21 Days of Fasting and Prayer for Our Children and Grandchildren – Day 17 Don’t Give Up!

When I started this 21 days of prayer and fasting, I felt led to put the same challenge out to other parents and grandparents (and g-g’s!). The first blog had 150 reads. Day 5 has 55. Day 16 has 10.

I know that fasting is hard. But, when I wake up in the morning and I’m exhausted and just want to eat my favorite breakfast of eggs and toast, I always take an account of what I’m doing. Is it worth it? Do I have the strength? Of course I do.

When I think about the stuff I’m praying about, I think to myself – what would I give to see God’s power and blessing unleashed in my children’s lives? What does it cost to get a breakthrough for specific things I’ve prayed about for a while in my own life and in my family?

We actually CAN do hard things for the Lord. And what God calls you to do in your fast may look different than what I am doing in my fast. We CAN take extra time to pray more than what we normally do. Whether God has you cutting out sugar and coffee or breakfast and lunch, or not eating after noon – whatever it is – do it to the glory of God!

The discipline of fasting is to the glory of God, not the glory of people. I don’t even tell you these things to make you think I’m something special. But I do it because I know God wants me to call others to get super serious about praying for our children. We live in a dark and evil time that is consuming this young generation with lies, temptations and anti-Christ delusions. The type of prayer we need to bring to the Lord is serious, united and committed.

So many times I have talked to parents who have “let go and let God” with their children. Many times we need to put our children in God’s hands, but God never calls us to a passivity in our prayer lives. As parents, we need to stop throwing our hands up in a “I give up” or “I’m too tired” to pray stance. We need to get on our faces and go to battle for our children.

Many times you have no idea what is happening in your children’s hearts as the enemy fights to steal them away from the Lord. It’s important to pray for each child and not assume that just because you did everything right they will be okay. The most important spiritual influence you can have on your children is to pray for them. How all-in are you to see a movement of the Lord?

Joel 2:12-32

“Even now,” declares the Lord,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend your heart

and not your garments.

Return to the Lord your God,

for he is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in love,

and he relents from sending calamity.

Who knows? He may turn and relent

and leave behind a blessing—

grain offerings and drink offerings

for the Lord your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion,

declare a holy fast,

call a sacred assembly.

Gather the people,

consecrate the assembly;

bring together the elders,

gather the children,

those nursing at the breast.

Let the bridegroom leave his room

and the bride her chamber.

Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,

weep between the portico and the altar.

Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.

Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,

a byword among the nations.

Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’ ”

The Lord’s Answer

Then the Lord was jealous for his land

and took pity on his people.

The Lord replied to them:

“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,

enough to satisfy you fully;

never again will I make you

an object of scorn to the nations.

“I will drive the northern horde far from you,

pushing it into a parched and barren land;

its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea

and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.

And its stench will go up;

its smell will rise.”

Surely he has done great things!

Do not be afraid, land of Judah;

be glad and rejoice.

Surely the Lord has done great things!

Do not be afraid, you wild animals,

for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.

The trees are bearing their fruit;

the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

Be glad, people of Zion,

rejoice in the Lord your God,

for he has given you the autumn rains

because he is faithful.

He sends you abundant showers,

both autumn and spring rains, as before.

The threshing floors will be filled with grain;

the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—

the great locust and the young locust,

the other locusts and the locust swarm 

my great army that I sent among you.

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,

and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,

who has worked wonders for you;

never again will my people be shamed.

Then you will know that I am in Israel,

that I am the Lord your God,

and that there is no other;

never again will my people be shamed.

The Day of the Lord

“And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

I will show wonders in the heavens

and on the earth,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved;

for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

there will be deliverance,

as the Lord has said,

even among the survivors

whom the Lord calls. 

Prayer Point: Pray and don’t give up! Commit to serious prayer for your family!

Father, in Jesus’ name, I pray that you hear my prayer. I come before you with my heart rent in two over the sin and the pain in our land and in my family. Lord, I seek you and beg you to have mercy on my family and on (specific names). Lord, we have sinned against you. Lord, we have been lukewarm and worldly. Please forgive us for being spiritually lazy.

Forgive me for being lazy in prayer. You are teaching me now. I am receiving from you. Please do a great and mighty work in my heart. I give you all my fears about my family. I give you all hopelessness, in Jesus’ name. I pray that you will rescue my family from darkness and bring them into your light. I renounce hopelessness and pray that you fill me with your faith, Lord. Put your fire in my heart, so I can walk by faith.

Lord, I pray that you will restore the years the locusts have eaten. Bring restoration from what the enemy intended for evil. You can bring about all of this to your goodness and glory. You also can pour out your Spirit on all flesh. Pour out your Spirit on my children and grandchildren. Even pour your Spirit out on the babies in the womb. May they experience your presence and your love. Protect them, Lord, and may they grow in the strength and admonition of the Lord.

Jesus, I pray for the power of your Spirit to break out upon my family. I pray that my sons and daughters will prophecy and that the old in our family will dream dreams. I pray that you send your signs and wonders and accompany them with the fruit of the Spirit and a move of repentance in our home.

Lord, give me the energy and focus to truly pray for my family the way I need to pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen!