.
Although my heart mourns the end of a season, I can also stand atop the wall of my family & rejoice loudly that my sons all know Jesus as their wall-like defender.
They may not always walk in His Ways, but this is where I, like Nehemiah, can remind them from afar of their calling to become priests in their home & future family. I can text Truth that reminds them that they’ve indeed been called.
I can also exhort them to keep the Sabbath holy-to keep a cadence of life that makes way for The King to reside & preside.
Lastly, I can help guard their gates from afar through powerful & effective prayer. Y’all, the enemy is a legalist. He operates full bore where he has legal right. Broken down gates & gaps in the wall of our hearts give him legal invitation to come on in...he cannot possess us if Jesus is Lord, but he can operate through us if we let him.
The quiet of my home will make way to purify myself & fight in warfare on behalf of my sons. Yes, my part moving forward is to guard the gates of my family through prayer.
Father, we ask You to cancel all enemy assignments against our families. Spirits of fear, confusion & chaos, you have no legal right, power or authority over us because we are all children of God & thus you must leave by the power & authority of Jesus Christ. Reveal any doors opened by disobedience. Guard our gates, oh God!
PS I was reminded this am that the enemy is not omniscient - he cannot read our thoughts, so I invite you to join me in speaking the prayer above out loud on behalf of our families! We have power and authority through our spoken word especially when we speak the Word of God! So let’s become gatekeepers by praying His Word over ourselves, our families, our nation & our future!
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